Ifugao Diary: Hungduan

READ MORE: My Ifugao Diary on Majawjaw (Mayoyao)

The spider-web rice terraces.

I don't know how my travelling started, but I remember that I've been doing it since I was a kid with my parents and siblings. We would go somewhere on summer or my father would take us where he has to work on a weekend. I met a lot of people during my travels. Others were just passing acquaintances, but some became my friends and travel buddies.

Road construction to Hungduan.

Jay, Julius and I overlooking the Uja Rice Terraces.

One of my favorite places to visit is the Ifugao province. When I was a student in grade school, I only saw the rice terraces in books. I told myself that I would go there someday to validate how beautiful the rice terraces would be for real. These past few months, I have visited the place more often.

Two of my travel buddies went with me on a trip to Hungduan. It is in the northeast town from Banaue and southeast from the capital of the province, Lagawe. I was addicted to rice terraces and mystified on how it was built by  the ancestors of Ifugao. We want to see and trek Hapao Rice Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was a 9-hour bus ride from Manila to Banaue and a 2-hour tricycle ride from Banaue to Barangay Hapao. We were 3, that's why we rented a tricycle, but you may opt to charter a jeep if you are a party of more than three. Roads are being built for better logistics, so, expect the ride to slow down at some point. But before heading there, we bought some supplies at Banaue and had a heavy breakfast at the public market. Being a traveller, we spend our resources wisely. With me is a cookset and a burner, this comes in handy so that we can cook or make coffee anytime we want during the trip. 

The road to Hungduan.

The roads and the rice fields of the village of Uja.

I took the tricycle backride to get a better view of the scenery along the way. As expected, the ride to Hungduan was exhilarating and fun. We stopped at the Tourism Office to register and to pay for the environmental fee. We had to stop from time to time to take pictures and to walk through the mud of the road construction. The disadvantage of riding a tricycle instead of a jeep is that the height of the mud is almost 1/3 of the wheel of the latter.

We arrived at an inn in Barangay Hapao. I've already made our overnight arrangement 3 days before. Unfortunately, the owner and I had a misunderstanding on the rate since she thought that we were participants of the marathon the following morning. She gave us a higher rate for a room with one bed and a cushion. The place is still being repaired. We were assigned at the lower level of the inn. The place was decent but the comfort rooms are dark which are located below our floor and yet to be installed with lighting.

Hapao Rice Terraces - a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Trekking through the rice paddies of Hapao.

After we settled our backpacks, we prepared our lunch. We waited for our local guide to arrive. But after a couple of hours of waiting, we decided to do the tour without her. With our rented tricycle, which is by the way, run by a tour guide from Banaue, we went to see the different viewpoints of Hungduan's rice terraces. The Spider-web rice terraces is  amazing! I had to hang on a tree branch just to take a nice photo of it. Our guide told us that the perfect shot would be at the top view, which was impossible for us to do. Sad. 

The Catholic Church of Hapao in the middle of the rice terraces.

Hungduan Rice Terraces.

After a couple of hours, we trekked through the rice paddies of Hapao Rice Terraces to go to Bogyah Hot Spring. It was an hour trek but we had to stop at times to take pictures. Who wouldn't be awed at the sight of these rice terraces? The rice was all light golden yellow and will be harvested in a month. Each box was big and straight. So, when you look at the terraces at a distant, you can see straight lines as if it was done with a ruler.

It was a long day of travelling and we haven't rested comfortably. We registered when we arrived. The hot sulfuric spring is a perfect way to end the day. We were able to loosen up in a small pool with hot water coming from the mountain. Adjusting the temperature is by moving the rocks that covers the outlet of the pool. This was showed by one of the locals there. Also, there is a cold spring by the river near the hot spring. But we were contented to the relaxing effect of the hot spring. It was already past 5:00 pm and we had to trek back to our place for the night. We didn't have our headlamps with us and it will be hard to trek on the rice-field in the dark. We took a different trail where we passed by the river and the church. It was a short walk. 

Partial view of the spider-web rice terraces of Hungduan.

The river of Hapao and Ba-ang

Waking up was a joy. It has rained the night before, but that morning, the rice-field was so alive and the rice is golden yellow and waving through the morning breeze. By the veranda of the inn, we took our breakfast. You can see Mt. Napulauan capped by thick white clouds from afar. Barangay Hapao is the jump-off if you want to climb the mountain. After breakfast, we got ready to head back to Banaue. We had to hitch back because according to the locals, there was a landslide at Tinoc where the mini bus comes from. The experience in Hungduan was indeed fun with all the beauty of the place. I will surely go back to experience it again.

Take a relaxing dip at Bogyah Hot Spring.