Alaminos, Pangasinan: Hundred Islands

Less Mondays, more summer! Mine started early this January as me and family decided to go to Alaminos, Pangasinan. Particularly, we are to visit the famous Hundred Islands – a protected area comprising a total of 124 islands (high tide) but only three (3) major islands were developed for tourism (Governor, Quezon and Children’s Island).

How to get there?

We have kids travelling with us so for convenience, we hired a private van to take us to and from Hundred Island for Php8,000.00 excluding the toll fees and gas. Toll fee is less than Php1,000.00 and gas is for Php2,000.00 (round trip).

Commuting is also easy because there are buses that travel from Cubao directly to Alaminos. From Alaminos bus terminal, there are tricycles that will take you to Lucap wharf where the tourism office is located.

The tourism office sets a standardized price for boat rates raging from Php1,400.00 (small boat) to Php2,000.00 (big boat) including the life vest.

You also have to pay for the entrance fee (Php30), environmental fee (Php40), and insurance (Php10) for day tour. In addition, you will also be asked for a refundable Php200.00 in exchange for a black garbage bag which you need to fill during your tour around the islands. This way you can help the local tourism in keeping the islands clean and free from plastic materials which can harm the marine life.

Where to stay?

Transient houses are very popular nowadays specially around Lucap Wharf (the entry point to Hundred Islands). I booked ours online via the Byaheng Budgetarian Facebook group (details below). We were able to get the two-storey gated house for Php5,000.00. The house can accommodate up to 15 pax. Outside is a parking space and porch connecting to the dirty kitchen. It includes a big kitchen and dining with all the cooking utensils needed, a living room with bar area and a comfort room on the first floor. The second floor is mainly comprised of two double-decker rooms, one guest room with cabled tv and a master bedroom with a balcony. Another toilet and bath is also available upstairs.

Our host also allowed us to take our pooch with us which is very accommodating of her.

What to do in Hundred Island?

Sun and sand? Its time for beach bumming and get those beautiful tan-lines. Aside from island hopping, you can rent snorkeling gears from Php250 (mask, snorkel, aqua shoes, and life vest) and enjoy the marine life – giant clamps, corals and different fish species. To get close encounters with the fish and clamps, you can try their helmet diving for Php400.00 (15 minutes).

For adventure seekers, you can try their banana boat ride for Php250.00 each, or jump off the 20-feet cliff in Marcos Island for free. For a relaxing view of the waters, kayaks are available for rent for Php250.00 per hour good for two pax. To get a glimpse of the beautiful islands from above, you can try their island-to-island zipline in Governor’s Island for Php250.00 or take advantage of the parasailing for Php2,000.00 (solo)/Php 3,000.00 (two pax).

Few tips/reminders:

Travel time to Hundred Island is 4-5 hours, so the best time to leave Manila is at 12 midnight to start your island hopping early in the morning and be able to visit more islands.
Bring a dry bag with you to store your gadgets and personal belongings because boats will only drop you off the island and park in designated areas.
Mobile signal is a bit weak for Globe but stronger for Smart subscribers.
Always bring a water bottle with you and few snacks – it’s a bit expensive in the islands.
It is prohibited to eat in the island unless you rent tables and chairs or cottages. If you bring food with you, you can eat in the boat instead.
Wear aqua shoes to protect your feet from pebbles and stones.

Our experience:

We were given the bigger boat since we are 13 in the group. We started our island hopping as early as 9:00 am. Our first stop was the Pilgrimage Island where the 56-foot Christ’s statue stands on top of the island. To reach the top, you have to endure the 1, 413 steps passing through the stations of the cross along the way.

As I gasped for air, I was in complete awe seeing the tallest Christ’s statue I have ever seen in my life – and around the statue is a beautiful 360 view of the hundred islands. I never wanted to go down that day because no matter where I look, I see a picturesque beauty of Alaminos – blueish salt water meeting the blue sky surrounded with 124 islands.

Our next stop was the Lopez island where we took our first swim and enjoy snorkeling around the area. We decided not to rent a cottage anymore and instead had our lunch at the boat since we brought some food with us.

We have seniors with us so we cannot stay too much under the scorching heat of the sun. So, after our sumptuous lunch, we decided to go to last stop – the Quezon Island. We bought 2 hefty bags of crabs for Php400.00. The locals will cook them for you. But since eating in the island is prohibited, we decided to take it home instead for dinner.

Around 3:00 in the afternoon, we decided to head back to Lucap Wharf. We passed through the Children’s and Governor’s Island and few islets.

Before we call it a day, we drop by the pasalubong stalls inside Lucap Wharf. Souvenir shirts ranges from Php150-250 depending on the color and print on the shirt. Keychains are as cheap as Php10-50 while ref magnets are from Php 35-100. Some decorative items made out of capiz shells can be bought as pasalubong ranging from Php300-1,500.

After buying few things, we walked home, took a shower and rest for a while before preparing for our dinner.

Late in the morning we decided to go home to Manila to be able to arrive early in the afternoon.