Batanes

Batanes lies far to the north of the rest of the Philippines, closer to Taiwan than to Manila, and it looks nothing like the country's tropical postcard: instead of palms and white sand there are treeless green hills running down to black volcanic cliffs, herds of cattle, and a light that shifts constantly with the weather blowing in off two seas. The Ivatan people who live here built for typhoons, and their traditional houses of metre-thick limestone and coral walls under heavy cogon thatch still stand in villages such as Savidug and Chavayan, which is why the cultural landscape has been proposed for World Heritage listing. Rolling pasture at Racuh a Payaman, lighthouses on the headlands, hedgerow-lined lanes and stone jetties in tiny harbours complete a place that feels transplanted from the North Atlantic. The islands are small enough to circle by bicycle or tricycle in a day each.

History

The ancestors of the Ivatan people were Austronesians who came about 4,000 years ago, living in fortified hill sites called idjangs, drinking sugar-cane wine called palek and trading on the Maritime Jade Road. The English explorer William Dampier visited in 1687 and named Itbayat Orange Isle, Batan Grafton Isle and Sabtang Monmouth Isle, and in 1783 Spain claimed the islands under Governor-General José Basco y Vargas (Wikipedia, Batanes).

The landscape

• Ivatan stone houses - the thick-walled thatched houses of Savidug and Chavayan.
• Racuh a Payaman - the rolling communal pasture above the sea on Batan island.
• Sabtang island - the boat trip to the best-preserved stone villages and coves.
• The lighthouses and headlands - the cliffs and beacons above two meeting seas.

When to go

March to May is the calmest and clearest window; the typhoon season from roughly June to October brings the storms the houses were built for, and flights are cancelled often. Even in the good months the weather turns fast. Book flights well ahead, as seats are limited and expensive.

Good to know

Getting there is the hard part: only small aircraft serve Basco, flights are pricey, often full and routinely cancelled by weather, so build spare days into the plan or risk being stranded. Cash is essential, as card facilities and machines are very limited. It is cool, windy and frequently wet rather than a beach destination, which surprises visitors expecting the tropics.

Nearby

Sabtang and Itbayat are the neighbouring islands by boat; the Philippine mainland is a flight away to the south.