Ifugao, Province in Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines.
Ifugao is a mountainous province in the Cordillera Administrative Region on Luzon island, known for its terraced slopes and forested peaks. The landscape is crossed by deep valleys where villages of wooden houses cling to steep hillsides.
Settlements on the mountain slopes have existed for over 2,000 years when communities began carving rice terraces into steep hillsides. Colonial powers tried to control the region for centuries but the remote valleys remained largely autonomous until the early 20th century.
The rice terraces follow techniques passed down through generations and still applied during planting and harvest seasons. Village communities organize shared work days when neighbors help each other and sing traditional songs while tending the fields.
Overnight buses run regularly from Manila to the main towns and reach the region after about nine hours through mountainous terrain. Visitors should bring warm clothing as the elevation brings noticeably cooler temperatures than coastal areas below.
The stone walls between terraces were built without mortar and form a network spanning over 20,000 kilometers (12,430 miles) maintained by hand. The oldest terrace systems include complex irrigation channels made of bamboo that bring water from forest springs at high altitudes to the fields.
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