Dingalan : A Hidden Getaway of East Luzon (Jonah's Travel Memoir No. 4)

Hello guys! This is me again, Jonahlyn and for today’s blog, I’ll share with you my experience in travelling to the beautiful town of Dingalan, Aurora.

_{(A portion of the rugged coast at Dingalan)}

Dingalan is a municipality in the southern part of Aurora province, located on the eastern coast of the island of Luzon. The municipality lies on the Sierra Madre Mountain Range and faces the vast Pacific Ocean along its coast. It has rolling hills along most its coastline that offers a scenic view of its rough terrain. It is also dubbed as "Batanes of the East".

It was during my birthday, last July 2019 when me and my friends decided to join a tour going to Dingalan, Aurora. We are enticed by the photos we’ve seen on some travel & tour pages on Facebook featuring Dingalan, that's why we decided to booked a tour on this tourist destination.

The day tour was composed of various locations within the Dingalan municipality which you can reach via different modes of transportation. The weather during our tour was a bit overcast with slight rain showers but I still had a great time during our trip.

So for the beginning of my journey, after several hours of land travel via shuttle van from Manila, we arrived at Dingalan Feeder Port. We gathered in the port area together with other tourists for a brief orientation before we start our tour. Afterwards, we rode a boat going to our first destination which is Dingalan White Beach.

_{(A girl with full energy before departing at Dingalan Feeder Port 😆)}

Upon arriving at the beach resort, we were told that there will be a minor hike going to the Mountain View Point later. After changing my outfit and preparing for the trek, we temporarily left our belongings in a rented cottage and proceeded with the hike.

_{(Arriving at Dingalan White Beach with excitement 😁)}

We started out the trail and it took us around 45 minutes to one hour of hiking to ascend to the peak. Although the trail we traversed only covered a short distance, our trek was rather a little difficult than normal because of the bad weather that makes the path slippery and muddy.

_{(Haggard look at Dingalan Mountain View Point after an adventuruos hike 😁)}

After we arrive on the Mountain View point, you can see the marvelous scenery of its mountainous coastline and some portion of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range.

_{(A view of the rolling hills at Dingalan Mountain View Point)}

_{(Unwinding at Dingalan White Beach after the hike)}

After some picture taking at the peak, we descend back to Dingalan White Beach and then rode a motorized banca going to the next destination, the Rock Formation and Dingalan Cave.

_{(Dingalan Rock Formation overlooking the Sierra Madre Mountains)}

Upon nearing at the said tourist spots we can see the rock formations from afar, featuring its jagged but at the same time picturesque forms. Every rock formation has its stereotype features like I saw on some other rock formations I’ve travelled to, (which I will also share with you here on this platform soon) but the rock formation here has it's own charm and beauty.

_{(Looking for something at Dinagalan Rock Formation)}

_{(Might trigger your trypophobia or something on this rocks 😀)}

Afterwards, we proceeded to Dingalan Cave, a cave that is only accessible by a small boat since it lies beneath a cliff and there are no land surface there to dock the boat. Due to its small area, it is quite crowded there when we arrive since other tourists also enjoy their time there. I took the privilege to swim on the deep waters inside the cave and saw many bats flying and hanging on the cave's ceiling, together with other tourists, we spent our time there taking pictures, swimming and diving inside the cave.

_{(A shining shimmering splendid photo of me before diving on the waters at Dinagalan Cave 😂)}

After navigating the coastline and arriving at the beach resort again, we went back to the feeder port and head to our last destination which is Tanawan Falls.

We rode a tricycle from the waiting area of the falls (located near the highway) going to the vicinity of Tanawan Falls because our van can’t travel there due to the rough road leading to the location. Arriving at the falls, although quite crowded due to other tourists taking a dip, I quickly plunged into the river and the water that runs through this falls is so cold that I began to shiver after dipping on the waters quite some time.

_{(Rejuvenating myself with other tourists at a crowded Tanawan Falls 😅)}

I decided to walk back to the waiting area to have a mini hiking on my own after a refreshing bath on the falls.

_{(Heading home after a worthwhile trip to Dingalan)}

Although I'm quite exhausted from the whole day trip, I feel satisfied for all the experience I had with this place. I'm glad for myself that I was able to personally explore another tourist spot and enjoyed its incredible wonder. And that concludes my superb adventure in the amazing Dingalan!

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. I appreciate your support! Thank you so much and see you on my next blogs!