When we speak of the province of Aurora, first thing most people would think of is Baler, a surfing paradise much like Siargao and La Union. But little do they know that Aurora being a province at the foot of the Sierra Madre has a lot of natural wonders hidden in its sleeves. It’s where the mountain meets the sea and certainly there is more to it than just monstrous waves! You might be surprised to know that it actually has amazing white sand beaches -some you might have never heard of, hidden spots perfect for landscape photography, luscious mountains and stunning waterfalls. And on your visit, there is one place you surely wouldn’t want to miss and that’s the Mother Falls found in Brgy. Ditumabo town of San Luis. It may be an hour of drive away from Baler but its magnificence is definitely able to compensate.
THE HIKE TO THE MOTHER FALLS
Early morning of a Saturday, we arrived at the sleepy town of San Luis in Aurora. We quickly stopped at a gas station to relieve ourselves and stretch our limbs that were too numb from the long hours of being cramped inside a van. Our tummies which had their last fill the night before we started our journey were already growling that we immediately thought of getting us something to eat before getting started with that day’s adventure. However, we might have arrived a little too early that we haven’t found us a good place anywhere we turned our eyes to. We could just pat ourselves in the back for bringing with us some bread and peanut butter to get us through.
I normally start my day with a cup of coffee but seeing I got nowhere to get it from, I agreed that we head directly to Ditumabo Falls. It took maybe another thirty minutes of scenic drive before we arrived at the parking area of the park where the falls is located. The sun with its orange and crimson colors has already peeked from the canopy of trees surrounding the park. Its warmth slowly chasing the cold away. We continued to enjoy munching on bread and peanut butter amidst the cold breeze. And when we were all filled, off we started with the trek.
Going to the registration site was another kilometer of moderate uphills along a rugged terrain although I figured that the park will be more accessible to visitors in the future considering the roads were at the time under construction. We passed by some eateries but they were still closed. We continued with the hike until we reached the registration area. There were other hikers ahead of us so we waited a bit for our turn to register and secure a guide.
The registration process was swift and easy. We just filled out a form with our names and paid the fees. Then we were introduced to our guide who was gracious enough to lead a simple prayer before we started the hike. I had the chance of chatting for a moment with our guide during the first 10-15 minutes of the hike since that part was still easy. It was just a continuous ascent along rugged terrain. No difficult navigation whatsoever. Then came the tricky parts.
After the gradual ascent came some river crossing and navigating along huge rocks. There may have been four or five of them with slippery uphills in between. In some cases, we were saved by wooden bridges and stone paths. There was also a part of the trail that were too corroded that they needed us to hasten our pace as they deemed it to be dangerous to be lingering in the area. Traces of last night’s heavy downpour were still very evident that some parts of the usual trail were not passable and we have to reroute.
The trek wasn’t at all that difficult. Even for those without hiking experience, they should find the hike easy to moderate in difficulty. And because of that, this actually gave me time to appreciate the lushness of the forest surrounding the mountain. They were beautiful and green. Just one of the few places today where the rainforest actually thrive in abundance. I was just happy to learn Aurora to be this rich in resources.
Halfway to Mother Falls are pitstops where you can get some grilled hotdogs and warm porridge. We decided to skip it and go back for it later. We were more excited to see the jewel lying at the end of this trek that hunger came the least of our concern. Almost an hour of trekking, we reached a concrete footpath that stretched to about a kilometer and leads us straight to the Mother Falls. After covering the final stretch, lo and behold, Ditumabo Mother Falls revealed itself to us in its full glory.
The waterfalls is prolly about a 50-feet drop to a cool deep basin. The cascade was strong that we got all wet by mere sprinkles of water blown by the wind. Everything in sight becomes blurry whenever the wind blows but the sprinkles of freezing water was one thing I liked about it the most. I just dread the fact that it didn’t get me the chance to snap me some more photos of the falls but I would trade experience with photos at any given time. It’s always the memories that count that is why after a few snaps on my camera, off I went to marvel at the scenery in front of me and took in its beauty.
We wanted to stay a bit longer to bathe and maybe have a little more fun but the staggering number of people coming in got us thinking otherwise. Besides, we still have our first glamping experience in Sand And Stars to fill our weekend that we figured it was okay to head out. Coming down from the falls, off we spent the rest of the hours we can allow at the park filling our tummies with warm porridge topped with hard boiled eggs and chicken strips and some grilled hotdogs. We may not have the Mother Falls to ourselves that day but our experience was never short of satisfying. It was so amazing I didn’t have regrets of including it in our itinerary.
HOW TO GO TO MOTHER FALLS
From Manila – In Cubao Terminal, ride a JoyBus straight to Baler (7Hrs). Fare is P750 for the deluxe (no-stopover) and P450 for the standard A/C bus. In Baler, hire a tric to take you to Ditumabo Mother Falls (1Hr ; P1000/tric/4pax)
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TRAVEL TIPS
- As always, it’s best to go there as early as you can especially if you are visiting on a weekend or during peak season so you would get some time to own the place. Baler has become quite a household name for people wanting a quick respite out of the city that it’s always full of tourists and getting some exclusive moments with each must-see spot in the area is hard to nearly impossible.
- If you are in Baler, this can be part of your inland tour which includes 5-7 other destinations and costs P1500-2000 via a tricycle, good for up to four people. However, it’s still best to allot a separate tour for the Mother Falls so you can make the most from your visit. From Baler you may hire a tric to take you there for a price of P1000-P1200 that you can share with three others or your friends.
- Getting a guide is mandatory and they will be assigning your group with one upon registration. Fee is P300 for up to 10 people in a group. Other than the guide fee, you are also required to pay an environmental fee of P30.
- Reservation is not required.
- There’s plenty of parking space in the park to Ditumabo Falls but could easily run out during weekends and peak season so you would do best to get there early if you are bringing your car
- There are 2-3 other waterfalls within the park but they require days of arduous trek. If you are interested, you can always communicate with the local managing the park.
BUDGET & OTHER ESSENTIALS
Our visit to Ditumabo Mother Falls was our awesome side trip during our first glamping experience in Sand And Stars Dinadiawan Aurora. Refer to the table below if you would like to follow our itinerary. If you got other plans then some info are also stated below for reference.
| SUMMARY OF EXPENSES | This was our total expenses during the trip via a rented van and with a sidetrip to Ditumabo Mother Falls. 📍Rented van @ P13k/10 - P1300 📍Tent @ P2000/4 - P500 📍Food - P200 📍Guide Fee (Mother Falls) @P300/10 - P30 📍Environmental Fee (Mother Falls) - P20 TOTAL - P2050/Person Here is a sample budget for a group of 4 taking public transpo. 📍Round Trip Bus (Standard A/C) @P450/way - P900 📍Roundtrip bus to Sand & Stars @ P85/way - P170 📍Tent @ P2000/4 - P500 📍Food - P200 TOTAL - P1770/Person Additional Expenses (Optional): Tricycle Rental (Mother Falls) @ P1200/4 - P300 Guide Fee @ P300/4 - P75 Environmental Fee - P30 TOTAL - P405/Person |
| WHAT ARE THE PRICES | MOTHER FALLS Guide Fee - P300/10Pax Environmental Fee - P30/Pax SAND & STARS Glamping Tents - P1600 + P200/head up to 2 persons only Matrimonial A/C Room - P2500 Matrimonial Fan Room - P2000 Double Deck A/C Room (Beach Front) - P2500 Double Deck Fan Room (Beach Front) - P2000 |
| SAMPLE ITINERARY | Itinerary varies depending on your chosen mode of transpo. With public transpo, you will definitely need to take their trip schedule into consideration. On the other hand, here's our itinerary using hired van. Day 0 2000 Assembly Crossing Edsa Central 2100 ETD Ditumabo Day 1 0530 ETA Ditumabo 0600 Ditumabo Mother Falls. Breakfast 0700 Start Trek 0800 Ditumabo Mother Falls. Photo Ops. Bathe 0900 Start Decent 1000 Reg Site. Wash Up. 1100 ETD Sand & Stars 1300 ETA Sand & Stars. Lunch 1400 Settle Stuff. Rest a bit 1600 Beach bumming. Photo Ops. 1700 Sunset Viewing 1800 Dinner 1900 Drinks 2200 Lights Out Day 2 0530 Wake Up To The Sunrise.Photo Ops 0700 Breakfast 0800 Swim. Photo. Explore the beach 1000 Pack Up 1100 Side Trip Baler 1200 Lunch 1300 ETD Manila 2100 ETA Manila |
| CONTACTS | Booking: Ayoha Booking Sand & Stars Resort: 0917 805 7082 Van: Ken Tobias - 09264098752 |
There you have it lovelies. There is definitely more in Aurora that we have yet to discover so just stay tuned coz I’m definitely coming back to unravel more about this province. For questions, suggestions and violent reactions, please leave them on the comments. If you like this post or found it helpful in anyway, show me some love on the comments as well. And most of all, sharing is caring. Be awesome and share this post to your friends.
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