Waypoints going to Baler Quezon from Manila

[arbularyo]

we did the bongabong route the first time we went to baler august last year, maganda yung scenery, pero mahihirapan if sedan dala nyo, madaming areas na ongoing ang paving, may bridge pa na gawa sa troso na dadaanan, tapos nung dumaan kami kaka clear pa lang nang mga landslide hehehe. tapos when we got back to manila, a patient who's a baler local said to avoid that road kasi dati dun nang lalambat mga npa hehehe

[willyfernando]

I just came from Baler last April 10 and our 5-day vacation was very relaxing. I took the NLEX to SCTEX Luisita exit then proceeded to the Talavera/Rizal intersection via Zaragoza Alliaga short cut. From there I took the Aurora Pantabangan route as I was advise by the locals in Rizal that this was a much safer choice than the Bongabon route. Travel time was estimated at 4.5-5 hrs including occasional stops at food joints. We enjoyed the place so much so we booked for another trip this coming last week of April, again for another 5 days. Sedans, Crossovers, Vans and SUV's can easily use these routes that i have mentioned.

[Lew_Alcindor]

We just came back from Baler yesterday (April 18). We left Laguna around 3am and followed this route http://goo.gl/maps/Xqf9k

We exited San Simon and took Quezon Road up to Arayat. Quezon Rd is just like a race strip or runway. Kilometers of straight paved road. From there we followed the Hi-Way to Gapan then turned to Cabanatuan for breakfast. Because it was early morning, there were barely any vehicles on the road. From Laguna, we were in Pampanga in 2 hours. We cruised from Arayat because I do not want to arrive too early in Cabanatuan for breakfast. By 6 am we are at McDonald's Cabanatuan.

We left Cabanatuan at around 7AM. We proceeded to Rizal, Nueva Ecija via the Pinagpanaan-Rizal-Pantabanga Rd.This road is likewise very good in the early hours of the morning. There are some tricycles and kuliglig but nothing we cannot manage. Then from Rizal we proceeeded to Pantabangan then to Baler. As pointed out by others, the road was good except for a few unpaved areas mostly before a bridge.The view was ok but the amount of trees in the mountains is far from many. Puro kalbo na considering na watershed siya ng dam tsk tsk.

We were in Baler by 11am.

From Baler, we took almost the same route except for the ff:
From Pinagpanaan-Rizal-Pantabanga Rd, we turned right to Vergara Highway since we do not have anything to visit in Cabanatuan. Then From Sta. Rosa, NE we turned right to Jaen to avoid Gapan. From Jaen we exited to the hi-way in San Isidro (NE or Pampanga). This hiway is the same one we took back to Arayat then to San Simon via Quezon Rd.

[Leo_Arz]

I just came from Baler last April 10 and our 5-day vacation was very relaxing. I took the NLEX to SCTEX Luisita exit then proceeded to the Talavera/Rizal intersection via Zaragoza Alliaga short cut. From there I took the Aurora Pantabangan route as I was advise by the locals in Rizal that this was a much safer choice than the Bongabon route. Travel time was estimated at 4.5-5 hrs including occasional stops at food joints. We enjoyed the place so much so we booked for another trip this coming last week of April, again for another 5 days. Sedans, Crossovers, Vans and SUV's can easily use these routes that i have mentioned.

San kau sir nag stay ?medyo mahal ata pag sa resort planning 3-4 days pag punta baler.



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[babynos01]

Grabe yung daan sa bongabon. Kami lang yung dumaan last week na private.
Mga sasakyan ng contractors dun fortuner/strada na 4x4 yung amin 4x2 lang.
Makakasabay mo trucks at mixers haha. Dont take it guys. May mga parts na may landslide pa na sakto lang ang kotse sa daan. One wrong move at hulog ka sa bangin

[willyfernando]

San kau sir nag stay? medyo mahal ata pag sa resort planning 3-4 days pag punta baler.

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Sorry for the late reply. With the indulgence of the MODS, we stayed at the Pacific Waves Inn Annex. They are listed on FB and their rates are affordable. 4 days is a good stay. Eat at the transit eateries beside the Baler Museum. Loved the surf of Sabang Beach. Don't miss Lukso lukso at Diguisit beach and the fab view of Ermita Hill. If you're a li'l adventurous go to the Mother falls of Ditumabo or Caunayan Falls. Our next trip this June is towards Dipaculao in the beautiful beach of Amper famous for it's magnificent sunrise. Happy travels!

[Carlo Castillo]

my humble advice for those going to baler from manila:

dont be afraid to use your sedan or hatchback if you will take the pantabangan route which is safer and paved all the way compared to the bongabon route. as i have said in my previous post I took a picanto to dipaculao aurora without any problem and without hitting the humps of canili dam.

the shortest way in kilometers is via NLEX, exit at Balagtas toll booth, it is just after the big shell station at NLEX, after exiting balagtas, you will pass by what is called PLARIDEL BYPASS it is a new road which is a real time saver, you will pass the town proper of bustos and thereafter you will emerge at the channelized intersection of San Rafael bulacan near the bus stop of baliwag transit. By taking this rout you will be able to bypass the towns of plaridel, pulilan and baliuag bulacan which are notorious for heavy traffic. Remember take the balagtas exit not the sta. rita exit. Look it up at your gps devices and you will see what i mean.

After Sta. Rosa Nueva Ecija (gas up at sta. rosa fill your tanks to the brim because gas prices at baler are around P7.00+ per liter more expensive) and before reaching the town proper of Cabanatuan City, take a left turn at sheredy road look it up on your gps, it is just after acropolis subdivision and before NE Pacific Mall, it leads to another time saver bypass new road called emilio vergara highway, if you take it you will bypass the heavy traffic of cabanatuan city and emerge at talavera nueva ecija, there you take a right turn towards Llanera town, towards rizal, pantabangan, nueva vizcaya finally to aurora.

The only drawback to this route is that you might encounter traffic at gapan city nueva ecija, but to my opinion this is the fastest and most direct route.

Now what are the alternatives:

1. you can take sta rita bulacan exit the most frequently used nlex exit going to nueva ecija but you will pass by plaridel, pulilan and baliuag bulacan known for traffic.

2. take the san simon exit at pampanga and pass by small towns in pampanga like sta ana town which is also a choke point, emerge at cabiao nueva ecija, pass san isidro town left turn to jaen town and emerge at sta rosa n.e. I caution you on taking this route especially at night because you will pass by long stretches of "sabana" or uninhabited roads right after san simon exit, though the roads are properly lit by lamposts.

3. take the sctex route and emerge at tarlac city then la paz then zaragoza, then sta rosa nueva ecija. contrary to popular belief it is not the fastest way because it adds around 30kms. to your trip. This translates to expensive toll fees costing around P500 one way, plus the fact that because its longer you will burn more gas taking this route. The only benefit of this route is that you will not suffer the aggravation of overtaking hundreds of slow moving vehicles in bulacan or pampanga which translates to overall safety. Again this route is not for those on a budget imagine two way will cost P1,000 plus around 4 liters more or so of gas.

Pantabangan or Bongabon route??? this is the big question.

1. The Bongabon route is more scenic its like the kennon hiway going to baguio. The problem is the roads are prone to landslides, very narrow on some parts and generally wet because of the tree cover and water seeping from the rocks. Do not take this if you are not familiar with it and if you are using a car. The positive side to this route is you will emerge in san luis town aurora saving you some time if you plan of first visiting the mother falls in brgy. ditumabo san luis which you should not miss visiting if your going to aurora, its worth every sweat of the hike.

2. Pantabangan route is more developed, passenger buses going to aurora take this route. Its paved all the way except for the 1km or so gravel road in canili nueva vizcaya and the approaches of bridges are also unpaved but the inconvenience is negligible. The roads are wide but there are portions which are steep. Caution on taking the big humps on the canili diayo dam, they are tall but absolutely manageable even with a small car as long as it is not overloaded or lowered. I recommend this route for those first timers to aurora.

I hope this helps, happy motoring everyone. Safe trip to all. Remember accident happens only once it may result only into two things 1. you ended up injured or dead or 2. you end up with an expensive car job. Both are inconveniences not worth the time you will save by driving fast and reckless. Sabi nga ng father ko walang magaling na driver, miminsanin ka lang ng aksidente and youll end up in one or two things. Kung yung mga professional race car driver nga ng F1 naaksidente tayo pa kaya.

Remember you have a family who is with you or waits for you to come home safe. Enjoy Aurora!!!

[bentotz]

up ko lang 'tong thread.

mga sir, ok ba tong route na dadaanan namin papuntang baler.

edsa ->nlex -> sctex -> turn right sta. rosa-tarlac road -> turn left to carmen-cabanatuan rd -> turn left to felipe-vergara hiway -> back to pan-phil hiway-> pantabangan road upto baler

first time ko pupunta dito.. ok ba mga dadaanan?

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up ko lang 'tong thread.

mga sir, ok ba tong route na dadaanan namin papuntang baler.

edsa ->nlex -> sctex -> turn right sta. rosa-tarlac road -> turn left to carmen-cabanatuan rd -> turn left to felipe-vergara hiway -> back to pan-phil hiway-> pantabangan road upto baler

first time ko pupunta dito.. ok ba mga dadaanan?

[Erick Chavez]

ok yang daan sir, konti na lang din ang hindi sementado, last year nagpunta ako dyan manila - baler using kia pride sedan

[Lew_Alcindor]

up ko lang 'tong thread.

mga sir, ok ba tong route na dadaanan namin papuntang baler.

edsa ->nlex -> sctex -> turn right sta. rosa-tarlac road -> turn left to carmen-cabanatuan rd -> turn left to felipe-vergara hiway -> back to pan-phil hiway-> pantabangan road upto baler

first time ko pupunta dito.. ok ba mga dadaanan?

What time ka aalis? SCTEX is actually opposite the direction to Baler.
Kung aalis kayo na very early morning, I suggest taking the Pampanga route going to Cabanatuan. Wala din naman traffic basta maaga.
Kami nun, NLEX Exit San Simon --> Arayat -->San Leonardo -->Santa Rosa -->Cabanatuan

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

up ko lang 'tong thread.

mga sir, ok ba tong route na dadaanan namin papuntang baler.

edsa ->nlex -> sctex -> turn right sta. rosa-tarlac road -> turn left to carmen-cabanatuan rd -> turn left to felipe-vergara hiway -> back to pan-phil hiway-> pantabangan road upto baler

first time ko pupunta dito.. ok ba mga dadaanan?

What time ka aalis? SCTEX is actually opposite the direction to Baler.
Kung aalis kayo na very early morning, I suggest taking the Pampanga route going to Cabanatuan. Wala din naman traffic basta maaga.
Kami nun, NLEX Exit San Simon --> Arayat -->San Leonardo -->Santa Rosa -->Cabanatuan