It was another great weekend that I decided to join the Top View Philippines 2 days 1-night tour to Baler trip.
LOCATION
Baler is a small town in Aurora province on the east coast of Luzon in the Philippines. Baler is situated in the northeast of Manila and distance is about 231km from Metro Manila and took about 6 hours driving distance to reach here.
We departed on Saturday midnight at 12 am and in total 11 of us in a van. The journey would be accessed via a mountain pass hence the roads were curved.
HISTORY
According to Baler history, there was a Tsunami “Tromba Marina” demolished the town on the 27th of December 1735. Many people have been killed by the disaster and there were only 7 families survived. The seven families who were survivors climbed to the top of a hill which today is called Ermita Hill.
Credit: here
1) Giant Balete Tree
This was the first stop of our trip to visit the biggest Balete tree in Asia. According to Wikipedia, “Balete tree is the several species of the trees in the Philippines from the genus Ficus that are broadly referred to as balete in the local language.”
Apparently, this is a 600-year-old Balete Tree and it is also known as The Millenium Tree.
2) Ditumabo Falls/Mother Falls
After taking numerous photos at the first stop, finally, the group decided to head to Ditumabo Falls a.k.a. Mother Falls.
It required 30 minutes trekking / casual walk to enjoy the waterfall. It is advisable to wear the waterproof sandal since you will across many small streams.
Entrance Fee: 30 PHP ( 0.50 USD) & 200 PHP (3.70 USD) for group tour guide
3) SABANG BEACH
It was a tired afternoon after a long journey to Baler and had fun at the mother waterfalls. We checked in our accommodation at Sabang Beach. There are many accommodation options you could choose on the beach side, you could search more on Agoda website etc.
Surfing
People said:” A Baler trip would not be completed without giving a try on surfing.”
If you are a first timer for surfing, this is the best place for you to pick up the surfing skill. Furthermore, the price is rather cheap which costs 300PHP (5 USD) only for 1-hour class with the local surf coach + Surfboard
Had a great time with this group of people
Sunrise
When you were on the beach, all you need is to be laid back and also don’t forget to enjoy the sunrise view. Woke up at 5 am ++ if you do not want to miss this beautiful sunrise view.
4) Historical Walking Tour in Baler Town
Baler is a town full of historical story. When you are in the town, take a look and walk around :
- Quezon memorial park
- Museo de Baler *The opening hours only during weekdays. Saturday and Sunday are closed
- Baler Marker
- Baler Church
- Dona Aurora Quezon house
5) Hanging bridge
A hanging bridge that allows you take some nice photo shoots. The bridge was made of wood and if you are not afraid of height, have a try walking across it.
6) Ermita Hill
As mentioned earlier, it was only 7 families survived during the tsunami in 1735. They went up to the hill and managed to escape. Ermita Hill is one of the highest places in Baler.
Going up to the hill is not that difficult, you just need to walk up around 250-300 concrete stairs to reach the big cross.
You get to see a great view of the ocean and the mountains in Baler.
7) PAGASA Baler Radar Station
This is one of the weather stations which allowed PAGASA (The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) to collect the data used for weather forecasts and predictive purposes against natural disasters.
8) Diguisit Beach
Next stop was at the Diguisit beach which is only 15 minutes driving distance from Baler town. People come here not to surf or swim, but to explore around the rock formations in Aniao Islets, which was amazing!
No doubt, this is another good photography spot for Instagram posts.
We chose to stay at AMCO Digisit resort to relax for a few hours.
Here came to the end of my Baler trip and if you like to join some outdoors activities, I would recommend Top View Philippines travel group which guide by a young team. Especially thanks to Maryse who organised this trip and thanks for the group who brought a lot of laughter and sweet memories during the trip. Hope to join other events in the near future. ?
Below is the itinerary which organised by Top View Philippines Travel Group.
Event Fee: 1,800 PHP ( USD 33)
Day 0
11:00 pm – Meetup@ McD Panay Avenue
12:00 am – ETD to BaLer
Day 1
6:00 am – Breakfast on Pax Account
7:00 am – Start of tour
*Giant balete tree (oldest balete tree in Asia)
8:00 am – Ditumabo Falls/Mother falls
12:00 NN – Lunch on Pax Account
@famous seafood resto/Baler surfer grill/yolly’s seafood resto.
1:00 pm – Historical Tour
*Quezon memorial park
* Museo de Baler
* Baler Marker
* Baler Church
* Dona Aurora Quezon house
2:00pm – Hanging bridge
2:30pm – Ermita hill
3:30pm – Sabang beach Surfing
5:00pm – Check inn Accomodation
Day 2
6:00am – Breakfast on pax Account
7:00 am- Eco strip tour
*Diguisit falls
*Diguisit Rock formation
*Baler Radar station
*Tromba Marina
*Aniao islets
*Diguisit beach
11:30am -Lunch on pax account
12:30pm – Checkout Accomodation
1:00pm – Free time for own leisure
3:30pm – Souvenir shopping
4:00pm – Departure to Manila
Tour inclusions:
* private Van RT (Manila- Baler- Manila)
( GL Grandia )
* Transient accomodation
Exclusions:
All entrance fees
*Ditumabo falls PHP 30/head plus guide fee
*Diguisit beach
*Meals
Optional Activities:
*Surfing lesson with a surfing instructor
*Board rental 200-300/head
Things to Bring:
*Swimwear
*camera
*Personal meds
*Slippers
More pictures: Instagram
Must-See Places in Palawan, Philippines: Click here
