I’ve been wanting to visit Baler, the capital town of Aurora Province for a while now but never had the chance to until recently. Thanks to an invitation to join Journeying James Baler Dos: Camp, Bike, Surf & Trek tour last August, I finally stepped foot in the scenic coastal town known for its waves. The town up North offers some great land-based attractions as well. Though most tourists come for the surf, Baler and surrounding towns have plenty to offer in terms of historical and cultural sights, natural attractions and food adventures.
HOW TO GET THERE: From Manila, Baler is roughly a six-hour drive by private car or chartered van (which was our mode of transport). If you’re commuting, the most direct way to get there is via the Joy Bus of Genesis Transport, which only has 2 trips a day. You can also reach Baler via Victory Liner bus to Cabanatuan. From there, you’ll have to transfer to a van or another bus to bring you to Baler.
GETTING AROUND:
Bicycle: Most of the historic sights around town are within easy walking distance of each other, but if you want to explore by bike, Beautiful Baler Tours near Sabang Beach offers bicycle rentals for as little as P35/hour or P300/day. They also rent out ATVs and horses. :p
Tricycle or motorbike: You can also hire a tricycle or motorbike for the day to cover more ground. Tricycle drivers double as tour guides in Baler. If you’re in a group, it might be cheaper to hire a van (especially if you want to visit the Balete tree).
WHERE TO GO/WHAT TO DO:
1) Learn to surf at Sabang Beach
With its long stretch of sandy shoreline and soft and shallow oceanbed, Sabang Beach in Baler is an ideal place for those who want to learn to surf. Head to Michael’s Surf Shop to hook up with surfing instructors and to rent surf boards. While the waves are best during peak surfing season from September to February, you can still catch some baby waves right near the shore all year around.
Surfing lessons with instructors cost P400/hour. If you don’t need an instructor, surf board rentals cost just P200/hour, P400/half-day and P800-1000 for whole day rentals. If you want bigger waves, you’ll need to rent a motorized banca to reach different surfing spots.
2) Explore Baler by Bike
On board a bike, you can visit some historic spots including the Baler Church, the Quezon Memorial Park (the birthplace of the late president Manuel L. Quezon), and the Dona Aurora Aragon Quezon House, a house rebuilt in honor of the wife of the late Commonwealth president. The Museo de Baler houses artifacts and paintings of the history of Aurora Province.
3) Cross the hanging bridge
Another interesting spot reachable by bike is the Tibag-Sabang hanging bridge, a rickety bridge patched together from rusty wire, weathered planks of wood and fragile bamboo railings. In many parts there are wide open gaps on the bridge itself that you can look down through and imagine plummeting into the depths of the river below. While the bridge is not really a tourist attraction (it’s more for locals use), it can be pretty exciting for thrill-seeking urbanites to attempt to cross. Bonus points if you don’t get dizzy by the time you get to the end.
4) Hike to Ditumabo or Mother Falls
San Luis, a neighboring town of Baler is the jump off point for a hike to the Mother Falls, also known as Ditumabo Waterfall, one of the most memorable falls I’ve visited in the country. To get here, one must hike up a trail of rocks and pebbles, muddy footpaths, wade through streams, and clamber over slippery rocks in multiple river crossings.
The 4-kilometer long hike can take about 45 minutes to an hour depending on your pace. But the sight of the powerful waterfall plunging down from 140 feet above into a wide basin of clear turquoise water is a reward in itself. The water here is deliciously icy cold to swim in. The clear water is also great for underwater group shots.
5) Climb up a gigantic balete tree
One of the most surprising sights I got to visit was the famous “Millennium Tree” in the town of Maria Aurora, right next to Baler. I’ve already devoted a whole post just for the tree alone. That’s how much I loved it. I had heard of the gigantic balete tree previously, but I was not prepared for just how massive it was. Towering more than five stories high, this 600-year old tree is said to be the largest tree of its kind in Asia. Throughout the years, the trees roots have grown above ground and in various sections of the trunk. Locals and visitors can easily climb inside through a hollow opening and up the tree’s massive roots snaking though and around.
WHAT TO EAT IN BALER:
Those who have been to Baler highly recommend Gerry Shan’s, an eat-all-you can restaurant that serves a really wide buffet spreads of various meals. However, I didn’t get a chance to try it. For those on a budget, the Rolling Stores, small eateries near the museum and plaza offer home-cooked and affordable tapsilog-type meals and local specialties.
Since I was in a big group group, it was cheaper for the organizers to buy fresh seafood in the market and cook it. All our meals were boodle fights/kamayan style, which is in my opinion how all beach food should be eaten. We got to enjoy a lot of simple yet delicious meals of fried fish, grilled tuna, river shrimps cooked in gata (coconut milk), and fresh pako (edible fern) salad by the beach, with a surfboard covered with banana leaves as our dining table. Environmentally-friendly!
During our bike around town we also stopped for a refreshing merienda of Halo-Halo at Gillian’s Snackhouse, near the rolling stores. That’s always good anywhere you go.
While native sticky rice cakes are common around the Philippines, the Suman de Baler is unique because it’s made of locally grown purple sticky rice. The suman is naturally sweet, so there’s no need to dip it in sugar. Though it’s light, a few pieces can be very filling. We had this for breakfast and as a snack after our hike to the falls.
WHERE TO STAY IN BALER:
Baywalk Tent City and Cottages in front of Sabang Beach offers basic accommodations where you can just hang hammocks, pitch a tent or lay a sleeping bag in the open air huts so you can maximize your stay outdoors and enjoy nature. There are several basic outdoor public restrooms near the camping grounds.
There are also several hotels and resorts located along the beachfront of Sabang including Pacific Waves Inn, Bahia de Baler, Bay’s Inn and Aliya Surf Camp.
WHAT TO BUY IN BALER:
- Handwoven crafts: including keychains in the shape of surfboards are sold in Aurora Aragon house.
- Typical souvenirs like postcards, keychains & magnets are sold in the sari-sari stores by the beach.
- There’s a good selection of Baler t-shirts, native delicacies and woven products (fans, wallets, baskets, etc.) at the Baler Pasalubong Center beside the bus terminal.
- Nanay Pacing’s Homemade Peanut Butter and Coco Jam: Really creamy peanut butter made with no oil. It’s one of the best types of peanut butter I’ve ever tasted. Seriously better than that overrated Speculoos Cookie Butter! Jars of these are available at Brgy. 05, T. Molina Street, Baler, Aurora.
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