How to get from Manila to Banaue
Known for its incredible rice terraces carved into the mountainsides, Banaue is a town in the Cordillera mountain range.
Often called the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Banaue Rice Terraces are over 2,000 years old and are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Take a tour and learn about Banaue’s history and the indigenous Ifugao people who built them largely by hand.
The only direct way to travel the 385 km (239 miles) distance from Manila to Banaue is by bus. Ticket prices start from 850 PHP ($15) and the bus ride takes between 9-10 hours, depending on traffic. There is also an option to fly, but the nearest airport from Banaue, Cauayan Airport (CYZ), is at least 4 hours away.
COVID-19 Travel Advisory: Since the beginning of 2022, the Philippines eased travel restrictions for foreign travellers and locals alike. The main requirement is to be fully vaccinated.
Taking a flight? As of December 2022, all international travellers bound for the Philippines must register on the eTravel website 72 hours before arrival in the country.
You are required to register at least one day before the date of arrival, but the last time we checked (November 2022), registration is temporarily suspended. You need to prepare your proof of vaccination instead. For the latest info, you can visit the Banaue Tourism Office’s Facebook page.
2 ways to get from Manila to Banaue
The night bus is the most common option to get from Manila to Banaue. There are three night trips available every day. Buses are clean and well-maintained, but not very spacious and can be uncomfortable for tall passengers since these are not sleeper buses.
If you want to travel during the day, you can take a bus up to Solano in Nueva Vizcaya. From here, Banaue is about 2.5 hours via jeepney.
If you don’t want to travel overnight, you can also fly from Manila to Cauayan Airport in Isabela, located some 130 km east of Banaue. The flight takes only a little over an hour. But from this airport, you still need to travel by land for 4 hours to Banaue.
Considering your waiting time at the airport, you don’t really get to save a lot of time with the flight. Thereby, short-haul flights like this produce many more emissions than the bus. For these reasons, we think the bus from Manila to Banaue is still the best option.
TIP: If you decide to travel by plane, please consider including a carbon compensation fee to reduce your impact on the environment.
Itinerary from Manila to Banaue
Manila to Banaue by Bus
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 Coda Lines and Ohayami Trans, both of which only provide night trips.
The advantage of travelling at night is 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 9-10 hours, 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 the buses operating in the Philippines.
Bus schedule from Manila to Banaue
Ohayami Trans
- Departs from Ohayami Bus Terminal in Sampaloc, Manila, 9 km northwest of Makati
- Arrives at Poblacion Bus Terminal in Banaue town centre
Note that Ohayami buses often operate older models than Coda Lines.
Coda Lines
- Departs from Coda Lines Bus Terminal in Cubao, about 12 km northeast of Makati
- Arrives at Banaue Hotel and Youth Hostel in the town centre (5-min walk from the bus station)
Travelling from Manila to Banaue by Day
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 ($11.50). 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 ($2.70). Jeepneys are available every hour from 08:30 to 16:30 daily.
Manila to Banaue by Flight
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.
Step 1: Manila to Cauayan by Flight
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 ($30.50) – 2,400 PHP ($43.50), but they can go as low as 910 PHP ($16.50) during sale periods. We recommend booking your ticket at least 2 months in advance for the best prices.
Step 2: Cauayan to Banaue by Van
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 ($72). 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 ($1.80). 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 ($1.80) 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 1hr 45m ride to Banaue. You will be dropped off at the town centre. The entire jeepney trip costs around 150 PHP ($2.70).
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.
About the author(s)
Ela is a storyteller, content producer, solo traveller and a mermaid-in-training. When she’s not in front of her laptop, you will find her barefoot and living her best tan on some island in the Philippines… Or exploring the depths of its seas as a budding freediver. An island girl at heart, she’ll be happy anywhere there is sea, sand, sun and coffee.
Abby is a writer who finds joy in mountains, beaches, and road trips. She considers her solo backpacking trip to the rice terraces of Bontoc one of the most fulfilling moments in her life. She’s loyal to the islands of her home country, the Philippines, but Thailand’s beaches also have a special place in her heart.
I would like to suggest another option for this route. I suggest breaking the journey at Solano. There are jeepneys which go between Banaue and Solano every 30 minutes. The two and a half hour journey costs 150 peso.
Then there are buses which go between Solano and Manila which are about one an hour. Cost is about 700 peso for the 8 hour journey.
The whole journey could be done in a day, or you could stop for the night in Solano if preferred.
In Solano, the jeepney terminal is about 1Km from where the buses stop, but there are plenty of tricycles around which which could take you between the two for 20 peso. The buses stop by the side of the road outside McDonald’s which is next door to Meaco Royal Hotel. They always stop there, so it shouldn’t be necessary to flag them down. You will probably find other people waiting for the bus. The destination on the front of the bus may not say Manila, but the district within Manila where the bus terminates.
This option avoids travelling through the night. I did the above journey from Banaue to Manila in October 2022. I haven’t tried it from Manila to Banaue, but I think it should work just as well in the other direction.
Hello Richard. Thank you so much for sharing this incredibly valuable information, offering an alternative to travel to Banaue during the day. In the next days, we will research your suggested route and add it to the Manila to Banaue and probably also the VV route. Have a great trip and many thanks for your contribution.
Thanks Maarten for adding the Solano option for anyone wanting to travel by day.
I noticed a typo in the instructions. “The jeepney ride from Manila to Banaue is about 2.5 hours and costs 150 PHP” should be from Solano not Manila.
Best wishes
Richard
Hi , Cannot get to your Instagram page somehow? Thanks
Hello Kevin, unfortunately, we are experiencing an issue with Instagram. We hope to be back soon! Thanks for noticing!