Manila to Banaue

What to expect when visiting Banaue

Banaue is a popular tourist destination in the Philippines’ Cordillera mountain range. It’s famous for the Banaue Rice Terraces — built over 2,000 years ago and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Home to the Ifugao people, a visit to Banaue gives one a glimpse of their unique customs, beliefs and traditions.

Plenty of activities are on offer for tourists to experience the Ifugao’s way of life first-hand. But we think the touristy town centre doesn’t really give them justice. We recommend exploring other villages like that of Cambulao and Pula to better appreciate the Ifugao culture in Banaue.

2 ways to get from Manila to Banaue

The bus is the most common mode of transport when travelling from Manila to Banaue.

There are two well-known bus companies that service this route. These are Ohayami Trans and Coda Lines.

We recommend travelling overnight so that you won’t have to spend your valuable daytime on the long journey. You also save a night on accommodation considering the bus trip can take between 9 hours to 10 hours 30 minutes, depending on the traffic when heading out of Manila.

Only tourist buses are available for this route. This means that they do not have onboard toilets and aren’t very spacious. They do make at least two stops along the way for bathroom and meal breaks. Overall, don’t expect too much from buses operating from Manila to Banaue.

There are no direct day trips from Manila to Banaue, but thanks to a tip from a reader, we found an alternative route. After additional research, we are happy to share this route option in more detail with you below.

First, you need to take a morning bus from Manila to Solano in Nueva Vizcaya. Note that there are no buses bound for Solano specifically. Instead, you need to take a bus going to Cagayan or Isabela. You can check the websites of GV Florida, Victory Liner, and Five Star for their schedules and stations.

Tell the conductor to drop you off at Solano. Travel time by bus takes around 8 hours, with rates starting from 640 PHP (€10.20). Second, you need to take a tricycle to Runruno Jeepney Terminal for about 20 PHP (€0.30). This is where you’ll find the jeepneys bound for Banaue.

The jeepney ride from Solano to Banaue is about 2.5 hours and costs 150 PHP (€2.40). Jeepneys are available every hour from 08:30 to 16:30 daily.

There is no direct flight from Manila to Banaue. First, you’ll need to take a flight from Manila to Cauayan Airport (CYZ), from where it’s still a 130 km ride to Banaue.

From Cauayan, you can take a private van to Banaue, which will take around 4 hours. There is also a way to travel by a combination of a bus and jeepneys, but we wouldn’t recommend this option. It’s quite complicated and includes many transfers.

TIP: If you decide to travel by plane, please consider including a carbon compensation fee to reduce your impact on the environment.

Cebu Pacific offers the only flight from Manila to Cauayan. This flight leaves every day at 10:25 and on Tue, Thu and Sat there is an additional departure at 14:15. Flights depart from Manila Airport Terminal 3 and travel time is just a little over an hour.

Airfares range between 1,700 PHP (€27) – 2,400 PHP (€38), but they can go as low as 910 PHP (€14.50) during sale periods. We recommend booking your ticket at least 2 months in advance for the best prices.

Once you arrive at Cauayan Airport, there will be drivers waiting for passengers to arrive. They will probably come up to you and offer you a ride to Banaue. Use your negotiation skills to obtain a good deal as they will always quote a higher price.

Usually, hiring a private van costs about 4,000 PHP (€64). If you can get this at a lower price, then better. Hiring a private van is a great option if travelling in a group.

TIP: If you also need convenient transport for going around Banaue, you can ask the driver to make a deal. You have a high chance of getting a discount if you book them for the duration of your stay.

From Cauayan Airport to Banaue by Bus and Jeepney (not recommended)

Private transportation is by far the easiest way to get from Cauayan Airport to Banaue. However, if you want to save money, there is also a way to travel this leg of the journey with a combination of the bus, tricycle and jeepney.

First, you’ll need to take a 5-minute tricycle going to Cauayan Bus Terminal. The tricycle ride costs about 100 PHP (€1.60). Just don’t expect the tricycle to be very spacious. You can ask for the tricycle driver’s help in hailing a bus that passes through Bagabag Junction.

Once you get on the bus, tell the driver or conductor to drop you off at Bagabag Junction. A ticket costs around 100 PHP (€1.60) and the bus ride takes about 2.5 hours. Next, you’ll have to take 2 jeepney rides.

At Bagabag Junction, wait for a jeepney bound for Lagawe. This leg should take about 1 hour. In Lagawe, transfer to another jeepney for a 1h 45m ride to Banaue. You will be dropped off at the town centre. The entire jeepney trip costs around 150 PHP (€2.40).

Total commute time from Cauayan Airport to Banaue would be about 5.5 hours. As you can see, it’s not an easy trip at all. We just wanted to show you how complicated it can be and why we wouldn’t really recommend taking public transportation for this route.