Che Custodio | May 15, 2018
Dingalan is a municipality in Aurora province in the eastern part of Central Luzon. There are lots of other activities that can be done aside for this trek and quick break from the city life.
My travel companion for this trip is Mrs. Valdez (my high school teacher and a very good friend of mine - let's call her 'Nay as I look up to her like a second mom). Dipaculao was our original destination, however, she was not able to find a match for our budget and schedule so she asked her nephew for suggestions and Dingalan was the next best option.
We chose to look for and book a guided tour package to make things faster and easier. Given that we did not have that much experience in looking and setting up our travel, we came across the Facebook page of Clara Galaera Travel & Tours and tried asking for their assistance for this trip. Their team was very accommodating and we were able to finalize things within the day. Reservation fee sent via bank deposit and all we had to do was wait.
We were set to leave at midnight of May 15, 2018 and return to Manila on the same day since it was a day tour. For just Php 999.00, here are the activities and inclusions you can enjoy:
light house
white beach
Lamao cave
Tanawan falls
I Love Dingalan
Dingalan Feeder Port
Batanes of the East view point
Rock formation with intertidal pool (dead pool)
Round trip van transfer (MNL-Aurora-MNL)
Round trip boat transfer
Ecological/environmental fee
Falls entrance fee
Services of a tour guide
Boodle fight (lunch)
Life vest
Trip Day | May 15 Midnight
After meeting up with 'Nay and heading to the assigned meeting place and time, it's off to Dingalan. Time check 2:15 AM. Some of the participants did not make it as they were confused with the time and date of the trip. That is why it is VERY IMPORTANT especially for TOUR JOINERS to CONFIRM the TIME and DATE of your trip to avoid confusion and these kinds of incidents where you end up not joining the trip.
First stop - 5:00 AM | I (Heart) Love Dingalan Sign/Blocks
7:00 AM | Dingalan Feeder Port
Breakfast before travelling. Really important to eat so as to enjoy the rest of the trip. We were assigned boats and briefed about safety guidelines as well.
Beach | Activities | Precautions
The weather was not a 100% clear so we experienced short rain showers a few times. Beach: white/gray sand, water was clear but a bit rocky so walking barefoot will require extra caution. We were approached by a group of friendly dogs and we saw the different cottages occupied by other groups.
Trekking to the summit - a first for me! About 30 minutes trek/walk in muddy trail followed by a view that's really worth it. Check out these additional photos of our view:
And as the natural order of things, what goes up must come down. Time to head down and visit the other locations that are part of the tour. We were supposed to head to Lamao Cave and visit the lighthouse (seen on the photo), but most of us opted to not push through with either as the weather was not cooperating during this time with another brief rain shower on our way back to our cottage.
10:00 AM | Free time | Rock Formations | Tanawan Falls
The group was given free time to swim before heading out to the other spots. The calm waters were a bit rough by this time and we had to take some time for the boatmen to secure our boat before hopping off to the rock formations.
Moving around the was tricky and hazardous. Because of the weather, most of the rocks were wet and that poses risks of slipping, sliding or falling. The gentlemen offered their assistance and made sure everyone did not encounter any of the above.
After a little more swimming and taking a few more photos, time to head back to the cottage for our lunch. Boodle fights are always a feast and a sight to see.
Tanawan Falls was our last destination for this Day Tour. Basically a short walk going to the location followed by more swimming and water fun before washing up and travelling back to Manila. Washup/Banlaw cost: Php20.. Pedicab going back to parked transports: Php30-40/person (but we refused).
We left Dingalan at around 4:00 PM, and arrived at Cubao at 9:00 PM. This was way earlier than the original ETA in our itinerary, which was 11:00 PM.
Recommendations as a consumer / traveller:
double check your schedule, before reserving a slot with the agency to save both your time and their time.
pay your seats as soon as you can to reserve your slot, because they will not wait for you forever. You may want to use Palawan Express for a minimal transaction fee, or Online Banking, instead of going through over-the-counter.
If you’re someone who is not really exposed to long drives like me, take Bonamine, bring burp bag and medicine (I was not able to use them, because I didn’t feel sick while travelling, yehey!)
Bring waterproof pouch for your smartphone (I forgot to bring one) and neck pillow. Our seats doesn’t have “headrest”, so ‘Nay was not able to get a good sleep.
Take bio breaks when the van stops at gasoline stations. You’ll never know how long you’d have to wait for the next stopover!
Book your travel on weekdays, because there are few people on the beach!
Feedback for Clara Galaera Travel and Tours:
There were a lot of humps on our way to and from Dingalan. I hope that the driver can be a little careful when passing through it. We had trouble getting a straight sleep because aside from our seats at the back having no headrest, maraming beses kaming nagigising dahil sa gulat.
Will I recommend this travel agency? Why?
Yes! The price we paid for the experience are worth it. The organizers and tour guides were accommodating and friendly.
