Traveler Reviews

• Dennisaq8347fp 18-Jul-2023

  My wife and I signed up for Uncharted’s 3 day/2 night Ifugao village trek. Engaging with the local communities was the highlight of the trip and trekking amongst the UNESCO-recognized rice terraces was an amazing experience. Our guide, Marvin, was very informative and taught us so much along the way, and ensured we safely traversed some of more challenging sections of the trek. We found the guest houses in the villages quaint and comfortable, although visitors should know they are simple and rustic and not to expect 5-star resort accommodations. Come with an open mind, be prepared to endure some hardship and remember that you are just an interloper on an ancient way of life. If you do, you will hopefully have the same magical experience that we did. We try our best to do our research and utilize guides that are responsible, ethical and use sustainable practices. We were impressed by Uncharted and will use them again in the Philippines when we have the opportunity.

• Cathy S 29-Mar-2023

  My sister and I have just returned from travel to the Philippines and Taiwan and we launched our trip with this memorable journey into a beautiful rural, mountainous region north of Manila. What a gift it was to have the experience, wisdom and knowledge of our guide, Jody, and to appreciate the generous hospitality of local proprietors and residents as we traveled through, and stayed in their communities. The hiking trails and paths were in excellent condition, with steep trail ascents and descents generally consisting of stairs that offered stable footing, even following rainfall. The history of the area and the care invested in the land by inhabitants through the years is evident in the beauty of the landscapes and the manually-tended farmland. I have deep gratitude for the invitation extended to us and others by local residents, knowledgeable guides, and the travel companies that organize trips, to visit this area.

• Fiona B 18-Mar-2023

  Unchartered Philippines – Ifugao Village Trek What an amazing holiday and all thanks to Leo from Unchartered Philippines and his superb Guides for organising this un-forgettable able holiday for us. We have been on numerous trekking holidays before ie Nepal, Borneo, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and sadly the Philippines was not on our radar to visit, however we were invited to a wedding in the area and decided it would be foolish not to explore the Philippines and we are so glad that we did so. This simply was one of our best holidays and the question has to be asked why is the Philippines often overlooked? We booked the Ifugao Village Trek and added onto that the Northern Palawan Snorkelling Expedition. There were so many highlights and photographs to share I have split it into 2 separate reviews. Because we had to work around the wedding we opted for a private tour and private transfer rather than the overnight bus. This we would highly recommend it is well worth paying a little extra to get a air conditioned mini bus transfer and this turned into be an exciting start to the holiday. We travelled during daylight hours rather than overnight so were able to enjoy the great scenery. Our Guide for the Trek was Jody Kimmayong and he certainly was a character. We extended the trek so that we would have time to soak up and enjoy the culture and scenery which we certainly would recommend. Jody was a superb Guide and being local and well known in the area enabled us to have a greater interaction with villagers and he introduced us to some colourful characters along the way. We certainly wouldn’t have been able to do this without him. This very much added to our enjoyment of a truly unforgettable trip. He was a very patient and caring guide. Even though there was just the three of us on this whole trip we never ran out of conversation. We very much received an education on the history, culture and traditions of each village we passed through plus the difficulties in maintaining rice terraces and the different stages of growing rice. It was extremely interesting. So our thanks to Jody. We would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Unchartered Philippines as a tour operator. Leo organised a 3 week holiday for us to perfection and this was very much tailor made to our requirements and abilities. So our thanks to Leo also.

• Ppelaez7003 13-Feb-2023

  Absolutely stunning views and amazing hiking. Somethings to note though: -the way through the rice fields is for experienced hikers only -Balance and a rational comfort around heights (about 3-6m) is important -bring sleeping aids to be rested after the overnight bus -ask your guide to cut you a walking stick -bring candy to give to the children, they are so sweet

• Z9261dcnicolea 04-Feb-2023

  Our tour guide Jody told us a lot about our surroundings and helped us when we needed it. I hope to do this trip once again even though the stairs were exhausting. The view, the people and their Stories are worth it.

• Jackbf3032ut 01-Dec-2019

  a de proscrire TOTALEMENT auberge sans drap. juste une couverture de 3 mm d'épaisseur véhicule de transfert local totalement vétuste (c'est la norme ici, mais pour le prix payé 200 e, on pourrait espérer un peu mieux) le guide a fait ce qu il pouvait mais ne communique aucune info sur le pays ( nature, culture etc...). Aucune sauf a lui arracher de la bouche. Bref du "promene idiot". prestation achetée par trip advisor a une agence locale à Manille et qui sous-traite elle même a un "guide" sur place. C'est normal, mais ce qui ne va pas c'est le prix payé et le cout local X3 Question = mais que va faire Tripavisor dans un tel bordel sinon a salir sa réputation (on a trop a subir leur pression dans l hôtellerie, pour se priver de leur renvoyer l'ascenseur) je suis un ex agent de voyages (d'aventure , je précise !!) et je ne me suis jamais permis d'envoyer des clients avec ce niveau inacceptable de prestation disons le = ca frôle l'inconséquence voire la petite escroquerie personnellement je demande le remboursement totale de la prestation une note sur la sécurité = aucune durant la randonnée. ici c'est la norme il faut le savoir. en cas d'accident c'est "on sait pas , on n'a rien prévu" ..I il y a des chutes tres souvent, là c'est systeme D ... ou P comme philippines

• Larryontour19 05-Jul-2019

  My partner and I did a weekend hike in the rice terraces outside of Banaue. In the lead up to our trip, Uncharted Philippines was very helpful and responsive and we felt very well prepared for the journey. As other reviewers have mentioned, the overnight bus ride to reach Banaue from Manila is tough going, but that is out of the control of Uncharted Philippines. Our guide Jody met our bus in Banaue and took us to a local inn, where we had a good breakfast and left our suitcases before heading off. The rice terraces are incredibly beautiful and Jody, a local of the area, gave us some really interesting insights into the farmers' way of life. My partner and I are both reasonably fit and still found the hike itself quite challenging, but ultimately very worthwhile.

• Kirsten Lynn T 03-Jul-2019

  Jonathan was an absolutely fantastic tour guide, he was very friendly and knew lots about the region. The people running the homestay in Banaue were also amazingly friendly, and it had the best homemade yogurt I've ever tried!
  The only reason I gave this experience 4 stars instead of 5 was that the homestay in
  Batad took well over an hour to prepare my meal when I stayed there, which was only a rice and vegetables.
  Overall, would highly recommend, Jonathan as a guide especially.

• Kirstenlynn_t 22-May-2019

  Jonathan was an absolutely fantastic tour guide, he was very friendly and knew lots about the region. The people running the homestay in Banaue were also amazingly friendly, and it had the best homemade yogurt I've ever tried! The only reason I gave this experience 4 stars instead of 5 was that the homestay in Batad took well over an hour to prepare my meal when I stayed there, which was only a rice and vegetables. Overall, would highly recommend, Jonathan as a guide especially.

• Ally V 13-Dec-2018

  I just completed this trip last weekend and it was great-- If you like to hike and want to see the rice terraces this a perfect way to do it. I was traveling alone so I was a bit nervous but the trip was perfectly safe/ fun. I had Jody as my tour guide --- he was excellent, professional/ helpful and very knowledgeable-- and great to hang out with during the hike. If you are worried about the hiking - you can go at your own pace and your guide will help you if you are having any difficulty. The terraces are beautiful. From talking with Jody and others -- April may be the best time to go because that is when the rice terraces are then most green/ ready for harvest but even in December ( when I went) the sights were amazing and you still see plenty of green. If its off season-- You get to see the harvesting process at all stages which is a bonus. In terms of the schedule / trip : you take an overnight bus from Manila that leaves around 10:00 pm and arrives at 6:00 am the next morning. There is wifi on the most of the buses which is a perk. The bust stops about 2-4 times along the way where there snacks/restrooms. The bus has AC on blast so I would recommend brining a sweatshirt/ wearing long pants or having them on hand. When you arrive in Banaue your guide will meet you at the bus stop and take you to get some breakfast and get situated before your hike. You can leave anything you do not want to bring with you at local inn which is where you will complete your trip as well. Uncharted also sends you a packing list which I found helpful. The rest of the trip is as described in the itinerary. With the most hiking on the first day and the between 3-5 hours the other days. There are also ways to change the Itinerary if you want to hike more or less you just have to let uncharted or your guide know so they can help plan the best trip for you. Big thanks to Jody and Uncharted for a great trip !