Vayang Rolling Hills

Vayang is the closest of the Batanes viewpoints to Basco and the one most visitors see first: a run of grassy hills west of town, cropped by grazing animals, that rise from the road and then fall away in a long green slope to cliffs above the sea. From the crest the composition assembles itself - the three small islands of the channel offshore, Mount Iraya's cone rising behind town, the lighthouse on Naidi hill, and cloud moving fast enough to change the light every few minutes. It is a short walk from where vehicles stop, and the hills are open to wander, which makes it the standard sunset stop on the North Batan circuit. As with the rest of the island group, the ground is communal pasture rather than parkland; cattle and carabao have right of way, the wind is a permanent presence, and the stone walls crossing the slopes are part of the Ivatan system for farming a place that typhoons cross regularly.

What you actually see

• The rolling slope - green hills falling to sea cliffs.
• The three islands - the channel islets offshore.
• Mount Iraya - the volcano cone behind Basco.
• The moving light - fast cloud over open pasture.

When to go

March to May for the settled season; late afternoon into sunset is the classic hour. June to October brings typhoons and cancelled flights.

Honest expectations

Constant wind and no shade; the slope is steeper than it looks from the road. There are no facilities. Batanes is expensive to reach and weather can strand visitors for days.

Nearby

Basco's lighthouse and market, Racuh a Payaman and Valugan Boulder Beach are all within twenty minutes.