TRAVEL GUIDE | Baler, Aurora

TRAVEL GUIDE | Baler, Aurora

The Surfers Haven

Baler is a charming provincial capital of Aurora and location of the famous surfing site for Luzon due to waves coming from the Pacific. What’s so endearing about this lovely town is that it is not limited to the experiences from the beach. Covering a vast plain and some forested area rich with local floras and faunas, natural falls some with famous majestic cadence, rock formations along the coastal areas that is a delight to landscape photographers, and even so for the rich political history and historical contributions this quaint little town and the province it uphold offers. Most but not all, I’ve explored in a day aboard a local tricycle with a hired humble driver.

The Baler Experience

I’ve had a field day just walking along the plaza, circling the monuments of Manuel L Quezon and his wife, what’s left of their post Hispanic house, the Baler Church made famous by the siege of Baler and of the remnants of the end of Spanish occupation in this country. Dining, not on some posh restaurants but by the rolling store, a string of carinderia’s along the plaza, this caps the backpacking experience by dining on great Pinoy food, along the scenic sidewalks covered in shades by huge Acacia trees, and the local traffic of children walking to and fro in school uniforms, with tricycles passing, and buses whistling around the corner.

The waves, I came for the waves, thought I can handle the waves of Baler after my regular surfing stint in Zambales. But the waves, lovely and strong as they come, prove too much for my amateurish surfing aspiration. There’ll always be next time but it didn’t end there as is my backpacking adventure is just halfway.

It was a huge set back for me, coming from a busy lifestyle in Manila. The nights are quite, and walking feels safe with light rains giving their blessings. Here is where I knew I can finally slow down and feel the moment, forgetting the time as it slowly tick its countdown. But eventually, I grew bored of watching the tricycles just passing by, so hailing one of them after breakfast on a Sunday was a great start. Some of the tricycles here are registered tour guides, providing services to people and bringing them along a few locations surrounding the town of Baler. Since before coming here, we where ready with marked locations of the places we have in mind. With my travel buddy knowing the standard rate, we talked to an unregistered driver hoping we could get a cheaper alternative since we only wanted to stick to the locations we wanted to visit. Lucky we met our driver for this day; he was even younger than us and only drove his tricycle when he’s not on his day job. But of course, we have to make certain that he knows the locations. He was eager and knows them, we were lucky he agreed for the discounted price, and really it was a great bargain as he wanted to visit these places too by himself, we just handed him a reason to do so.

Wiped Out. I'm a novice Surfer who underestimated the waves of Baler.

Bronze statue of Manuel L Quezon as the central figure in the Baler Plaza

View of the Rolling Stores under the shades of Gigantic Acacia trees on the side of the Plaze.


Suggested Locations To Visit

So it was that for the entire day, our driver became our travel buddy, exploring the Millennium tree of Aurora, The Caunayan Falls covered under rich foliage in the middle of nowhere, the majestic Ditumabo falls dubbed as the mother falls, The Ermita Hill that showcases the vantage view of the Baler Bay, The Baler Municipal Fish Port that was a side trip, The historic Baler Church and the rest house of Manuel L Quezon and his wife Aurora Aragon Quezon, and the Diguisit Islets that was a delight as a destination for families and scenic location seeking photographers. Sure it was a lot to cover in a day, lucky that I was able to muster all the strength to enjoy each of these places.

AURORA | Balete Park

Enchanted And Gargantuan

AURORA | Caunayan Falls
Cold Spring Waters And A Rich Foliage

AURORA | Trekking Ditumabo Mother Falls
Aurora's Enchanting Mother Of All Falls

AURORA | Diguisit Islets
A Scenic Place, Beautiful And Romantic In Its Own Way

How To Get There

Leaving Manila early in the morning, Genesis Transport, Inc. provides direct bus trips to Baler, Aurora from Cubao, Manila. First bus trip from Genesis starts at 2 AM and succeeding trips in every hour until the last trip at 7:30 AM. Knowing that Aurora province is nestled within Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges, some of the roads will have to pass through some deeply forested areas. Taking the first trip would be good considering that you can relax along the way. Arriving early in Baler would give a head start in Surfing along Sabang Beach or an early photo walk in Baler Plaza.

2nd option in getting there is to take a bus to Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. Alight in the Central Terminal and from there you can take a bus bound for Baler.

NOTE: Surfing season can pose a challenge to getting a bus ride, especially on a weekend with surfing enthusiast milling over every bus seat available. Get to the terminal early to secure a seat and number with the guard.

Suggested Itinerary For A Weekend Trip

Day 1  - Lounging and enjoying Sabang Beach

12:30 AM - Left Manila with a direct aircon bus trip to Baler Aurora, through Genesis Transport.

6:30 AM - Arrival in Baler

6:45 AM - Check in MM lodge and rest after a long bus ride.

7:30 AM - Hired a tricycle to Rolling Stores for Breakfast. Rolling stores are beside the plaza.

8:00 AM - DIY Photowalk of Baler, tour arround Baler town.

9:30 AM - Went back to Sabang Beach to chill out with beers and watching Surfers.

12:00 NN - Lunch

3:00 PM - Surfing in Sabang Beach

5:00 PM - Swimming

7:00 PM - Dinner

8:00 PM - Booze and Socials in Sabang Beach

10:00 PM - Sleep

Day 2 - Tour in Aurora

6:00 AM - Wake Up call

7:00 AM - Breakfast (Rolling Stores: open 24 hours), Bought food for packed lunch

8:00 AM - Hired a tricycle driver for a guided tour and transport.

8:30 AM - Left Sabang Beach with packed lunch
9:00 AM - Arrival in Balete Park, The Millenium Tree
10:00 AM - Left for Caunayan Falls
10:30 AM - Arrival at Caunayan Falls
11:00 AM - Left Caunayan Falls for Ditumabo Falls
11:40 AM - Arrival at Hydro Plant and Jump Off, Start trekking Ditumabo Falls
1:00 PM - Trekk back at Hydro Plant for our packed lunch. (Note: No Foods Allowed In The Falls)
1:40 PM - Left Ditumabo falls for Diguisit Beach and Islets.
2:30 PM - Arrival at Diguisit Beach and Islets
3:15 PM - Left for Diguisit for Ermita Hill
3:30 PM - Went for Sidetrip to Baler Municipal Fish Port
3:40 PM - Arrival at Ermita Hill
4:00 PM - Left Ermita Hill for Baler town
4:30 PM - Visited Dona Aurora House
4:40 PM - Visited Baler Church, capped the tour with a Sunday Church Mass.
6:00 PM - Went back to MM Lodge for a short rest
7:30 PM - Dinner at Gerry Shan's
9:00 PM - Sleep

Day 3 - Bus ride to Manila
6:00 AM - Wake up for Sunrise Photo Take in Sabang, Beach
6:30 AM - Check Out MM Lodge
6:40 AM - Breakfast at Rolling Stores
8:00 AM - Left Baler aboard Genesis Transport Bus

Dona Aurora House


Suggested Accommodation For Backpackers
MM Lodge
Brgy Sabang Baler, Aurora
Contact person: Engr Andres Marmol
Contact No: 0919-537-9405

NOTE: We left Manila on a last minute decision, and MM Lodge was the only one to respond to our inquiry even though it was late at night. Great for backpackers. The lodge has a homey feel on it, and the landlord was housed just a few doors from our room, it was still very early when we arrived but we were accommodated graciously. We took a fan room for Php 500.00 fair enough considering that we were mostly out exploring Baler and the surrounding locations. The water in the tap has a heavy rusty smell on it. The lodge provides fresh cotton bed sheets and clean blankets for the bed, and really quite location. They have easy access to the beach which right at the back of the lodge, need not search for Surfing instructors as they are just beside the lodge. The fan room can easily upgrade into AC Room upon request, with additional fee. We didn’t feel the need to take Aircon though as the room is fairly cool.

For comprehensive list of accommodations, check this link from Discover Aurora.

 

Central Luzon (Region III)

Aurora, Province. 

Municipality of Baler, Provincial Capital

Official Website: Discover Aurora Philippines

Francis Balgos is a Call Center Agent, Weekend Travel Warrior, Amateur Spelunker, Sometime Surfer, Newbie Mountain Climber, Photography Enthusiast, Certified Beach Bum, A first born son, Faithful lover, True Explorer...

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