Cordillerans Travel Across Oceans to Rediscover Heritage

Growing up on another continent can leave a quiet ache for the place your family once called home. For 27-year-old Izadee Nabunat, who grew up in Australia, that distant longing transformed into deep belonging this autumn.

Nabunat joined fellow overseas Filipinos on the Discover More to Love Homecoming Caravan across the rugged Philippine Cordillera. The four-day expedition guided returning families through the misty mountain peaks of Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Benguet.

The adventure began in Baguio City, where more than five hundred performers flooded the streets with rhythmic bronze gongs and vibrant woven tapestries. The dynamic Cordillera Festival of Festivals celebrated the distinct voices and dances of six unique mountain provinces.

From the bustling city streets, the travelers ventured deep into Kiangan to hike the UNESCO-listed Nagacadan Rice Terraces. Local guide Johntrey Dinamling led the group along the ancient stone walls, explaining how his family cultivates heirloom grains during the quiet post-harvest season.

Inside a traditional timber home, the visitors gathered to sing Tuwali folk songs alongside village elders. They shared steaming binakle rice cakes and sipped freshly brewed highland coffee from coconut-shell ladles.

The journey continued into the highlands of Lubuagan, Kalinga, where master artisans displayed the rhythmic magic of backstrap weaving. At the Awichon Cultural Village, Rebecca Saclag welcomed the travelers to experience traditional beadwork and celebrate living traditions her late husband championed.

For young travelers, meeting peers like Dinamling who actively sustain ancestral farmlands offered a moving look at daily life in the mountains. The exchange sparked deep mutual respect and renewed pride in their shared indigenous bloodline.

These face-to-face encounters proved that indigenous heritage is an active, thriving gift rather than a distant memory. By the third evening, Nabunat tearfully told fellow travelers that the journey had captured her heart completely.

Why This Inspires

This homecoming demonstrates the enduring power of cultural roots to unite people across continents and generations. Young diaspora travelers gained an unshakable connection to their heritage that no textbook could ever provide.

At the same time, this thoughtful travel model brings sustainable economic strength directly to indigenous communities. By welcoming returning kin, local farmers and weavers gain renewed resources to protect their sacred lands and priceless traditions for decades to come.

Every footstep along these mountain trails proves that no matter how far our journeys take us, the path back to our roots always welcomes us home.