Dingalan Viewpoint

Dingalan sits where the Sierra Madre meets the Pacific in southern Aurora, and the coast there does something unusual for Luzon: grass-topped ridges fall in steep green slopes straight into deep blue water, with rock stacks offshore and cloud pouring over the mountains behind. The comparison to Batanes is the local tourism slogan and it is not unreasonable from certain angles. The standard visit climbs the concrete stairway to the White Beach lighthouse viewpoint - a stiff few hundred steps that opens onto the whole bay - and adds a boat trip along the cliffs to the caves, the tinipak-style rock formations and the small beaches only reachable by water. The town beneath is a fishing port with simple lodging and seafood, and the road in from Nueva Ecija is long and rough enough that Dingalan stays a weekend destination for Filipinos rather than an international one.

What you actually see

• The green cliffs - Sierra Madre ridges dropping to the Pacific.
• The lighthouse stairway - the climb to the bay viewpoint.
• The boat run - caves, stacks and hidden beaches.
• The fishing port - working boats and seafood below.

When to go

February to May for calm seas and boat access; the Pacific side is fully exposed to typhoons from June to November. Mornings for the clearest light.

Honest expectations

The stairway is steep and unshaded. Boats run only in fair weather. Roads in are long and rough; most visitors come by private vehicle or arranged van.

Nearby

Baler's surf beaches lie north along the Aurora coast; the Nueva Ecija plains spread inland.