The stone villages of Sabtang Island are the most striking architectural sight in Batanes. The vakul-wearing Ivatan women and the rows of traditional houses with their thick lime-rendered walls and deep cogon-grass roofs look like a village from several centuries ago — which, in a sense, they are. The stone and grass construction has changed little because it works: these houses have been surviving Pacific typhoons for generations. Several villages on Sabtang are well-preserved enough to be submitted for UNESCO World Heritage status.
The main villages to visit are Savidug and Chavayan on the island's east side, both reachable from Sabtang's small port. You can walk between them in about an hour along a road that skirts the coast. Savidug is the larger of the two and has a handful of small carinderias (local eateries) where you can eat simply. Chavayan is quieter and better preserved. Both are active communities, not open-air museums, so treat them with the respect you would give to any village where people actually live.