Sprawling along the graceful slopes of the Zambales mountain ranges at 120 feet above sea level & situated just 15 minutes from Olongapo City, Alta Vista by GP Homes offers magnificent panoramic views of nearby Subic Bay...Banaue Rice Terraces
Sources: tourism.gov.ph, dotpcvc.gov.ph, nscb.gov.ph
Dubbed as the "Eight Wonder of the World," the Banaue Rice Terraces start from the base of the mountain range and reach up to several thousand feet high. It is said that their length, put end to end, would encircle half of the globe. Made 2,000 years ago, these rice terraces manifest the engineering skill and ingenuity of the sturdy Ifugaos. Streams and springs found in the mountains were tapped and channeled into irrigation canals that run downhill through the rice terraces.
Banaue of Painterly Dreams
Because of its high altitude, Banaue is often described as "where land merges with the clouds to meet the heavens" with the rice terraces as "the stairway to the sky."
Banaue is a place for nature adventures and cultural immersion. Days are for indulging in such activities as strolling, biking, and trekking. Evenings are for campfire chats at a village or warm indoor cosseting at the lodges and inns.
A leading tourism destination in Asia, the Banaue rice terraces start from the base of the Cordilleras and reach up to several thousand feet high. Its length, if stretched from end to end, could encircle half of the globe.
The rice paddies are fed by mountain springs and streams that are channeled into an irrigation canal that runs downhill through the terraces.
In the village of Batad, the terraces take the shape of an amphitheater and can be reached by a 12-kilometer ride from Banaue Hotel and a 2-hour hike through mountain trails.
After trekking through the terraces, cool retreats indeed are the spring-fed stream of Guihob and the magnificent Tappiya Waterfalls which has an enormous basin for swimming.
Shopping takes a different twist in Banaue. While souvenir items are offered by curio stores, the more exciting way to shop, however, is to go on a village visit, watch a family demonstrate their native craft and then haggle for a better price on their product.
Brief History
The word "Banaue" is derived from the word " Banawor, " a swift flying bird at night that lived in one of the oldest sitios of the town. In time, the whole town came to be referred to as Banaue. when the Spaniards occupied the town, they mispronounced Banawor as Banaue and the error stuck.
The origin of the people of Banaue is believed to be from a single migrating people who carried the rice terracing culture from South China and Indo-China across Luzon and Southern Japan and southward to Java and the lesser Sunda Islands. Artifact remains indicate that the first migration was probably in the second millennium before Christ and carried only material culture of polish stones, coppers, and bronze. It was believed too that the second millennium brought with them the use of iron, pottery and woven cloth. As a result, the people learned how to carve figurines, a skill that later on made the municipality known for its wood carving industry.
The inhabitants of Banaue are bound by a common origin, language, culture, mores, customs and traditions. Because of this and the need to survive, they were able to carve from mountains the famous rice terraces now known as the "8th Wonder of the World."
During the Spanish Regime, the government in Banaue was not fully established. The Spaniards tried to establish garrison at Ducligan, which became the seat of the Spanish Government, but this did not last long because of the hostility of the peoples, for which reason they left the garrison and went to Mayoyao.
In 1901, the American Government was established in Banaue headed by Capt. Jeff Gelman of the American ARmy who was appointed as its lieutenant governor. CAptain Gelman was succeeded by Col. William Dosser who served as the last American governor of Ifugao. His deputy provincial governor and Philippine Constabulary provincial commander was Captain Bulan of Solano, Cagayan.
On June 25, 1963, under Executive Order No. 42, banaue together with Mayoyao, Lamut and Kiangan, became a regular municipality. Banaue is politically subdivided into 18 barangays, namely: Amganad, Anaba, Balawis, Banao, Bangaan, Batad, Bocos, Cambulo, Ducligan, Gohang, Kinakin, Poblacion, Poitan, Pula, San Fernando, Tam-an, Viewpoint and Uhaj.
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