16 places to discover
Basco Lighthouse is a modern navigational lighthouse located on Naidi Hills in Barangay San Antonio, Basco, Batanes, Philippines. Completed in 2003, it stands about 20 meters tall on a hill overlooking the Batan Channel, Basco Port and Mount Iraya. The white tower with its viewing deck offers 360-degree panoramic views of cliffs, rolling hills and sea, and serves as one of the most photographed landmarks and sunset viewpoints in Batanes.
Chamantad-Tinyan Viewpoint is a coastal overlook on Sabtang Island in Batanes, Philippines, perched above Chamantad Cove. It offers panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, steep cliffs, rolling pasturelands, and traditional Ivatan villages. Known for its dramatic meeting of mountains and sea, the viewpoint is a highlight of Sabtang Island tours and is valued for photography, short hikes, and observing the rugged northern coastline and nearby islets.
Chavayan Village is a traditional Ivatan settlement on the southwest coast of Sabtang Island in Batanes, Philippines. Known for its well-preserved stone houses with cogon roofs, cobblestone streets and lime-mortared walls built to withstand typhoons, it exemplifies vernacular Ivatan architecture. The village is part of the Batanes Protected Landscape and Seascape and included in the UNESCO tentative list, offering insight into centuries-old building traditions and community life.
Chawa View Deck is a coastal viewpoint in Barangay Chawa, Mahatao on Batan Island, Batanes. Located along the national road south of Basco, it is a concrete viewing platform built on a cliff overlooking the Philippine Sea and Pacific Ocean. It is notable for panoramic views of rugged cliffs, rolling hills, and the coastline, and is a regular stop on South Batan island tours.
Dipnaysupuan Japanese Tunnel is a World War II-era tunnel complex located in the Dipnaysupuan Hills in Basco, Batanes, Philippines. Constructed during the Japanese occupation of Batanes, it served as a shelter, bunker, and lookout for Japanese forces. The site consists of interconnected man-made tunnels and chambers carved into the hillside and is now a preserved historic attraction visited as part of Basco town tours.
Honesty Coffee Shop is an unmanned self-service store in Ivana on Batan Island, Batanes, Philippines. Operated without staff, visitors select snacks, drinks, coffee and souvenirs and leave payment in a drop box based on trust. Established by a local couple, it has become a well-known tourist attraction that showcases the Ivatan value of honesty. Located near Ivana Port, it features a simple wooden structure with priced goods in a quiet coastal setting.
The House of Dakay is the oldest surviving stone house in Batanes, located in the coastal municipality of Ivana on Batan Island. Built in 1887, it is a well-preserved example of traditional Ivatan vernacular architecture with thick limestone walls, coral and lime mortar, and a steep cogon grass roof. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage tentative site and a declared heritage house, it illustrates Ivatan adaptation to typhoons and earthquakes.
Marlboro Hills, locally known as Racuh A Payaman, is a vast communal pastureland in Mahatao on Batan Island, Batanes. Famous for its rolling green hills, grazing cattle and horses, and dramatic cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, it offers panoramic views of Mt. Iraya, Diura Beach and the coastline. Often called Marlboro Country for its resemblance to the cigarette advertisement landscape, it is one of Batanes' most photographed natural attractions.
Nakabuang Beach, also known as Morong Beach, is a white-sand beach on the southwest coast of Sabtang Island in Batanes, Philippines. It is known for its natural rock arch formation that frames the coastline and views of the Pacific Ocean. The beach features fine sand, clear waters and surrounding hills, making it a central stop on Sabtang Island tours and a representative coastal landscape of the province.
San Carlos Borromeo Church, commonly known as Mahatao Church, is a historic Roman Catholic stone church in Mahatao on Batan Island, Batanes, Philippines. Built by Dominican missionaries between 1873 and 1889, it features thick limestone and coral walls, a simple Baroque facade and a hillside setting overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Declared a National Cultural Treasure, it remains an active parish and a prominent heritage landmark showcasing Ivatan stone architecture and Spanish colonial religious heritage.
San Jose de Ivana Church is a historic Roman Catholic stone church located in the municipality of Ivana on Batan Island, Batanes, Philippines. Built by Dominican missionaries in the late 18th to early 19th century, it is one of the oldest churches in Batanes. Constructed with coral stone and lime mortar, it features a crenellated bell tower and thick walls typical of Ivatan architecture. The church remains an active parish and a notable heritage landmark in Ivana.
Santa Maria de Mayan Church is the main Roman Catholic parish church of Itbayat Island in Batanes, located in the town center of Santa Maria (Mayan). It serves the northernmost municipality of the Philippines. The stone church is notable for its thick walls and simple design adapted to frequent typhoons and earthquakes, and for its role as the spiritual and community center of Itbayat since the Dominican mission period.
Songsong Ruins is the remains of an old Ivatan coastal village in Barangay Songsong, Uyugan, on Batan Island in Batanes, Philippines. The settlement was abandoned after a tsunami in 1954 destroyed much of the community, leaving stone walls and foundations scattered along the shoreline. The ruins illustrate traditional Ivatan stone architecture and are set against dramatic cliffs, open sea and rolling hills, making it a notable historic and scenic stop in southern Batan.
Tukon Chapel is a small stone chapel located on Tukon Hill in Barangay Tukon, Basco, Batanes, Philippines. Built in 2008 by the Abad family and designed by architect Joven Ignacio, it is modeled after traditional Ivatan stone houses with thick limestone walls and cogon roofing. Perched on a hilltop overlooking the West Philippine Sea and surrounding hills, it is known for its rustic architecture, scenic setting, and use as a wedding and prayer venue.
Valugan Boulder Beach is a distinctive coastal attraction on the eastern shore of Batan Island in Basco, Batanes, Philippines. Stretching along the Pacific Ocean at the foot of Mount Iraya, the beach is covered with smooth, rounded andesite boulders deposited by the volcano's eruption centuries ago. Known for its dramatic landscape, powerful waves and unobstructed views of the sea and mountain, it is valued for sightseeing and photography rather than swimming.
Vayang Rolling Hills is a scenic expanse of undulating grass-covered hills located north of Basco town on Batan Island in Batanes, Philippines. Overlooking the West Philippine Sea and facing Mount Iraya, the site is known for its open pastoral landscape with grazing cattle and horses. It offers panoramic views of Basco, the coastline, and nearby islands, and is one of the most photographed viewpoints in Batanes for its wide, tranquil scenery.