The Road to Neverland

Take the road with me to the most epic places in the Philippines.

  • Home
  • Up Close & Spectacular
  • Batanes
  • Sagada
  • Negros Oriental
  • Baler
  • Travel Diaries
  • Contact
You are here: Home / / Baler / Baler Sidetrip: The Millennium Tree of Aurora

Baler Sidetrip: The Millennium Tree of Aurora

September 28, 2015 By KenDi Ardiente Leave a Comment

Spread the love

When in Baler, head down to the next town of Maria Aurora to behold its famed gargantuan balete tree, considered the largest of its kind in Asia.

Balete Tree Aurora

Dubbed as The Millennium Tree of Aurora, this balete tree has been around for 60 decades, is over 60 meters in height and reputedly will need 60 grown men, holding one another at arm’s length to encircle its gigantic trunk.

Stories may abound in Philippine folklore about how mystical and supernatural creatures dwell in Balete trees what with its tangly roots and eerie shapes invoking that spooky or ominous feeling, but.. I may have forgotten all about that. I think this particular giant is really charming and pretty that upon seeing it, I can’t help but latch to its roots and start climbing immediately.

Baler Balete tree

Apparently, the Balete or Banyan Tree is only one of many species of strangler figs. These are trees that may have started as tiny stray seeds blown by wind or dropped by birds on tree canopies. The moment these seedlings grow and their hanging roots anchor themselves to the ground, the host tree eventually meet its doom. The strangler’s  foliage overshadows that of the host’s canopy, stealing sunlight and rain while its roots wrap around the host tree, ensnaring it tightly, taking all of the nutrients and ultimately suffocating and crushing the host tree.

Hmmm.. they may have a dark and brutal past after all.  This may also explain the chambers and hollows we found inside this giant tree, able to fit several people, the host tree may have stood here before.

inside Aurora Balete tree

Inside the Great Balete Tree

Related posts:

No related posts.

Filed Under: Baler, Up Close & Spectacular Tagged With: Baler, Balete Tree, Millennium Tree of Aurora, Philippine folklore, strangler figs, supernatural creatures

About KenDi Ardiente

Meet the narcissistic girl / noob traveller / frustrated photographer. Gazing at the celestial night and beholding the sun's bleeding rays always delights her.. She scoffs at a world who won't let her be a child forever, believing no one should be too old for fairy tales.. Or to dream a new dream and kick ass chasing them! She hopes life does not get tired showing her the loveliest of times and the most epic of scenes, that there will always be a new Neverland she would find round the next bend..

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Check out the Best of Batanes!

Best of Batanes

The Wonder that was Apo Island

apo Island clownfish city

RSS The Road to Neverland

  • Baler Sidetrip: The Millennium Tree of Aurora

Copyright © 2021 · The Road to Neverland - Disclosure Policy - Privacy Policy - Contact Me

This website use cookies to ensure that you are given the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site it is assume that you are okay with it.OkRead more