The province of Aurora is not just all about Baler, let me introduce Dingalan which has become the newest tourist destination and was dubbed as the "Batanes of the East". It is situated approximately 183 kilometers north-east of Manila. bounded on the north by San Luis (in Aurora province), on the west by Gabaldon and General Tinio (Nueva Ecija) and Doña Remedios Trinidad (Bulacan), on the south by General Nakar (Quezon) and on the east by the Benham Rise or Plateau and Pacific Ocean.
The town of Dingalan is a third class coastal municipality that boast of beaches, waterfalls and lush green vegetation of Sierra Madre which is composed of rolling hills and terrains that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. The shoreline is composed of long stretch of beach with rock formations, blue water and a lighthouse that resembles that of Batanes which creates a paradise like setting.
There are numerous places of interests that anyone can visit in Dingalan.
Dingalan View Deck & Lighthouse
There are two ways to reach the lighthouse which is located in White Beach peninsula. The first option is to hire a boat (One way is 500 pesos). The second option is to trek all your way from the feeder port to the White Beach peninsula which will take an hour to be reached. Upon reaching White Sand Beach (jump off), another fifteen to thirty minutes of trek with an ascend of 240 ft. will lead you to the Benham Plateau that passes through forested and grassy slopes. Upon reaching the plateau where the lighthouse is located, one will be rewarded with a 360 degree view of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky cliffs, Sierra Madre ranges and the town of Dingalan on the far side. (The lighthouse is no longer open for visitors due to some irresponsible tourists who stepped and destroyed the Solar panels.)
Lamao Caves
These are a series of underwater caves that are interconnected with each other. The caves are mysterious and inviting, if you are up for the challenge then it is a nice place to explore. However, our guide told us that some portions of the caves were destroyed due to an upsurge of a typhoon some time ago.
White Sand Beach
The coastline of the beach stretches several kilometers to form a peninsula with a hilly portion in the eastern part that leads to the lighthouse. The shoreline ranges from fine grain sand to pebbled portions and rock formations with pristine water in which one can clearly see the bottom. The beach is still untapped but there are several cottages available for rent.
The beachfront is enveloped with Sierra Madre's White Beach peak at the backdraft giving it a paradise like setting similar to that of Sabtang Island in Batanes.
How to Get There:
1. Ride a bus bound to Cabanatuan City (Five Star)
2. Once in Cabanatuan, you can then ride FX/UV Express bound to Dingalan.
3. Upon reaching Dingalan, you can walk or ride a trike and tell the driver to drop you off in the feeder port.
4. You can hire a boat or trek all the way to the lighthouse.
***I joined a tour organized by Golden Peak Tours
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