Tappiya Falls

Batad's rice terraces curve around the mountainside in a vast green amphitheatre, and Tappiya Falls waits on the far side of it - which is the point, because getting there means walking the terrace walls themselves. The trail drops from the village along stone-faced paddy edges, crosses irrigation channels and climbs a rough, root-tangled path over the ridge before descending to the river, an hour each way that most visitors underestimate in the heat. The reward is a single thick fall of perhaps twenty metres pounding into a deep, cold pool wide enough to swim, surrounded by boulders and dense forest with the spray drifting across the whole basin. The water comes fast and the pool is deep in the centre, so swimmers stay to the sides when the river is high. Ifugao guides from Batad lead the walk, and the terraces themselves - hand-built and still farmed - are the reason to go slowly on the way back.

What you actually see

• The fall - a heavy curtain dropping into a deep basin.
• The terrace walk - the trail along Batad's stone-faced paddies.
• The swimming pool - cold, deep water and boulder ledges.
• The amphitheatre - the whole green bowl seen from the ridge.

When to go

November to April for the driest trail; June to August for the greenest terraces and the fullest water. Mornings avoid both the heat and the afternoon rain.

Honest expectations

The walk is steep, humid and slippery in places - proper shoes matter and the climb back is the hard half. Guides are expected and worth it. Facilities are village-simple; carry water and cash.

Nearby

The Batad and Bangaan terraces, Banaue's viewpoints and the road on to Sagada complete the Cordillera circuit.