5DAYS/4NIGHTS BANAUE 1 night Baguio – 1 night Sagada – 2 nights Banaue

Tour Highlights:

✓ The Banaue Rice Terraces are 2000‐year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of the Cordilleras by the Ifugaos. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World”, and a Unesco World Heritage Site. The terraces, built by hand are located approximately 1500 meters (5000 ft) above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers (about 4000 square miles) of mountainside. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces.

✓ Have a close encounter with the village folks in Banaue, and a glimpse of their

way of life.

✓ Visit the remote and exotic village of Sagada – with its mysterious cave and underground river. The forebears of the current residents practiced an unusual burial practice by hanging and stacking coffins, hewed from tree trunks, in the limestone karst cliffs and caves near town.

✓ En route to Baguio, visit the town of Bacolor, visit the ruins of Bacolor Church

(half‐buried by Lahar, a thick sludge‐like mixture of rainwater runoff and volcanic ash. Witness the devastation wrought by the 1992 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.

DAY 01: MANILA ‐ BAGUIO VIA BACOLOR 0700H ‐ Depart from your hotel for Baguio via air‐con transportation, through the North Expressway reaching BACOLOR , Pampanga in 2 hours.

This town is among hundreds of towns and villages, which have been devastated by Mt. Pinatubo's eruption in June 1993. Tour the village and visit the Basilica, which is now 3/4 buried in Lahar. See the remaining roofs of houses covered by Lahar. Mt. Pinatubo's wrath continues to wreak havoc on the lives of the villagers every year as the monsoon rains carry Lahar from the bowels of Mt. Pinatubo adding more layers of Lahar. Townsfolk have adapted to nature' wrath by building houses on stilts which are several meters high.

Proceed to BAGUIO, the summer capital of the Philippines and the gateway to the Cordillera, in the province of Benguet, 1,500 kms high up in the Cordillera Mountains. It is approximately 4 hours drive through the countryside, ascending up through zigzagging roads of Benguet.

Check‐in at your hotel.

Afternoon sightseeing tour of BAGUIO CITY. Visit Burnham Park, Mines View Park, Camp John Hay, Baguio Cathedral, Tam‐ Awan Village with reconstructed Ifugao and Kalinga huts and also a venue

for art exhibits and workshops, Woodcarver’s Village, Saint Louis Filigree Shop.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel. (D) DAY 02: BAGUIO ‐ SAGADA

Early morning breakfast

0700 ‐ 0730H ‐ Depart for SAGADA via the La Trinidad Valley. Stops can be made at Bell Church were on request you get your fortune told by one of the priests. These scenic drive along the Halsema mountain highway give you breathtaking views of the vegetable terraces farmed by Benguet tribes; you will also see the breathtaking scenery of the tiny villages in the valleys down below. On to the Mountain Trail.

Arrive SAGADA. Explore this quaint little town with its towering pine trees, hanging coffins, subterranean caves used as burial grounds by the natives, eminent limestone cliffs and nearby scenic falls. Other stunning destinations are Bomod‐ok and Bokong Falls, Danom Lake and Weaving Shops. Hike trough simple trails which lead to some picturesque summits,

Dinner and overnight at your lodging. (B, D) DAY 03: SAGADA ‐ BONTOC ‐ BANAUE

Early morning breakfast.

0630‐0700H ‐ Depart Sagada for BONTOC. Drive along winding mountain trail onto Bontoc.

Bontoc is the mountain province's capital and crossroads. Visit the Bontoc Museum, which was founded by the Belgian sisters who have been active in the area for decades. It consists of four well laid out rooms featuring artifacts and old photos plus a group of traditional houses.

Afternoon, arrive at BANAUE.

The spectacle is breathtaking. Whole chains of mountains terraced from top to bottom for the cultivation of rice sculptured and curved from the steep mountain side by the Ifugaos with their bare hands and crude stone implements centuries ago. Check‐in, dinner and overnight at your hotel. (B, D)

DAY 04: BANAUE & SURROUNDINGS

Breakfast.

Ride a jeepney with a stop at VIEWPOINT and proceed to the village of BANGA‐AN, 2 kms further at the junction leading to Batad. Meet the Ifugao Village folks.

Afternoon you may want to trek to Banga‐an Village from your hotel. Visit the wet market and witness a typical Ifugao market day.

Dinner and overnight at your hotel. (B, D)

DAY 05: BANAUE ‐ MANILA

Breakfast. 0800H ‐ Depart Banaue for Manila via the Philippine‐Friendship Highway, passing through the Central Plains of Luzon, the biggest rice farming province in the Philippines.

Arrive and check‐in at the booked hotel. (B)

Rates of the program in Euro

N° of pax 1 2 to 3 4 to 6 7 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19 20 to 24 25 to 29 30+ Price 2416 1243 839 805 798 621 610 537 489

Inclusive: English‐speaking guide, private transportation, halfboard meals, accommodations, essential tours and

entrance fees