SIGHTSEEING
NATURE AREAS & 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.
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