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Dipaculao is a municipality on the Pacific coast of Aurora province in the central part of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It home to extensive beaches and the Dinadiawan River Protected Landscape.
Understand
[edit | edit source]Dipaculao sits on a narrow coastal plain between the Sierra Madre Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It has an elongated shape on the map and occupies much of the coastline formed by Baler Bay.
The people of Dipaculao are a mix of indigenous Dumagats, Bugkalots and migrants from Central Luzon, Quezon Province, Cagayan Valley and the Ilocos. From the logging heydays of the 1970s, they are now primarily engaged in farming, fishing and tourism. They speak a variety of languages including Tagalog, Ilocano and Dumagat. It is home to about 34,000 people (census, 1 July 2024) 
There are roughly two population centers in town; the old downtown (poblacion) near the southern boundary with Baler, and Dinadiawan, a settlement that grew out of an important road junction leading to Cagayan Valley and northern Aurora that is also the town's main beach destination.
Get in
[edit | edit source]Dipaculao is at a junction between Baler-Casiguran Road, the main thoroughfare in Aurora, and Cordon-Diffun-Aurora Road, which connects Aurora with Cagayan Valley. Their meeting point is in Barangay Dinadiawan. Travelers usually enter the town from the provincial capital Baler to the south. There are infrequent buses from Santiago City to Dinapigue on the eastern coast of Isabela, passing though Dinadiawan. It is also served by buses traveling between Baler and Casiguran.
Some locations along the coast are accessible by rented boat from Baler.
A mandatory P50 environmental fee is collected from entering non-residents, with exemptions for children below 6 years old, and discounts for disabled and elderly persons.
Get around
[edit | edit source]Tricycles are the main form of transport in town. Due to the uneven terrain and poor roads, a 4WD is recommended.
See
[edit | edit source]- 1 Dinadiawan Beach, Dinadiawan. The main attraction in Dipaculao, it is an extensive stretch of white sand along the cove on which the Dinadiawan River enters the Pacific Ocean.
- 2 Lipit Beach, Lipit. It's a nice sandy beach. Big waves are good for surfing. It's facing the Pacific Ocean.
- 3 Dinadiawan River Protected Landscape. An extensive 3,371.332 hectares (8,330.74 acres) nature reserve covering the Dinadiawan River watershed from its headwaters in the Sierra Madre down to the Pacific coast. It is home to old-growth forests and endemic animal species, along with indigenous Dumagat/Aeta tribes continuing to subsist on hunting and gathering.
- 4 Ampere Beach And Rock Formations, Baler-Casiguran Road, Gupa. A stretch of pebbled beaches and rocky promontory with dramatic cliffs plunging into the Pacific Ocean.
- 5 Balete Tree, Baler-Casiguran Road, Dianed. A towering old ficus tree along the national highway with a height of 60 metres (200 ft). Apart from the usual stereotypes of such trees being haunted by ghosts, it is sometimes mistaken by unsuspecting motorists to be Aurora's famous Millenium Tree, which is actually in Maria Aurora town.
- 6 Borlongan Beach, Borlongan. A stretch of gray pebbled beach around the mouth of the small Borlongan River.
- 7 Dinadiawan Roadside View Deck, Baler-Casiguran Road, Dinadiawan. A cliffside observation point just off a hairpin curve on the main highway overlooking Dinadiawan Cove.
Do
[edit | edit source]Buy
[edit | edit source]- 1 Dinadiawan Public Market, Baler-Casiguran Road, Dinadiawan.
- 2 Dipaculao Public Market, Gines Street, Poblacion.
Eat
[edit | edit source]- 1 Lily's Restaurant, Purok 1, Baler-Casiguran Road corner C.P. Garcia Street, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 970 703 0290. Serves Filipino comfort food.
- 2 Kuya Jo Restaurant, Cordon-Diffun-Aurora Road, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 927 568 3328. Filipino cuisine.
- 3 TJ's Seafood Restaurant, Dinadiawan Junction, ☏ +63 998 329 4383.
- 4 Tita Tess Tapsi & Restaurant, Purok 1, Baler-Casiguran Road, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 954 998 7618, jomaridacanay101597@gmail.com. Serves Filipino rice meals including meat jerky and fried garlic rice (tapsi). Also offers platters for group customers.
Drink
[edit | edit source]- 1 High Five Coffee Bar & Resto, Quezon Street, North Poblacion, ☏ +63 936 885 6136. 8:30AM–8:30PM. Serves, coffee and some other comfort food.
Sleep
[edit | edit source]Most accommodation can be found along Dinadiawan Beach.
- 1 White Plains Cottages, Baler-Casiguran Road, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 945 960 0773, cottageswhiteplains@gmail.com.
- 2 Iya-Mhan Beach Resort, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 938 597 0040.
- 3 Costa Maya Beach Resort, Baler-Casiguran Road, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 968 760 0000, info@costamaya.ph.
- 4 Romano Homestay Beach Resort, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 997 725 6081, +63 997 405 0176.
- 5 Pearl White Beach Resort, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 921 537 0348, alfie.rosario@gmail.com.
- 6 Ballesteros Beachfront Resort, Baler-Casiguran Road, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 916 281 5527, 09175692777@gmail.com.
- 7 North Shore Cottages, Roxas Street, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 919 243 9101.
- 8 Driftwood White Sand Beach Hotel, Baler-Casiguran Road, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 955 703 5637, driftwooddinadiawan.hotelresort@gmail.com.
- 9 Casa Gero Transient House, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 965 092 1835.
- 10 Diva Sunrise Beach Resort, Baler-Casiguran Road, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 932 309 0941.
- 11 GSD Beach Residence, Baler-Casiguran Road, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 975 975 6325, dcmrose131708@gmail.com.
- 12 Lujo Aurora Leisure Stays, Baler-Casiguran Road, Sitio Ngas-ngas, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 917 898 2092, lujoleisurestays.aurora@gmail.com.
- 13 Neiljorynz Beach Resort (Sentro Dinadiawan Beach Resort), Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 917 570 4872, sentrodinadiawan@gmail.com.
- 14 TreeSort Tent City, Baler-Casiguran Road, Sitio Ngas-ngas, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 956 504 4069, treesort2026@gmail.com.
- 15 Immipuggo Transient House, Dinadiawan.
- 16 La Sunshine Beach Resort, Baler-Casiguran Road, Sitio Ngas-ngas, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 917 996 2618.
- 17 Batis ni Juan Leisureland, Baler-Casiguran Road, Lobbot, ☏ +63 939 265 3481, batisnijuan@yahoo.com.
- 18 Porto Novo Hotel, Baler-Casiguran Road, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 925 877 3322.
- 19 Sand and Stars Beach Resort, Baler-Casiguran Road, Dinadiawan, ☏ +63 915 691 0278.
Stay safe
[edit | edit source]When a strong typhoon signal is raised, local authorities will order hotels not to take in tourists and order those already in town to evacuate.
Some of the beaches are vulnerable to rip currents and are frequently closed to swimmers, while other beaches are only open for surfers.
Stay healthy
[edit | edit source]Avoid getting into a major medical emergency during your stay at all costs, as facilities and resources in town are limited. The nearest standard hospital is in Baler, though more serious cases are generally transferred to more sophisticated facilities in Nueva Ecija.
Respect
[edit | edit source]The indigenous Dumagat communities still adhere to their precolonial customs and belief systems and are widely respected even by the non-Dumagat resident population. You are expected to exercise maximum respect for their traditions and when visiting them.
Connect
[edit | edit source]The town's postal code is 3203.
Cellphone and internet signals can be quite patchy.
- WOW Dipaculao. The official tourism account of the municipal government.
Go next
[edit | edit source]| Routes through Dipaculao |
| Santiago City via Cordon ← Nagtipunan ← | N  S | → Baler |