BANAUE, IFUGAO, PHILIPPINES
LOCATION:
Banaue is situated in the northern part of the Philippines. The Municipality of Banaue is one of the eleven (11) towns of Ifugao and one of the five (5) provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). It lies on the northern most part of the province of Ifugao and lies in the peak of Mt. Amuyao, the highest peak in the area.
HOW TO GET HERE
MANILA - BANAUE BY BUS: Auto Bus (tel. 02-493-4111 / 0921-268-5526) has direct bus service from Manila to Banaue, 10 p.m. departure costing 416 pesos, arrives about 7 a.m. Their terminal is near the St. Thomas University area, at the corner of Loyola and Cayco. Return bus departs Banaue 6:30 p.m. daily (Banaue agent for Auto Bus 0915 984 9266) and arrives in Manila about 4 a.m. Florida (tel. 02-743-3809) also has daily service from Manila at 10:45 p.m., cost 450 pesos. Their terminal is at the corner of Loyola and Extremadura. Return from Banaue leaves 8 p.m. (Banaue agent (074-386-4042 / 0918-522-5049) and arrives about 5 a.m. in Manila. Victory Liner (02-921-3293) has night service on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday but only from their Kamias terminal (on EDSA about 1km north of their Cubao terminal, just opposite the GMA TV studios). Departure is 10:45 p.m. Note that Victory Liner has many terminals scattered around the metro area, one of them is just a few meters from that of Auto Bus and Florida. But buses departing from that one do not go to Banaue.
MANILA - BANAUE WITH DRIVER: Please contact Fe Ida (for her contact number see Visit Us), she can arrange for your party to be picked up in your own personal mini van and be brought to Banaue, where arrangements for accommodations can also be made according to your needs.
MANILA - BANAUE Via Air: Banaue has an airport although not for commercial passengers. One may be able to find a private plane or private charters. Cost is unknown.
General Information
Banks:There are no banks nor ATMs in Banaue. The provincial capital, Lagawe, 25 km from Banaue, it has a branch of the Philippine National Bank and an ATM, although it's machines typically dispense only a maximum of 4000pesos in a single transaction. Solano, in the province of Nueva Viscaya, about 70 km away, has several banks and many ATMs. Bank of the Philippine Islands ATM's dispense 10000pesos in a single transaction and RCBC 20000pesos. Foreign currency may be exchanged in Banaue but at very unfavorable rates.
Internet and Newspapers: National newspapers are available daily in Banaue after about noon. Banaue has a couple of internet cafes, but internet is still difficult to find. Good coverage for cellular users, including while trekking in the rice fields.
Where to stay: See this website for accommodations: www.nativevillageinn.com
The Schenks and Idas hope to have their Bed and Breakfast open soon for their visitors.
Personal friends have had bad luck at the Banaue Hotel so although convenient there have been good and bad reviews.
Links to Interesting Sites:
http://litera1no4.tripod.com/bontonigorot_frame.html
http://litera1no4.tripod.com/ifugao_frame.html
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Banaue-Ifugao-Philippines/Cordilleran-Sculpture-Museum/41993242557?ref=mf