Ampere Beach
Location: Ampere, Dipaculao
Getting There: From Baler town proper, take a tricycle going to Sabang Beach. From there, hire a motorized banca and ask to be taken to the site.
Travel Time: One hour
This beach is covered with smooth rocks of various sizes and darker color. This beach is an area called Bunga Point or Ampere Point, where local residents flock to Okotan Cave, a time-honored locale for forecasting the weather. The Pacific waves, upon hitting the shoreline cave, produce an explosion, the intensity of which, according to local lore, determines the intensity of the incoming weather.
Aniao Islets
Location: Off the coast of Barangay Zabali, Baler
Getting There: Take a tricycle from Baler town proper to the river outlet south of Sabang Beach. From there, hire a motorized banca which can take you to the area.
Travel Time: Five minutes by tricycle and 20 minutes by boat
Two small but imposing islands lie south of the islet of Dimadimalangat. These islets jut straight from the sea like bullets, with shrubs, small trees and other greenery growing on top surfaces. Kingfishers, gulls and hawks use these islets as lookout points for fish. Towering waves relentlessly pound the base of the formations, challenging even the most intrepid of rock climbers.
Baler Catholic Church
Location: Poblacion, Baler
Getting There: From the bus station at the Baler market, take a tricycle and ask to be taken to the church.
Travel Time: 3-5 minutes
The structure is an old church with a simple facade. Here, the last Spanish garrison of four officers and 50 men was besieged by Filipino insurgents from June 27, 1898 to July 2, 1899. This was the last pocket of resistance of the Spanish Armed Forces to surrender to American troops. This is also where the La Campana de Baler, an ancient bell, was used and later stored as a relic.
Borlongan Beach
Location: Barangay Borlongan, Dipaculao
Getting There: From Baler town proper, take a tricycle going to
Sabang Beach.From there,hire a motorized banca that can take you to the
site.
Travel Time: About two hours
Borlongan Beach, like Ampere Beach, is covered for several kilometers with
gray pebbles and smooth, fist-size stones. This makes Borlongan beachfront
different from most other beaches.
Hillsite of Proposed Ermita Park
Location: Barangay Zabali, Baler
Getting There: Take a tricycle from Baler town proper to the river outlet south of Sabang Beach. From there, one can walk to the site.
Travel Time: Five minutes by tricycle, approximately 35 minutes’ walk to the foot of the hill and 15 minutes’ trek uphill.
This shrub-covered area provides an excellent view of the town of Baler, Sabang Beach, Cemento and Dimadimalangat islet. It is a short, steep trek from the foot of the hill, through small trees and cogon grass, to the top. Hidden beneath a clump of trees are the almost unrecognizable remains of a bell tower. Owing to its excellent vantage point, the bell tower was formerly used to warn people of Baler of raiding pirates. During sunny days the place is swelteringly hot.
Lukso-Lukso Islets
Location: Off the coast of Barangay Zabali, Baler
Getting There: Take a tricycle from Baler town proper to the river outlet south of Sabang Beach. From there, hire a motorized banca which can take you to the area.
Travel Time: Five minutes by tricycle and 25 minutes by boat.
At least three islets comprise the rock formations known to the locals as “Lukso-Lukso.” One of these small islands is connected to the mainland and at low tide you can see white grainy sands, crushed corals and numerous seashells, some inhabited by hermit crabs. This island formation is the southernmost point and is accessible to vehicles coming from Baler. The sea bottom and undersea reefs around these islets are reportedly good areas for diving, and during calm months, snorkeling.