The province of Aurora is an underrated beauty. While its capital Baler draws international tourists and surfers, there’s more to the province than just riding the waves. For riders and road trippers, Aurora’s proximity to Metro Manila, the scenic views of the mountains and sea, and the quality of roads getting to and from different points in the province make it a great destination for road trips where you can just chill out for the weekend.

Baler has that tropical island vibe similar to surf towns like San Juan in La Union, Siargao and Palawan while still retaining the laid-back provincial appeal and local hospitality. It doesn’t feel as crowded as other beach towns but you can still find facilities that accommodate different types of travelers.

Aurora is one of the younger provinces in the Philippines, having only been established in 1979. All the towns here used to be part of Quezon. In fact, the mother province gets its name from Aurora Aragon, the wife of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon, the president of the Philippine Commonwealth.

While you can find developed tourist spots in Baler, the other towns of Aurora also deserve attention. I was blown away by the beauty of Dingalan, a small coastal town that offers a majestic view of the Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges. The wide empty road leading to the towns of Northern Aurora towards Casiguran and Dilasag were a complete joy to ride, with scenic mountain views and uncrowded white-sand beaches. I’ve been to Baler several times before but after this motorcycle road trip, the province of Aurora has now become one of my favorites. I wouldn’t mind going back here for more.

For travelers interested in riding to Aurora, particularly Baler and Dingalan, I’m sharing this travel guide including how to get there (for small displacement bikes), where to stay, eat and things to do in the province based on our personal trip.

Where exactly is Aurora?

Aurora is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the eastern part of Central Luzon region, facing the Philippine Sea. The province is bordered by the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park of Isabela, to the west by the central range of the Sierra Madre which contains the Casecnan Protected Landscape and Aurora Memorial National Park, to the south by the Umiray River, and to the east by the Philippine Sea which opens to the Philippine Sea. The San Ildefonso Peninsula lies in the province’s northern portion between the Philippine Sea and the Casiguran Sound.

Why it’s great for riders

Aurora is relatively near Manila, which makes it ideal for those based in the metro looking for overnight and long weekend rides. The roads going in are beautiful and traffic-free (once you get past the main highway). Aurora has a unique landscape featuring both mountain and beach scenery, but it’s less crowded and commercialized compared to other tourist areas in the country.

You can find upscale resorts and tourist-friendly facilities as well as quiet beaches for camping. In terms of the food scene, there aren’t a lot of fancy restaurants and fast-food joints, but you can get a good variety of fresh seafood and local delicacies. Seafood (especially in Dingalan) is incredibly cheap compared to other tourist areas.

For first time visitors, there are other activities you can do including surfing, hiking, water sports, and historical tours. For foreign tourists not traveling with their own motorcycles, a good option is to take the bus going there (so you can skip the traffic in Manila) and just rent a motorcycle once you get there for a more leisurely road trip. Motorcycle and bicycle rentals are available in Baler.

Check out my separate post: Travel Guide: Baler for directions to get there by public transportation.

Route Map for road trip (small displacement bikes)

On the map, the province of Aurora looks relatively near Manila, but don’t underestimate the traffic getting in and out of the highly urbanized cities. Getting to the capital Baler from Manila via the expressways can take 5-8 hrs depending on the traffic and the time you leave. If you leave at 5:00 am, you can get there by lunchtime.

NOTE: Open Googlemaps and click “Avoid highways and tolls” under options

Small displacement bikes that aren’t allowed on the expressways can pass through McArthur Highway or through San Jose del Monte and Angat in Bulacan to get to Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija. If Baler is your main destination, you have two main route options: Bongabon or Pantabangan. Most locals recommend passing the Pantabangan Route for safety, but we tried both just for the experience (more details below).

Aurora province covers a portion of the Sierra Madre mountain range, so expect elevation to be steep to very steep with mountainous winding roads in some portions. From the road leading to Dilasag, you can cross over to the neighboring province of Quirino.

Day 1: Manila to Dingalan, Aurora

• Start point: Quezon City
• End point: Cave Beach Resort, Dingalan, Aurora
• Route: Quezon City – Commonwealth Avenue – Regalado Highway – Quirino Highway – San Jose Del Monte – Del Monte – Norzagaray Road – Angat – F. Viola Highway – Plaridel Bypass Road – Pan-Philippine Highway – Santa Rosa-Fort Magsaysay Road – Palayan-Gabaldon-Dingalan Road
• Type of road: Highway, National Roads, small-town traffic, diversion roads, mostly flat
• Scenic stops & landmarks: Random roadside views, Bato Ferry Bridge, Gabaldon welcome arch & marker, Dingalan marker
• Travel time: 6 hours
• Kilometers traveled: 187 km

We left Quezon City at around 8:00 am and got to Dingalan at 2:00 pm, with just a few photo op stops & drink breaks in between. Getting out of Manila, we passed through Commonwealth Avenue going towards San Jose Del Monte, passing Norzagaray, Angat, out through the Plaridel bypass road which leads to AH26 Pan-Philippine highway in Maasim. This way you can skip traffic in Cabanatuan City and the main highway.

Once you get in from Sta. Rosa, the road offers beautiful mountain views, especially in Laur and Gabaldon. The route is smooth sailing all the way to Dingalan.

Where to Stay in Dingalan

Cave Beach Resort

While in Dingalan, we stayed in Cave Beach Resort near the port in Brgy. Aplaya. This newly renovated resort has a great location facing the sea. Airconditioned rooms are clean and decent, with hot and cold showers, TVs and free WiFi. With 10 rooms, this place offers a nice, private and quiet getaway for couples, solo riders, families or small groups.

Cave Beach Resort has a nice garden, swimming pool, picnic huts facing the beach, and a few table games like a Foosball table and billiards for checked-in guests. For international tourists traveling by public transport who want to ride once they get there, they also have a couple of motorcycles available for rent. The resort can arrange tours if tour guides are available.

• Address: Cave Beach Resort, Lot 1 Tanigue Brgy. Apalaya. Dingalan. Aurora, Aplaya, Dingalan, Philippines, 3207
• Contact number: 0929-5888263
• Published Rates: P3,000 for Deluxe Queen & Deluxe Double Room including breakfast (good for 2 pax) / P4,500 for Deluxe Queen & Deluxe Double Room (good for 3 pax) . I got the room for P2,550/night with discounts since we booked through Agoda.
• Motorcycles for rent at Cave Beach Resort Dingalan: Rusi 200 CC: P1000 per day + fuel, Rusi 125 Scooter: P750/day + fuel

For larger groups and barkadas looking for more budget-friendly options, including cottages and group sharing rooms, where they can cook their own food, there are several other resorts in the area including Manabat Sampaguita Beach Resort (with swimming pool).

• Address: Manabat Sampaguita Beach Resort, Brgy. Butas na Bato, Dingalan
• Contact number: 0917-8195816 / 0922-7639458 / 044-9581587
• Rates: Room with AC: P3,500 (good for 6-8 pax), Room without AC: P3,000 (good for 6-8 pax). Cottage: P500, P1,000 & P1,500. Big House: P9,000 (including 3 rooms, 2 CR, balcony good for 20 pax)

In Paltic, options include Ocean View Resort and Buboy & Lourdes Cottages which you’ll pass if you hike up the mountain view.

• Address: Buboy & Lourdes Cottages, White Beach, Barangay Paltic, Dingalan, Aurora
• Contact number: 0918-5036080 / 0927-2882560
• Rates: P500/night for tent rental / P1,000 per night for cottages

Where to eat in Dingalan

Arlyn’s Seafood Paluto

The best meals of our entire trip in Aurora were in Dingalan. The style here is you buy fresh seafood from the market or fish stalls and have it cooked. They sell fresh lobsters, crabs, salmon, squid, shrimps, fish and vegetables like pako.

I highly recommend Arlyn’s Seafood Paluto, across the road from the markets and fish stalls. We gorged on lobsters, crabs, and other seafood here. We spent P300 only for lobsters and salmon at the market good for 2.

If you’re looking for a place to drink, Cave Beach Resort’s in-house restaurant also serves Western cuisine and has a bar with a selection of cocktails, local and international beers including Australian brand Foster’s, Budweiser, Heineken and more.

Day 2: Dingalan to Baler

Hike to Dingalan Mountain View

We spent the next morning hiking up to Dingalan Mountian View, which offers the most iconic view of the town. There are two options to get there. You can hire a boat to take you to the coast (P800-P1000 per boat round trip good for 10 persons) from where you’ll start your hike, but you can also just walk along the coast (30 mins) from the Dingalan Feeder Port in the main town proper of Paltic.

The whole hike takes 45 mins to 1 hour, one way depending on your pace. Allot around 3-4 hrs including picture-taking and rest stops for the hike. The guide gee is P200 per tourist spot, with an additional charge if your guide joined you on the trek and back, plus the rate for hiring a tricycle to the jump-off point (P80/rt).

For those who have time, other tourist spots you can visit in Dingalan include:

• Paltic Beach
• Dingalan Lighthouse
• Lamao Cave (only accessible by boat)
• I love Dingalan Landmark
• Tanawan Falls
• Matawe Beach
• Intertidal Zone
• Tabi Falls
• Makibato Falls
• Umiray Coastline

After another amazing seafood lunch of crabs, calamares and pako salad at Arlyn’s Seafood Paluto, we doubled back to Gabaldon and headed to Baler following the Bongabon route.

Bongabon Route

• Start point: Cave Beach Resort, Dingalan
• End point: Nature Green Forest Resort, Baler
• Route: Dingalan-Gabaldon Road, Nueva Ecija-Aurora Road, Bongabon, Baler
• Type of road: Twisties, mountain roads, no traffic
• Stops: Aurora Welcome arch (Bongabon), random roadside views, Baler signage
• Travel time: 3-4 hours
• Kilometers traveled: 135 km

The Bongabon route was mostly paved but some road work was ongoing when we passed (as of November 2019). There were a few one-way portions with loose gravel, dirt roads and mud. It felt really remote with unli-twisties. There were not a lot of establishments, gas stations or places to eat along the way.

This route is more prone to landslides during the rainy season. We had to wait for an hour while a portion of the road was cleared, so it was dark by the time we made it to Baler. We left Dingalan at around 2:30 pm and arrived in Baler at 7:00 pm (with 45 mins waiting time for the road to be cleared).

Where to Stay in Baler

Nature Green Forest Resort

There are a lot of accommodations to choose from in Baler from high-end resorts to small homestays and inns depending on your budget and location preference. See my separate guide on where to stay in Baler. On our first night, we stayed in Nature Green Forest Resort along Cemento Beach, about 10-15 mins ride from the main town proper and Sabang Beach.

This family-owned resort is located in a forested area where the river meets the sea. The property has a private beach area and a garden, outdoor huts, a floating cottage, and kayaks and standup paddleboards available for rent. It’s relatively near Diguisit Beach and rock formations, which is an ideal spot for sunrise viewing.

They also have a treehouse room (ideal for couples and solo travelers) and a small swimming pool. You can cook or have food cooked here. The spacious standard rooms (good for 5-8 pax) come with a queen bed, double deck bed, hot and cold shower & TV.

• Address: Nature Green Forest Resort, Cemento Beach, Brgy. Zabali, Baler, Aurora
• Contact number: 0917-5960205
• Published rates: The treehouse room for 2 was not available, but the owner gave us the room good for 5 pax (normally P3800/night) for just P2000/night since there were only 2 of us. You can also book via Agoda.

There are a lot of places to eat and drink in Baler, mostly along Sabang Beach and Buton Street. Top recommendations include Kubli Bistro, Bike King’s Kitchen, Gerry Shan’s (Eat All You Can), Hungry Surfer at Bay’s Inn, Yellow Fin Bar & Grill and Charlie Does Cafe. Check out my separate guide: Food Trip: Baler.

Day 3: Dipaculao & beyond

• Start point: Nature Green Forest Resort, Baler
• End point: Charlie Does Hotel Motel Inn, Baler
• Route: Cemento Beach, Baler-Casiguran Road and back
• Type of road: Coastal roads, mountain roads, no traffic
• Stops: Diguisit Beach, Dicasalarin Point, Ampere Beach & Rock Formations, Tanawan Point of Dinadiawan, Porto Novo Dinadiawan Dipaculao
• Travel time: 3 hours
• Kilometers traveled: 131 km

The top things to do in Baler include taking surfing lessons at Sabang Beach, visiting the Museo de Baler and Aurora Heritage houses, crossing the Hanging Bridge or hiking to Ditumabo Falls. But riders will probably just want to spend half a day or the whole day riding to explore towns further North from Baler.

If you have your own transport, you can easily ride to Ermita Hill, Diguisit Beach, the port area, and get a great view of Dicasalarin Cove right before reaching the Pag-Asa Station.

After lunch at the bicycle-themed restaurant Bike Kings in the town proper, we spent the afternoon on a leisurely road trip towards Dipaculao, passing the Ampere Beach and Rock Formations.

Dinadiawan in Dipaculao is a good destination from Baler because of its beautiful white sand beach and proximity, just an hour away from Baler by motorcycle.

If you start your ride in the morning, you can ride all the way to Dinalungan, Casiguran and Dilasag (and visit Casapsapan Beach) and go back to Baler or opt to stay overnight in the area. Dilasag is 145 km or 3 hrs from Baler. However, there are less dining options and tourist spots in the Northern towns compared to Baler. We’re planning to save our visit there for another road trip.

Where to Stay in Dipaculao

Porto Novo Dinadiawan

Located about 1 hour from Baler, Porto Novo Dinadiawan in Dipaculao offers 18 fully airconditioned rooms and 3 nipa-style cottages right in front of a stretch of white sand beach facing the Pacific Ocean.

Guests can cook in the common kitchen buying fresh days catch of the day from local fishermen. There’s a kiddie play area, and other activities like volleyball, frisbee, etc. available. The area here is very serene, so guests can enjoy just communing with nature. Aside from overnight stays, the resort also accepts day tour guests (entrance fee: P100/head) with tables for rent and tent spaces available.

• Address: Porto Novo Hotel Dinadiawan, Dipaculao, Baler-Casiguran National Highway, Aurora
• Contact: 0925-8773322 / TM: 0997-2334566
• Rates: P2,300 for nipa huts (good for 2), P3,000 for Superior rooms (for 2), P3,800 for Deluxe Rooms (for 4 pax), P7,000 for family room (good for 10 pax)

Because of a typhoon forecast expected to hit Casiguran, we decided to just stay in Baler again for another night to be safe. We capped our last night by walking along the stretch of Sabang Beach and pizza, beer and live music at Kubli Bistro.

Where to Stay in Baler

Hotel Motel Charlie Does Inn

Aside from running a cafe and surf shop, Charlie Does also runs a small hotel / motel inn with a few container van type rooms right behind the cafe. Rooms are ideal for solo travelers and backpackers who want no-frills accommodations near the restaurants along Sabang Beach.

While the room we got felt a bit small, the cafe and garden area are nice places to hang out. Charlie Does usually serves Baler Brew (a locally brewed honey wheat beer), but it was out of stock during our visit. The beer is also available in kegs at Costa Pacifica.

• Address: Hotel Motel Charlie Does Inn, Buton Street, Baler, Aurora (in front of Costa Pacifica)
• Contact number: 0906-2027959
• Rates: P1,500 – P2,000 (double bed aircon room good for 2) with plated breakfast. Discounts applicable for Lean season (June to September) and Weekdays (Sunday to Thursday).

Day 4: Baler to Manila

• Start point: Charlie Does, Baler, Aurora
• End point: Quezon City
• Route: Nueva Ecija – Aurora Rd/Pantabangan – Baler Rd/Pantabangan – Canili – Felipe Vergara Highway – McArthur Highway – Plaridel Bypass road – F. Viola Highway – Del Monte-Norzagaray Road – Quirino Highway – Blefast – Mindanao Ave – Commonwealth Ave. – C5 – Katipunan Ave. – CP Garcia
• Type of road: National Roads, diversion roads, mostly flat, high traffic in cities
• Stops: Sabang Beach, Balete Eco Park (Millenium Tree) in Maria Aurora, Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija
• Travel time: 8 hours
• Kilometers traveled: 250 km

After the complimentary breakfast at Charlie Does (vegan and vegetarian food), we decided to head back to Manila passing the Pantabangan Route.

Pantabangan Route

Compared to Bongabon, the Pantabangan Route is considered safer because of the flatter terrain. This doesn’t have as many twisties, and there are more gas stations and eating places along the way. However, since it’s the usual route of buses, vans and private cars heading to Baler, you’ll encounter more vehicles on the road which can cause delays especially if you travel during holidays and long weekends. If you pass this route, you can make stopovers at the Millennium Tree, a famous Balete tree in the town of Ma. Aurora next to Baler as well as the scenic Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija.

To make the most of your trip and cut down on travel time, it’s best to leave early in the morning. Because of our photo op stops, we got to the main highway at noon and encountered a lot of trucks and heavy traffic most of the way. We left Baler at 9:30 am and got to Quezon City at 5:30 pm, for a total time of 8 hrs on the road.

Trip Summary

As usual, getting back to Manila traffic after enjoying the beautiful open roads and refreshing scenery sucked big time especially along the highway in Nueva Ecija, Bulacan and Quezon City (on a Friday payday), but I’m really thankful for the mostly good weather during our ride and that we got home safely. It only rained once during our ride on our way to Dingalan, so stops were minimal.

P.S. Special thanks to MotoWorld Philippines for my new safety riding gear including the LS2 Breaker full-face helmet in Matte Titanium & Taichi riding gloves which I used during this trip. I really appreciated having a visor to combat the dust, rain, wind, and bugs splattering at full speed. I definitely feel more protected with this touring helmet and the IXON riding jacket.

Overall, it was a very satisfying motorcycle trip with rewarding views and great food. Riders who want to test out their endurance sometimes do “Baler balikan” rides or just overnight trips, but to maximize the travel time and for first-timers who want to combine the trip with sightseeing and have more time to enjoy the beach, it’s best to spend at least a couple of nights there.

We spent 4 days & 3 nights on this ride (1 night in Dingalan, 2 nights in Baler), but I wouldn’t have minded staying another night further north. At least we now know the route and where to stay next time when we explore the rest of Northern Aurora, Quirino and Isabela province.

• Starting odometer: 8,747 km
• End odometer: 9,597 km
• Total: 850 kilometers