Batanes, often referred to as "The Home of the Winds", is the smallest province in the Philippines. The capital town of Basco, is about 280 kilometers north of Aparri in Cagayan, or 860 kilometers north of Manila. Its northernmost point is only 100 km away from Taiwan. There are several attractions, ranging from the dormant Iraya volcano, Naidi Hills, Mt. Matarem, Radar Tukom to the Spanish churches and limestone houses reminiscent of Irish country homes. White sand beaches abound surrounding the fishing villages. Visitors can also explore the Racujaide Cave, Sarokan Cave, as well as the burial caves. The island favors activities such as trekking, fishing, swimming, diving, camping and adventure photography. Mt. Iraya (1,008 meters) in the north and Mt. Matarem (454 meters) in the center.

Batan Island. Contains the capital town Basco. It is the most accessible. You can circle it in three hours. But you need a few days to savor the towns along the way-like Mahatao, Ivans and Uyugan - as well as the picturesque meadows and seas that gird the island. On gentler beaches you may pitch a tent and let the world go by. The sea everfrisky, is not for swimming.

Sabtang Island. The northernmost island, is extremely rugged. Its mountains have been terraced to accommodate communities. Northeast is a strip of arable land and sand dunes that rise up to ahundred feet.

Itbayat Island. Itbayat is Batanes´most isolated island. Strong sea currents discourage boats from ferrying commuters regularly.

Batanes province is a small group of islands that can make a great destination. Located north of Luzon they compose the northernmost part of the archipelago with Batan (35sqkm), Itbayat (95sqkm), Sabtang (41sqkm), and 7 smaller islets: Dequey, Siayan, Mabudis, Ibuhos, Diogo, North Island, and Y'ami, the northernmost point of the Philippines. Because it is a windy place, Batanes is referred to as the Home of the Winds.

Iraya, Batan Island, Philippines Location: 12.8N, 124.1E, Elevation:3,310 feet (1,517 m)

The Batanes Island Group is now included in the National Integrated Protected Area System under the IUCN category Protected Seascapes and Landscapes. Though this protected area category does not ensure the abatement of (public) forest land conversion, it would nevertheless promote sustainable growth or development which would benefit the local inhabitants as a whole through strict monitoring of illegal activities by the law enforcers. Effective management of the protected area may however, be hampered because of its geographic isolation and inadequate transportation and communication facilities. Batanes, the smallest province in the Philippines in terms of population and land area, is composed of ten islands and islets located about 270 kilometers north of mainland Luzon and 161 kilometers from the southernmost point of Taiwan. The largest islands are Itbayat, Batan and Sabtang. The other islands are Dequey, Siayan, Mavudis, North Island, Yami and other unnamed islets. The islands and municipalities of the province have an estimated land area of 20,928 hectares. Batanes consists of 6 municipalities, namely: Basco, Mahatao, Ivana and Uyugan which can be found in Batan Island, and the island municipalities of Itbayat and Sabtang. Batanes has one congressional district. It is classified as a 6th class province. The rainy season in Batanes is usually from June to February while the warmest months are from May to September.

http://www.cockatoo.com/english/philippines/philippines_islands_batanes.htm

The Batanes Islands are so far flung out in the China Sea that from Y'ami one can see Taiwan (the island of Formosa). People say that the Batanes group even belonged to Taiwan at one time.

Although the sea distance between Y'ami and Itbayat is about the same as from Itbayat to Basco, the islands north of Itbayat are so sparsely populated and independent of each other that there is no regular transportation or communication among them.

To illustrate the remoteness of Y'ami, locals relate the story of a young man from Y'ami who, as dictated by his elders, was to marry a girl from Itbayat, the bigger island to the south, with relatively regular connection to Basco, the capital. To reach her, he first had to go to Taiwan, then fly to Manila, then fly to Basco; from there take the more or less regularly scheduled boat to Itbayat, marry his betrothed and then take her with him on the same trip in reverse. The route taken by the dutiful young man was the simplest and most certain.

The isolation of these islands due to distance and the forces of nature has encouraged heavy emigration. The 1980 Batanes province population of just over 12,000 was only a 6% increase over the 1948 population. The estimated 1989 population of 14,000 was a 6% decrease from the 1988 estimate. At 54 persons/sqkm, the population density is far below the national average of 122 persons/sqkm. The 1990 national census established the following population figures for the six municipalities of the province (x 1000): Basco 6, Itbayat 3, Ivana 1, Mahatao 2, Sabtang 2, Uyugan 1.

Space Shuttle photo STS068-0241-0042 taken on October 1, 1994. Looking north across the southern Batan islands, about 120 miles (200 km) north of Luzon. Iraya forms the north (right) end of Batan. Iraya is a stratovolcano with a single historic eruption in 1464.

Mount Iraya Volcano (Mt. Xrays) is the principal watershed of the Island. The vegetation island in Mt Iraya, Batan Island, may be classified into 3 distinct types namely: the lowland evergreen rainforest (200-500m), lower montane rainforest (500-800m) and grassland (800-1008m). At the eastern slope of Mt. Iraya, at an altitude of about 50-100m, is a dense thicket composed of species characteristic of regenerating or disturbed primary forest. The presence of a dense mat of the giant reed, Miscanthus sinensis variety condensatus, at the upper part of Mt. Iraya above 800m suggests that a relatively recent eruption of the volcano has occurred.

LOCATION: BATAN ISLAND, BATANES, Northern Luzon (20° 29'N, 124° 01'E)

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Peak Elevation: 1,008 m above sea level (asl)
Base Diameter: 5.5 km
Volume: 8 km3
Type of Volcano: Stratovolcano
Main Rock Type: Basalt to Acid Andesite
Other Peaks within Batan Island: Mt. Matarem and Mt. Mahatao

Batan's isolation has made it a close-knit community, used to hardship and deprived of the luxuries people elsewhere take for granted. Electricity on the island is provided by a generator, which is only switched on between mid-day and midnight. Most of the Ivatan people here have never travelled to the mainland, let alone the capital, Manila, some two hours flight, and 700 kilometres, to the south. Batan scenery is totally different from elsewhere in the Philippines. The island is dominated by a dormant volcano, Mount Iraya, more than 1,009(1,517) metres high and almost always shrouded in cloud. Year-round rain makes the island reminiscent of Ireland: steep, rolling green hills covered in a patch-work quilt of arable land. Its sheer cliffs plunge into a pounding sea. Batan even has its own language.But for the hardy traveller, the sparsely-populated island group is a trekker's paradise, a time-warp to which birds migrate in their thousands to escape the Siberian winter.
There are no bars here, no discos, and the best restaurant comprises four small tables in Mrs Maling Garcia's covered front yard, where three meals a day for two days cost me a total of just HK$50 (US$6.50). No a la carte, though. If the weather is good, there will be fish. If not, there are plenty of vegetables, and if you are lucky, a little beef. For when the islanders are not able to fish, they farm. And when they are not able to farm, they stay indoors and pray for a change in the weather.
 

Aereal View Basco with Airport

Die Batanes Islands, etwa 160 km nördlich von Luzon gelegen und von den südlicheren Babuyan-Inseln durch den Balintang Channel getrennt, sind der nördlichste Teil der Philippinen, nur 100 Kilometer von Taiwan entfernt. Die kleinste Provinz des Archipels (209 km², ca. 15.000 Einwohner) besteht aus den Inseln Batan, Sabtang, Itbayat, Dequey, Siayan, Mabudis, Ibuhos, Diogo, North Island und Y'ami. Durch die große Entfernung zum Festland(Luzon), ist Batan Islands recht isoliert und seine Einwohner sind somit eine kleine eingeschworene Gemeinde, die Fremden gegenüber immer freundlich gegenübersteht.
Erst 1686 erreichten spanische Dominikanermönche erstmals die abgelegene Inselgruppe. Die vollständige Unterwerfung der einheimischen Ibatan aber gelang erst dem Generalgouverneur José Basco in den Jahren 1778-87.
Aufgrund ihrer geographischen Lage gehörten die Batanes zu den ersten Angriffszielen der Japaner im pazifischen Krieg.
Die Inselbewohner leben vor allem vom Fischfang(auch Hummer und Krebse), Landwirtschaft und Viehzucht. Wegen des extrem rauhen Klimas -die Batanes sind den von Juni bis Oktober häufig auftretenden Taifunen schutzlos ausgeliefert- spielt die Landwirtschaft nur eine geringe Rolle.
Die Bauweise der meist windgeschützt errichteten Batanes-Häuser zeigt eine spezielle seit langen überlieferte Kontroktion gegen die Gewalten der Natur: Es sind nur 3 Seiten der Häuser mit Fenster/Türen versehen. Die Windseite ist fenster- und türenlos um den Taifunen keinen Angriff zu bieten. Ihre teilweise bis zu 1 m starken Mauern bestehen aus soliden Korallenblöcken und Kalksandstein. Eingedeckt sind sie mit dicken Büscheln aus Cogongras die auch starken Taifunen widerstehen. Die Mauern der -fast immer einstöckigen- Häuser haben leider einem kürzlichen Erdbeben der Stärke 6.9 (17.Julöi 2000)  nicht alle widerstanden, da zwar Taifunfest aber ohne Stahlbeton nicht Erdbebenfest.

Männer und Frauen tragen manchmal als Witterungsschutz eine Art Perücke die sogenannten Cloaks oder So-ot oder Vakul - eine perückenartige Kopfbedeckung aus Pflanzenfasern, die weit über den Rücken reicht und

Schutz vor Sonne, Wind und Regen bietet. Die gesamte Inselprovinz ist bislang vom Fremdenverkehr fast völlig unberührt geblieben. Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel gibt es nur auf Batanes Island, zwischen den Hauptinseln besteht unregelmäßiger Schiffsverkehr, der bei schlechter Witterung grundsätzlich eingestellt wird. Beste, aber dennoch gelegentlich verregnete Reisemonate sind März bis Mai. Es gibt grundsätzlich keine sogenannte Trockenzeit. Regnen kann es immer zu jeder Jahreszeit. Die Jahresdurchschnittstemperatur beträt immerhin 25,7 Celsius! Zeitlich festgelegte Reisende sollten beachten, daß ein Flugbetrieb in Basco nur bei günstigen Wetterbedingungen möglich ist und daß nur sehr sporadisch Schiffe zwischen den Batanes Islands und Luzon verkehren. Es kann Ihnen also passieren daß Sie auf der Insel bei schlechtem Wetter mehrere Tage (oder Wochen) festsitzen. Planen Sie also genügend Zeit ein wenn sie beabsichtigen ein paar Tage auf Batan Island zu verbringen.

Basco, ca. 6.000 Einwohner, das wirtschaftliche und politische Zentrum der Batanes, liegt am Fuße des Vulkans Mt. Iraya (1008/1519 m) auf der Hauptinsel Batan. Bei schönem Wetter strahlt das Städtchen mit einen weißen Häusern eine beinahe mediterane Stimmung aus. Sehenswert ist die Fassade der großen, im 18.Jahrhundert von Dominikanern erbaute Barockkirche dei beim letzten Erdbeben vom 17.Juli 2000 leider schweren Schaden genommen hat. Eine wenig befahrene Straße führt von Basco an der felsigen Ostküste entlang über Mahatao und Ivana nach Uyugan an der Südspitze und von dort über Songsong und Riacoyde, quer durch das bergige Insel- innere, zurück nach Mahatao und Basco. (Transportmöglichkeit: gelegentlich Jeepneys). In dem Ort Ivana reihen sich in der Hauptstraße die ältesten Steinhäuser der Batan- Insel, sehenswert ist auch die mehr als 200 Jahre alte San José de Ivana-Kirche.Die beiden anderen Hauptinseln, Sabatang und Itbayat, konnten aufgrund der geographischen Isolation ihre Ursprünglichkeit noch mehr als Batan bewahren, auf beiden Inseln gibt es bislang noch keinen Autoverkehr. Sie können mit Booten dorthin übersetzen und zwar mit den sogenannten Falowa boats. Falowa boat-making ist seit langer Zeit Tradition der Ivatans. Diese Boote sehen aus wie die Arche Noah, sind groß und haben einen runden Boden der sich mit Rollen Stampfen den Meereswellen anpasst.

Mt. Iraya, can be climbed, but only during the height of the dry season and with the aid of a guide. The usual way starts at Basco. There are no clear trails through the dense rain forests that cover the slopes. For those who prefer not to climb to the peak, there are trails that lead part of the way up the slope and then around the volcano to its coastal side.

Usually hidden from view, it is said that the clouds form a smoke-ring around the peak when someone in Batanes dies. The many springs originating from Mt. Iraya are the island's major source of fresh water.

A partially well paved road from Basco to Imnajbu (the "j" is silent) in the southeast winds along the island's rocky cliffs, down to the beaches and rocky shores, and back up again. If one leaves early in the morning to avoid the midday sun, a hike around the island is the best way to take in all the views and meet the natives. Though this can be done in one day, at least one overnight stop is suggested.

Since centuries ago, the Ivatans or natives of Batanes have preferred to live in their traditional dwellings. An Ivatan house is built with limestone walls, reeds and cogon roofs, which are sturdy enough to withstand the numerous typhoons and earthquakes that ravage the islands an average of eight times a year. The roof usually lasts from 25 to 30 years if there are roof nets to protect them during typhoon season.  Only three walls of the house have windows. The wall that doesn’t have one faces the direction of the strongest winds during typhoons. The temperature within its interior is conditioned. It is relatively cool during the summer and warm during the cold stormy season.  Most of the time, the doors and windows are left openwhen the owners leave to do their daily chores. When they get back, everything is the way they left it even if there are numerous tourists that pass by to take pictures of its unique and quaint architecture. The Ivatans live a simple life devoid of the characteristics that define modern living. They are gentle, amiable, peace-loving and polite. It is second nature for Ivatans to greet strangers by wishing them the best for the day. They are also hardworking people, each holding more than one job. Civil servants and teachers are also busy with farming, fishing and livestock raising which they have learned when they were young.