Head down, one step, then another. A deep breath. Finally, a small two foot by two foot ledge to take a break as your thighs burn and your knees shake. As you straighten up, your gaze takes in the surroundings and your deep breath turns more into a sigh of wonder.

Spread for miles around, clinging to the cliff sides, the Batad rice terraces are a marvel of human endeavor that has remained relatively unchanged for more than 2,000 years. Depending on the time of year, they are either a resplendent emerald green of rice shoots , a golden brown of ready to be picked rice or a jumble of colours as the pools of water reflect the surrounding mountains and sky.

A photo, a drink of water, then, it’s head down again, one more step, then another, for about 40 minutes.

That 40 minute walk is the last leg of an almost 12-hour journey from Manila to get to the small village of Batad, nestled at the heart of the Banaue Unesco Heritage Rice Terraces in the northern parts of Luzon Island in the Philippines.

Starting in Manila, the journey begins at the Quezon City bus terminal near the Cubao-Arenata MRT station. It’s an eight to 10 hour bus ride north to Banaue on a night bus, usually departing around 9 or 10 pm. A few bus lines make the journey (we took Coda Lines, but Ohayami and Florida are also options). If you are lucky and there are no issues on the windy, mountainous road that snakes it’s way up from the capital into the depths of the Cordilleras, it’s an arrival at 5 am! There are no airports close by.

Prior to heading off to Batad, we recommend a night in Banaue (we stayed at the Sanafe Lodge). In addition, if you’ve booked a room for the day of your arrival, you might be able to check in at 5am and catch a few hours of sleep prior to doing a your first excursion around Banaue and neighbouring rice terraces. That way, we were able to take in the Hapao rice fields and hot springs.

The next day, we headed out on a one hour jeepney ride with our guide, Kelly, to the Batad trail head, stopping here and there along the way to take in the beautiful scenery. Kelly proved extremely knowledgeable of the area, having grown up here and still working in the rice fields when not taking tourists around. After about an hour and a half, it’s goodbye to motorized transportation. The beginning of the hike is easy enough, a 10-15 minute walk along a concrete path. You’ll arrive at the edge of a valley, where a dozen or so homestays can be found overlooking the rice terraces.

After a quick lunch, you can go for a one hour hike up the north slope and then down the other side to the Tappiya waterfall, a 30-metre, straight drop of water that pools along a rocky shore. There, you probably won’ t share the peace and quiet with more than a handful of people. You can take a dip in the cool pools, but it’s a good idea to have sandals or water shoes, as  you’ll be walking on rocks and pebbles

This trip is not for the faint of heart, but it’s not that difficult either. Our two kids were more than able to handle the walking up and down the terraces and along their walls. It’s the adults, with creaky joints and stiff muscles who may find it harder.

The highlight of the trip is spending a night at one of the homestays. There, residents live their lives similar to the way their ancestors did hundreds of years ago, set to the rhythm of sowing, harvesting and pounding rice. Electricity and satellite television may be available, but it remains inconsistent, and cell phone service still hasn’t reached this area. It’s a peaceful, quiet experience that will leave you wanting to spend more time there, gazing up at the star-filled heavens and listening to the frogs and insects.