province of the Philippines
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Asia > Southeast Asia > Philippines > Luzon > Central Luzon > Aurora (province)

Aurora is a coastal province of Central Luzon region in the Philippines. Little is known about the province due to its remoteness, but its capital is known for its surfing scene, and the province has one of the largest expanses of rainforest spared from development, and also has hidden beaches and mountains.

Towns

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Map
Map of Aurora (province)
  • 1 Baler
  • 2 Maria Aurora
  • 3 Dipaculao
  • 4 Casiguran
  • San Luis
  • Dilasag
  • Dingalan
  • Dipaculao

Understand

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Named after the wife of the second president of the Philippines, Manuel L. Quezon, Aurora used to be part of a larger Quezon province until it was made a sub-province in 1951, and finally made a province through a law passed in 1975. One obvious reason for creating Aurora is due to the area's isolation from the rest of Quezon province: there are no direct links to the rest of the province and much of the terrain is mountainous and heavily forested, which makes the area relatively isolated. It was separated officially in 1979, it was transferred from Southern Tagalog to Central Luzon in 2002 after Southern Tagalog was divided into Calabarzon & Mimaropa.

Aurora houses one of the final swaths of lowland tropical rainforest in Luzon, and much of the province is off the beaten track. The towering Sierra Madre mountain range separates Aurora from the central plains of Luzon, and most of the province faces the Pacific Ocean.

Aurora's population is about 215,000 as of 2015, and is the least populated province of Central Luzon. Aurora's population is approximately 50% Tagalog, 30% Ilocano, and the remainder indigenous peoples (Kankana-ey, Casiguran, Bugkalot, Dumagat), Bicolano, Visayan, Kapampangan, and Pangasinan. Southern and central Aurora are generally Tagalog, and the northern part mostly Ilocano. The Dumagat, a Negrito group believed to be a cross of Austronesian and Melanesian features, inhabit the hillsides and mountains of the province.

Climate

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Aurora
Climate chart (explanation)
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
 
220
 
 
28
21
 
 
 
179
 
 
28
22
 
 
 
185
 
 
30
22
 
 
 
215
 
 
31
23
 
 
 
329
 
 
31
24
 
 
 
239
 
 
31
24
 
 
 
273
 
 
31
24
 
 
 
165
 
 
31
24
 
 
 
282
 
 
31
24
 
 
 
386
 
 
31
24
 
 
 
369
 
 
29
23
 
 
 
406
 
 
28
22
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation+Snow totals in mm
Climate info for Baler Airport. Source: PAGASA
Imperial conversion
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
 
8.7
 
 
82
70
 
 
 
7
 
 
82
72
 
 
 
7.3
 
 
86
72
 
 
 
8.5
 
 
88
73
 
 
 
13
 
 
88
75
 
 
 
9.4
 
 
88
75
 
 
 
11
 
 
88
75
 
 
 
6.5
 
 
88
75
 
 
 
11
 
 
88
75
 
 
 
15
 
 
88
75
 
 
 
15
 
 
84
73
 
 
 
16
 
 
82
72
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation+Snow totals in inches

Being largely covered by rainforest, Aurora has a rainforest climate, which means it frequently rains at almost every day, especially in the afternoon, though it can rain at any time of day. Except for occasional above-average highs or lows, there is not much variation in temperature, with highs between 28–31 °C (82–88 °F) and lows between 21–24 °C (70–75 °F), but the amount of rainfall varies by month. It rains at Aurora for almost half a year.

Facing the Pacific Ocean, Aurora often faces the havoc wreaked by typhoons, and the province is also at the heart of the typhoon belt.

The high season for travel to Aurora is generally from March to October. Surfing season is generally from May to October, where it rains frequently and winds are perfect for surfing.

Talk

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Tagalog and Ilocano are the main languages spoken in Aurora. The Tagalog dialect spoken in Aurora is basically similar to Southern Tagalog dialects from its accent and vocabulary, with influences from spoken languages in the area like Ilokano. Other languages spoken are Kasiguranin, Bicolano, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Kankana-ey, Bugkalot, and the Dumagat languages.

Get in

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By bus

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Genesis Transport operates one air-conditioned provincial bus route from Bocaue to Baler, with stops at Angeles, Tarlac City and Cabanatuan bus stations.

UV Express vans run from Cabanatuan to Baler, but are slower than the bus, and take the longer route via Bongabon.

By car

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Being separated from the central plains by the Sierra Madre, driving to Aurora involves mountain roads with many sharp curves.

Aurora is connected to the rest of Central Luzon by two highways from Nueva Ecija. The most commonly traveled route runs from the town to Rizal to Maria Aurora via Pantabangan and Alfonso Castañeda. The other less traveled route (Nueva Ecija-Aurora Road, Route 111) runs from the town of Bongabon directly to Baler; it is paved but has one one-lane bridge upon leaving the Sierra Madre and one ford due to a bridge being replaced.

From Cagayan Valley, Cordon-Aurora Road (Route 108) runs from the town of Cordon (near Santiago City) in Isabela

Dingalan is reachable by a lone road link (Route 114) from Nueva Ecija. Construction is ongoing for a coastal route from northern Quezon Province.

By plane

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There are two airports, Dr. Juan C. Angara Airport (BQA IATA) and Casiguran Airport (CGG  IATA), but only Baler airport has flights, on Air Juan, which operates amphibious aircraft from Manila.

Get around

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There is at least one bus everyday at 7AM from Baler going up the coast until Dilasag.

The province sees less cars, and there are more motorcycles on the roads; you can rent a motorcycle from most dealers around Baler.

There is no direct road connection between Dingalan and the rest of Aurora, and to get there means passing through Nueva Ecija.

Drink

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Stay safe

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The region is very prone to typhoons, and its rainforest climate does give also another danger. Avoid surfing when typhoon warnings are raised. Locals surfers do try to surf during storm surges, but remember, surfing when a typhoon is approaching is outright dangerous. Tsunamis are risks as well, even from sources across the Pacific.

Go next

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This region travel guide to Aurora is an outline and may need more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. If there are Cities and Other destinations listed, they may not all be at usable status or there may not be a valid regional structure and a "Get in" section describing all of the typical ways to get here. Please plunge forward and help it grow!