Banaue Rice Terraces - Amazing Ancient Cultural Landscape in the Philippines

The Banaue Rice Terraces in the mountainous area of Ifugao province in the Philippines are amazing ancient cultural landscape. These ancient sprawling man-made structures are said to date back more than 2000 years. This seemingly endless series of terraced fields that climb thousands of feet were carved into the mountains by ancestors of the indigenous people.

The Banaue Rice Terraces are commonly referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the Ancient World by the Filipinos. The rice terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The indigenous people used stone and mud walls to carefully carve and construct terraces that could hold water in the fields for the cultivation of rice. They also established a unique and efficient irrigation system which brings water from the rain forests above the terraces to water these plots. 

The Banaue Rice terraces are located approximately 1500 meters (5000 ft) above sea level and cover an area of 10,360 square kilometers of mountainside. Considering the age of of the terraces, the sheer complexity and the vastness of the area – it is enough for most to marvel simply in how they were constructed completely by hand. It is also fascinating that the locals still plant rice and vegetables on the terraces.