The Banaue Rice Terraces in Ifugao, Philippines was built 2000 years (According to legends) ago by the indigenous people of Ifugao mostly by hand. Covering an extensive area of over 10,300 square kilometers, it is a massive engineering wonder. According to the old Philippine Tourism website, when these terraces are all connected in a straight line, it would encircle half the globe! Banaue rice terraces is a system of irrigated rice terraces in the mountains of north-central Luzon, Philippines, that were created more than 2,000 years ago by the Ifugao people. Although located in several villages, they are collectively known as the Banaue rice terraces. In 1995 various sections of the terraces were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, described as “a living cultural landscape of unparalleled beauty.”

Aside from the great effort needed to build such a colossal structure, what makes these terraces truly breathtaking is that it reflects the culture of the people who have lived in these mountains for millennia.