Baler, Aurora Province

Sabang Beach, Baler, Aurora
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Baler, Aurora


Municipality of Baler in Aurora Province is located at the east side of the Philippines, behind the mountain range of Sierra Madre and facing the Pacific Ocean. Baler is classified as 3rd class municipality in Aurora Province and has a population of 39,562 people (as of 2015). It is the top tourist destination in the province and it attracts nearly 500,000 locals and international tourists every year. As the capital and oldest municipality of Aurora Province, Baler is the seat of government and the center for trade and industry. Baler commands the most resorts, public institutions and facilities, as well as business establishments in the entire province.



Here are the Nature Areas and Beaches, Historical Sights and Cultural and Religious Events that you might want to experience.



Nature Areas and Beaches
Ampere Beach




Location: Ampere, Dipaculao



Getting There: From Baler town proper, take a tricycle going to Sabang Beach. From there, hire a motorized banca and ask to be taken to the site.

Travel Time: One hour

This beach is covered with smooth rocks of various sizes and darker color. This beach is an area called Bunga Point or Ampere Point, where local residents flock to Okotan Cave, a time-honored locale for forecasting the weather. The Pacific waves, upon hitting the shoreline cave, produce an explosion, the intensity of which, according to local lore, determines the intensity of the incoming weather.
Aniao Islets




Location: Off the coast of Barangay Zabali, Baler



Getting There: Take a tricycle from Baler town proper to the river outlet south of Sabang Beach. From there, hire a motorized banca which can take you to the area.

Travel Time: Five minutes by tricycle and 20 minutes by boat

Two small but imposing islands lie south of the islet of Dimadimalangat. These islets jut straight from the sea like bullets, with shrubs, small trees and other greenery growing on top surfaces. Kingfishers, gulls and hawks use these islets as lookout points for fish. Towering waves relentlessly pound the base of the formations, challenging even the most intrepid of rock climbers.


Balete Park & Millennium Tree




Location: Maria Aurora



This park contains a 600-year-old balete tree that was designated the official "Millennium Tree" of The Philippines. It is the largest tree of its kind in Asia, and it would take 60 grown men, holding one another at arm's length, to encircle its gigantic trunk.

Due to its age, the tree's thick roots have grown above ground, such that caves have formed under various sections of the trunk. This unique tree has generated national media attention and is now the most visited tourist spot in Aurora.


Banju Springs




Location: Barangay Real, San Luis



Getting There:Take a private vehicle or hire a jeep from Baler town proper to Barangay Real in San Luis. Another kilometer-and-a-half walk on a rough road passing through a rice field will take you to this site.

Travel Time: Approximately an hour's drive

Natural terraced steps overflowing with spring water best describe the Banyu Springs. A mass of ferns surrounds the springs, which stretch up to a hundred meters toward the source of the spring, hidden amidst shrubbery. Because a cement quarry located under the spring flow was exposed and weathered due to the constant flow of water, the cement settled into a terraced formation.
Borlongan Beach


Location: Barangay Borlongan, Dipaculao

Getting There: From Baler town proper, take a tricycle going to Sabang Beach. From there, hire a motorized banca that can take you to the site.

Travel Time: About two hours

Borlongan Beach, like Ampere Beach, is covered for several kilometers with gray pebbles and smooth, fist-size stones. This makes Borlongan beachfront different from most other beaches.
Casiguran Sound




Location: Casiguran



Getting There: Hire a motorized banca from Baler town proper and head north.




Travel Time: Approximately 5.5 hours



Casiguran Sound is a bay nearly enclosed by the Casiguran landmass and the cape of San Ildefonso. Only a kilometer-wide inlet serves to connect the sound to the sea. Its very location provides protection from the typhoons that seasonally ravage most of the province. Casiguran Sound is also unaffected by the monsoon winds that blow from October through February, making it an ideal spot for windsurfing, should facilities be available. For the time being, bring your own windsurfing equipment.

The area has its share of white beaches and numerous places for relaxation. Many foreigners have taken advantage of the natural placidity, having built vacation homes along the coast.
Cemento Beach & Reef




Location: Barangay Cemento, Baler



Getting There: Take a tricycle from Baler town proper to the river outlet south of Sabang Beach. From there, you can either hire a motorized banca for a 10-minute ride to the reef, or take a 40-minute walk.

White sand, seashells, and crushed corals carpet the stretch of Cemento Beach. From October to February, waves tower up to 14 feet high, making for excellent and challenging surfing, as experts from Europe, Japan and Australia can attest. The area is recommended for expert or professional surfers as the waves break at the reef and are of the right-hand break type. The surfer is advised to wear wetsuits for protection.

The area is also suitable for snorkeling and wall diving during the calm season from April to June. Finally, Cemento Beach is a popular haven for lobsters and other marine species.

Cunayan Falls




Location: Barangay Pimentel, San Luis



Getting There: Hire a jeep or take a private vehicle from Baler town proper to Barangay Real in San Luis, where a short walk from the end of the road near the river will take you to the falls.

Travel Time: Two hours

Barely a hundred meters away from a dirt road passable to most vehicles, Cunayan Falls is one of the more accessible falls of Aurora. The falls strongly sprays from a cliff where greenery and even some flowers grow, creating a great contrast against the white and light gray gravel sand area washed out by intermittent floods. The falls flow into a crystal clear stream tinged only by the blue reflection of the sky and its mild temperature makes it ideal for baths. The gravel bank of the stream is a sandy area suitable for picnics.
Dibut Bay




Location: Off Barangay Dibut, San Luis



Getting There: From Baler, hire a motorized banca and ask to be taken to the area.

The wide Dibut Bay coast affords numerous sights-island formations, peninsulas, short stretches of beaches, and imposing cliffs. One formation, appropriately named "Birhen" (meaning "virgin"), resembles the Virgin Mary praying amidst the waves. Since Dibut Bay is not a favored spot for the fishing industry, tourists may catch a glimpse of the magnificent Hammerhead shark and Mako shark. For diving enthusiasts, moreover, Dibut Bay is the perfect place to test out your latest flip.
Dicasalarin Bay




Location: Dicasalarin, San Luis



Getting There: Take a tricycle from Baler town proper to the river outlet south of Sabang Beach. From there, hire a motorized banca which can take you to the area.

Travel Time: Five minutes by tricycle and approximately 45 minutes by boat.

With beaches, hills, a peninsula, a Grotto of the Blessed Virgin, coves, caves, a cave-pool and reefs; Dicasalarin Bay; while small in area, offers hours of recreation and relaxation for the entire family.
Digisit Beach




Location: Barangay Zabali, Baler



Getting There: Take a tricycle from Baler town proper to the river outlet south of Sabang Beach. From there, hire a motorized banca which can take you to the area.

Travel Time: Five minutes by tricycle and 30 minutes by boat.

From the islands collectively known as Lukso-Lukso, one can hike to the white coral beach of Barangay Zabali. Digisit Beach stretches to about a kilometer in length. The upper landward shore is mostly sand, while the water shores are barricades of corals forming a protective reef that prevents strong waves of the Pacific from smashing onto the shore. The area is good for diving and, during calmer months, snorkeling.
Dilasag Coast


Location: Dilasag

Dilasag, a municipality at the northernmost area of Aurora, offers a coast with kilometer upon kilometer of white sand beach alternating occasionally with forests, hills, and cliffs. Its undeveloped features and natural attractions offer tourists the sensation of discovering something new and unspoiled. Inaccessible to most transportation, Dilasag Coast is a true getaway.
Dimadimalangat Islet




Location: Off the coast of Barangay Cemento, Baler



Getting There: Take a tricycle from Baler town proper to the river outlet south of Sabang Beach. From there, hire a motorized banca which can take you to the area.

Travel Time: Five minutes by tricycle and 15 minutes by boat.

This rock formation is actually a small island just a few meters away from the reef shore of Barangay Cemento and serves as a point identifying the southernmost tip of Baler Bay. During low tide, this islet becomes a peninsula, of sorts, where one could walk and wade from the reef shore to this natural rock formation. Around this island are reefs for the more daring divers.







Historical Sights

Aurora is a province blessed with an abundance of tourist attractions. It has its share of historical sights such as the home and rest house of former Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon. The province also has a beautiful Catholic church and several historical markers. Its natural attractions include picturesque waterfalls, lush greenery on mountainsides, and panoramic beaches. Surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, mountain climbing and trekking are only some of the activities a tourist can enjoy in Aurora.



Aurora Quezon Marker


Location: Poblacion, Baler

Getting There: From the bus station at the Baler market, take a tricycle and ask to be taken to the site.

Travel Time: 3-5 minutes

Not far from the Lt. Gilmore Marker and the Baler Catholic Church is the historic marker built in honor of Doña Aurora Aragon Quezon, the wife of Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon. Aurora Quezon was known for her untiring efforts in social welfare, especially for the benefit of the people of Aurora province. Like her husband, she was born in the town of Baler. She died in an ambush on the mountain roads of Nueva Ecija leading to the province that now bears her name.
Baler Catholic Church




Location: Poblacion, Baler



Getting There: From the bus station at the Baler market, take a tricycle and ask to be taken to the church.

Travel Time: 3-5 minutes

The structure is an old church with a simple facade. Here, the last Spanish garrison of four officers and 50 men was besieged by Filipino insurgents from June 27, 1898 to July 2, 1899. This was the last pocket of resistance of the Spanish Armed Forces to surrender to American troops. This is also where the La Campana de Baler, an ancient bell, was used and later stored as a relic.


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Location: Poblacion, Baler



Getting There: From the bus station at the Baler market, take a tricycle and ask to be taken to the site.

Travelling Time: 3-5 minutes

From the left wall of the Baler Catholic Church stands a simple marker for Lt. Commander James Gilmore, who commanded the U.S. gunboat Yorktown and was captured with all his men when he came to Baler, Aurora in April 1899 to relieve the Spanish soldiers besieged in the church of Baler.
Quezon House


Location: Barangay Cemento, Baler

Getting There:The best means to go there is by private vehicle as there is no regular public transport going to Barangay Cemento from the Baler town proper. It is also possible to take a tricycle from Baler to Barangay Sabang and take a 45-minute walk to Barangay Cemento, but one would have to wade through the river that cuts between the two barangays.

Travel Time: Approximately an hour's drive

Once the vacation home of President Manuel L. Quezon, the house is a short walk from Cemento Beach. Today, only the foundation and a cement staircase remain; the house was destroyed by a typhoon.
Quezon Memorial Park




Location: Poblacion, Baler



Getting There: From the bus station at the Baler market, one can walk to the site.

Travel Time: 3-5 minutes

This quiet park of trees and lawns was developed in honor and in memory of the late president Manuel L. Quezon. A marker fenced by concrete and set on a circular cement platform serves as a landmark of Baler, the birthplace of Quezon.







Moro-Moro Zarsuela




Location: Baler



Presented on February 19 (Aurora Day) in Baler, Aurora, the "Zarsuela" is an interplay of drama and dance. Taking three days to complete (although it could be shortened to a day), the "Zarsuela" performed here is composed of several acts that revolve around the main theme of Moro-Moro or Moslem-Christian conflict. The "Zarsuela" presents slightly different variations for the Moro-Moro theme year after year. The roles of princes and princesses, warriors and laymen for both the Christian and Moslem sides are performed in dance, while a narrator accompanies the pantomime act. What makes this particular performance more dramatic is that real knives and bolos are used. Often in the heat of the presentation, miscalculations result in knife and bolo gashes. Both actors and actresses participate in this particularly sensitive and dangerous sword-play. Only beautiful, graceful ladies and handsome men are chosen and trained for the theater. Indeed, this is a cultural theater that demands talent, beauty, skills and courage from the actors, and highly skilled and experienced trainers are needed to create this unique style of "Zarsuela".


Cultural and Religious Events
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Santo Entierro




Location: Baler



A glass coffin encasing a statue of Jesus Christ is displayed in a makeshift wooden chapel in Baler. The name of the sculptor is lost; however, locals claim that this icon possesses miraculous powers and grants miracles to those who believe. During Holy Week albularyos (spiritual doctors) and amulet holders flock to this revered statue to insert their anting-anting (amulets) into the niches of the coffin. After Good Friday, they retrieve their respective amulets now "recharged with power." It is also said that the amulets in the niches are visible only to their owners.
Ermita Hill




Location: Casiguran



Located in the Poblacion of Casiguran town, Ermita Hill provides an enchanting view of the entire Poblacion, the dark blue coast of Casiguran Bay and the barrios nearby. Aside from its magnificent landscape, Ermita Hill is known as a sacred haven for religious activities by devotees of the Miraculous Mother Mary, of whom a life-size statue is situated in a grotto on top of the hill. Under the Spanish rule, a Watchtower was built to guard the town against possible attackers. Governor Bella Angara-Castillo (then a Congresswoman) appropriated funding for the prevention of erosion of the hillside and its beautification.