A Quick Escape to Dingalan (I Bet, You Probably Haven't Heard of This Place!)

After exploring Minalungao National Park in the town of Gen. Tinio, Nueva Ecija, we went to Cabanatuan City to have our lunch. We are planning to take the next bus bound for Manila, but the scorching heat of the summer sun made us change our plan. While eating, we asked some locals of what else can we see around the city. They suggested some resorts nearby, but someone also suggested that we go to Dingalan, Aurora if we want a beach. Hmmmm... sounds interesting!

From the terminal in Cabanatuan City, we took a Dingalan-bound van. It took us about 1.5 hours to reach the town proper of Dingalan.

Still clueless where to go, we asked the locals where the beach resorts are. One tricycle driver recommended Coastal Cove Resort, a beach-front resort located along the shores of Brgy. Butas na Bato.

So, from the town proper, we rode his tricycle and drove all the way to the resort. Travel time is about 15 minutes.

Upon arrival at the resort, we inquired about their overnight accommodation. The resort offers several accommodations; the most affordable are the nipa huts with common toilet and bath. We decided to stay overnight and paid the overnight room rate. I think it's around 1,500 pesos per night, but we're able to haggle it down to 1,000 pesos/night for 2 persons.

After settling our things, we quickly went to the beach.

The beach is about 1 kilometer long with a shoreline composed of a mixture of small to medium-sized pebbles and fine black sand. It also has few cottages that can be used by the guests.

It is also dotted with tall coconut trees and surrounded with mountains on both ends that make a lovely backdrop for it.

We walked along the shoreline and just enjoyed the strong wind blowing from the Pacific and savored the awesome views.

At night, we just bought papaya and some bread for dinner at a nearby store outside the resort. Since there's really nothing much to do inside the resort, we called it a night at around 9:00 PM.

We woke up very early the following day to catch the sunrise. Since the town of Dingalan, Aurora is facing the eastern part of Luzon, it is a great spot to watch the sunrise.

We enjoyed the stunning view of the rising sun while being caressed by the strong winds. As the sun peeked into the clouds, its rays filled the sky with radiant and vibrant colors. It's like a painting slowly done in front of me! Truly beautiful!

After having our breakfast, we just spent the whole morning at the beach, swimming and enjoying the nice beach.

We then prepared ourselves for checkout at around 9:00 AM.

At dahil hindi pa ako nakapunta ng #Calauit #Island sa #Palawan... Pwede ba ito! Feeding the giraffes in #Dingalan #Aurora! Hahahaha! #LakasNgTrip! 😄😄😄

A photo posted by Pinoy Adventurista (Mervz) (@pinoyadventurista) on Apr 15, 2015 at 9:00pm PDT

Upon checkout, we took a tricycle and went back to the town proper. While waiting for the van bound for Cabanatuan to be filled, we roamed around the town to see things around. At around 10:00 AM, we left Dingalan, Aurora.

It was certainly an awesome unplanned trip. We just went on with this trip, even if we were uncertain and we both don't know what to expect. Good thing we did, because we really enjoyed our quick adventure in Dingalan Aurora!

I heard there are still a lot see and to explore in Dingalan. Maybe next time!

Where to stay in Dingalan?

There are a number of resorts in Dingalan that you could stay for a night or two. They may not be fancy, but they are quite good and affordable. Click here to see the list of hotels and resorts in Dingalan, Aurora.

How to Get To Dingalan, Aurora?

From Manila, there are several bus companies that goes to Cabanatuan City (Five Star Bus Co., ES Transport, Genesis Transport Services, Baliwag Transit, Inc). Bus terminals can be found in Pasay, Avenida, Cubao and Caloocan. Travel time is 2.5 - 3.5 hours depending on which route it will take. The fastest route is via the SCTEX which only takes 2.5 hours. AC bus fare is around 185 pesos from Cubao.

Upon reaching Cabanatuan City, make your way to the bus terminal and take a van bound for Dingalan Aurora. Travel time is about 1.5 - hours and fare is around 150 pesos.

Note: This trip happened in April 2013.

FOLLOW MY ADVENTURES ON YOUTUBE @PinoyAdventurista

Thank You For Sharing!