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As I arrived, I was greeted by the local tribe called the Ifugaos. Like all Filipinos, they were typically warm and accommodating, always with a smile on their face.

These people acted as impromptu ’tour guides’, telling me where to get the best view of the Banaue Rice Terraces and explaining how their proud ancestors created one of the architectural wonders of the world. Invariably, they will also attempt to sell you some of their local handicrafts, but as they are excellent woodcarvers and wear such amusing, colorful clothes, it is hard to say no!

So, with a few Ifugao friends with me, we hiked across several towns and before I knew it, I was face to face with something even my imagination couldn’t have concocted. To put it mildly, nothing could have prepared me for such a magnificent site. It was a wonderfully—chiseled stairway of greenery, reminiscent of Incan pyramids; except this was an entire landscape, monumental in every way. And when the sun shone down on these green steps, it created a rippled green—hued effect, with slivers of magical light dancing on the landscape. I was simply lost in its wonder.

Later, I forced myself to hike the narrow stairways plying within the rice terraces. I clumsily slipped a few times, courtesy of the muddy road, but that’s just a small price to pay in a place like this.

The smell of the terrain and freshly planted rice fill my lungs. I wasn’t really planning on a nature—hike in the Philippines, but this was an opportunity not to be missed. The breath—defying walk was really worth it, I said to myself as I chugged a bottle of water and stood there, enjoying the scenery from what felt like he top of the world.

You have to appreciate the simplicity (if one can call this famous landscape ’simple’) of the place, and the people whose lives revolve around it. From the back—breaking but ingenious way they plant rice here, to the old native huts they dwell in, it sort of gives you a fresh perspective of the way life continues to work as it did centuries ago in this corner of the world.

In the end, it was a struggle to tear myself away from this heavenly place. Even as darkness began to creep in, the site of the magnificent stairways still had me entranced. Decidedly, the Banaue Rice Terraces truly deserves the recognition of being one of the natural wonders of the world.

One resource I must recommend for everything you need to know about this beautiful region is this book.