While the province of Aurora is known for having one of Luzon's prime surfing spots, not everyone knows that it contains a hidden gem with spectacular views that rival that of Batanes. 

Dingalan is the southernmost municipality of Aurora. Roughly five hours away from Manila, it is located on the East coast of Luzon. Because of its beautiful landscape comprising of majestic mountain views, rock formations, and pristine oceans, rivers, and waterfalls, it is becoming more and more popular to tourists and weekend warriors. 

Last weekend, I got to explore and experience Dingalan, Aurora via an organized group tour. It was a day trip. We left Manila a little past midnight at arrived at the Dingalan Feeder Port before 5am. Because boat tours start at 6am, we had to wait for more than an hour. After we've registered and had a briefing from the tour guide, we were set to sail. First on our itinerary was White Beach.

From White Beach, it would take a fifteen to twenty minute trek to reach the mountain view deck. The view was absolutely breathtaking. 

 From the mountain view, there is an eyeful of the Dingalan lighthouse. For some reason, I felt like I was in a scene out of Sound of Music, although I don't remember seeing any lighthouses in that film.

From the mountain view deck, we made our way back by taking the same trail but stopped half-way upon reaching a fork. From the fork, it took a ten minute trek to reach the light house.

We rested for a bit upon returning to White Beach. I re-hydrated with fresh buko juice being sold at one of the stores. After resting, we then chartered a boat to explore the caves and the rock formations in the area. The sights were almost un-real. I felt as if I was in an entirely different place that one could only dream of.

Our tour guide was prolly one of the best photo shoot directors I've ever met (LOL). He told us where to pose and even taught us how to pose. A few of us also got to do some cliff jumping. The "cliff" was a little over ten feet high, plunging on fifteen-feet deep waters. The guide said that we were the first people to ever do cliff jumping here.

It was past noon when we finished touring the rock formations and the small beaches in the area. We returned to White Beach to rest and have lunch. After that, we went back to our van and drove for about thirty minutes to go to Tanawan Falls. From where we parked our van, it was a ten-minute trek going to the registration area, where there was a beautiful view of the landscape of Aurora and its neighboring provinces. 

From the registration area, it took us a really short trek, which lasted around three minutes, to finally get to Tanawan Falls. To be honest, there was nothing really special about it. When we got there, it was too crowded that it was challenging to get good photos without any photo-bombers. 

I got to swim for a bit, which I kinda enjoyed because it was a very hot day and the water was so cold. It was refreshing.  

After that, we made our way back to the parking and freshened up. Then we started to make our way back to Manila, but not without making a quick stop first at the I *heart* Dingalan landmark to take some photos.

Travel Notes:

How to get there: 
  • By public transportation: From Cubao, take a bus from Five Star or Genesis Transit going to Cabanatuan City.  Travel time is more or less three hours, depending on the traffic. From Cabanatuan terminal, you can either take the Dingalan Transit bus or a van. The bus trip will take at least two hours while traveling by van will take about an hour and a half. The latter, of course, costs a little more. From the Dingalan town proper, board a tricycle that will take you to Dingalan Feeder Port where you need register and arrange for a tour guide.
  • By private car: From Manila, take the North Luzon Expressway, drive straight, and then take the Sta. Rita exit to the left going to DRT Highway. Drive straight passing through the towns in Bulacan, going to Pan-Philippine Highway. Continue straight passing through Gapan then Cabanatuan City, and then turn left going to the Nueva Ecija-Aurora Rd. Drive straight then turn left at the Junction Tablang-Gabaldon Rd. Then just go straight until you get to the Dingalan Feeder Port.
Expenses:
  • Bus from Cubao to Cabanatuan - Php185
  • Transportation from Cabanatuan to Dingalan town proper - Php90 (bus), Php100 (van)
  • Tricycle - Php20 per person
  • Boat tour - Php700
  • Guide - Php200 per spot
The whole trip lasted for an entire day. While it was quite exhausting because of all the trekking and other activities, it was truly worth it.