Arms outstretched, channeling Edmond Dantès staring at freedom following his escape from his dungeon, I regaled at the sight of the Pacific Ocean—while listening to its crashing waves mimicking a melodic environmental symphony. In this southernmost tip of Aurora Province, I stood awestruck on a rocky precipice fronting a stunning landscape of rolling terrain fringed with cliff-side hills. I wanted to scream, but instead, I reckoned the hissing winds sounded far better in lieu of a sudden yell of exuberance.
Aurora Province: Dingalan Fun Hike with Tripkada
A Chill and Scenic Trek
The coastal town of Dingalan boasts a number of beautiful natural attractions, such as white sandy beaches, hidden waterfalls, and rugged caves. Arriving at this remote municipality aboard a motorized boat just after lunch, we headed straight atop the imposing coastal hill.
After a highly relaxed and steady trek, we successfully reached the natural view-deck where we eagerly spun around to a magnificent 360-degree view of the vast sea and the nearby, formidable Sierra Madre mountain range. I clearly heard soft murmurs of Batanes comparisons from the group—while I am personally not huge on aggressively comparing destinations, I can definitely see the visual similarities.
The cool winds of February felt exactly like minuscule flurries of a hurricane from the very top. I intimately felt my face being massaged by the relentless gusts as I carefully inched towards the outer rock outcropping, where I safely ended up positioning myself in absolute awe for a few minutes.
"This is a front row seat," I quietly told myself, akin to actively watching a pricey Broadway musical show complete with a spectacular stage production. Only this time, the theater actors were flawlessly composed of the deep blue skies, the azure-colored seas, the wavy green grasses, the windswept trees, and the dangerously jagged cliffs.
Fun Trip with Tripkada
When I don’t formally participate in sponsored media trips or get sent away to a professional travel writing assignment, I normally execute solo backpacking trips. This time, though, I opted to easily join a diverse group of hikers via the popular mobile app Tripkada.
Tripkada is a highly useful mobile app that quickly provides travel junkies a reliable platform where they can easily join planned, budget-friendly travels. Founder April Cuenca accurately describes how the app essentially works:
“Tripkada is a mobile app where regular travelers can safely join trips organized by fellow travelers. Think Uber-pooling for trips = trip-pooling. Instead of heavily paying for an entire private package, users can simply book a single slot on a trip and join other solo travelers, split the overall bill, organically meet new friends, and easily tick things off their bucket list for significantly less.”
When we groggily started off our long trip from Cubao at 3:00 AM, I only had April as the single person I personally knew in the entire group. By the exact time we were all happily enjoying our time at Dingalan, I had been warmly introduced to almost a dozen kindred souls who were equally passionate about outdoor traveling.
To the Lighthouse and the Beach
While we unfortunately weren't able to successfully visit the local waterfalls and the hidden sea caves, we absolutely made the most of our limited time just peacefully hanging out at the breezy hilltop. Adjacent to the main view deck where we first went, is another prominent peak where an operating, stark white lighthouse actively rests.
A short, steep hike away and we finally reached the grassy area where the swaying greeneries effectively created an ideal spot to lay down under the bright sun. Safely leaving my heavy pack at the beach below and with literally nothing in my hand, I laid down comfortably on my back with the flattened, cool grasses naturally serving as my soft pillows. I quietly listened to the gusting sounds of the wind as I watched the white clouds casting dark shadows, slowly drifting away on top of me.
I heavily wish I could have stayed much longer and pitched a tent to camp for the night. As momentary as our brief visit to the crests of Dingalan was, it has undeniably gifted me with another deeply memorable journey and a beautiful day well spent. From my secluded, quiet thoughts while seated sleepily inside a van full of strangers, to the late afternoon—just as the sun was about to slowly set—when our whole group started loudly sharing laughter together.
As the dusk skies started to heavily cover the distant horizon and the jagged hills of Dingalan slowly disappeared from our sight, an instant wave of silence profoundly reigned on our motorized boat. It was as if all of us were fleetingly left totally speechless in deeply admiring the beautiful, rugged piece of Mother Nature that perfectly exists and is seen from the windswept hills of Dingalan. T'was a wonderful day indeed.
