Buscalan Tattoo Village

Buscalan Tattoo Village is a remote mountain village in Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga, northern Luzon, Philippines. It is home to the Kalinga people and renowned as the center of batok, the traditional hand-tapped tattoo art practiced by mambabatok. The village gained international fame through Apo Whang-Od, considered the last traditional Kalinga tattoo artist. Set on terraced slopes above the Chico River, it offers cultural immersion and scenic mountain landscapes.

Visitors can expect a remote terraced mountain village accessible only by a steep hike from the road jump-off. The settlement consists of traditional wooden houses on stilts, narrow concrete paths and rice terraces overlooking the Chico River valley. Visitors stay in basic homestays, observe and receive traditional hand-tapped batok tattoos from mambabatok using thorns and soot, interact with Kalinga residents, and explore surrounding trails, viewpoints and a nearby waterfall.