Banaue Travel Information
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Ifugao was formerly a part of the old Mountain Province. It was created
as an independent province on June 18, 1966. Since then, Ifugao finally
gained provincial status under its first highest provincial official
Governor Gualberto Lumauig.
The popularity of Ifugao has taken a positive turn when its famous
rice terraces was listed in the World Heritage List of UNESCO in December
1995 as the first living cultural landscape.
TOPOGRAPHY and POPULATION
The province of Ifugao is a land-locked area located at the foot of
the Cordillera mountain ranges with a total land area of 251,778 hectares.
With a total number of eleven municipalities it has also a total population
of 153,915 based on the 1995 census. Majority of the people speak
the Ifugao dialect, while others speak Ilocano and Bontoc. Filipino
and English are widely spoken and understood.
CLIMATE
The climate here has a short dry season which starts from the early
part of January to late April, while wet season starts from May to
late December. Hottest months are March and April, while November
up to February are the coolest.
INDUSTRY
The major cottage industries of the province are loomweaving, woodcarving,
basketry, rice wine brewing and papermaking.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
One
of the highlights of a trip to Asia is a visit to the Ifugao Rice
Terraces, also known as the Eighth Wonder of the World. This "Stairway
to the Sky", covering 20,000 hectares that span the towns of Banaue,
Hungduan, Mayoyao and Kiangan, was handcarved by the native Ifugao
tribe some 2,000 years ago.
The Ifugao Rice Terraces, a testament to man’s genius
at turning a rugged and forbidding terrain into a continuing source
of substance, is inscribed as a World Heritage Site.
Located near the municipality of Alfonso Lista is the
Magat Dam, reputedly the biggest dam in Asia.
Memorial shrines, museums, caves, hot springs, water
pools and lakes contribute more to the tourist attractions of the
the province.
FESTIVALS AND EVENTS
a) Banaue Imbayah -- celebrated every after four
years, it is an ethnic parade and games portraying the evolution of
Ifugao culture.
b) Tungoh ad Hungduan -- Celebrated by the farmers
in Hungduan after the planting season. It is a cultural night of songs
and dances and ethnic parade held in April.
c) Tig-ao Festival -- Held in April, is a victory
feast among the Mayoyaos. It features ancient rituals and ethnic games.
