Hundred Islands
The First National Park In The Philippines, Declared 1940 A Hundred And Twenty Four Uplifted Coral Islands, Only Three Of Them Developed · Alaminos, Pangasinan
THE HUNDRED ISLANDS ARE A HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOUR AT LOW TIDE AND ONE FEWER AT HIGH, scattered across a shallow bay off Alaminos - ANCIENT CORAL REEFS PUSHED UP OUT OF THE SEA and then undercut at the waterline until each one sits on a stalk like a mushroom. THEY WERE DECLARED THE FIRST NATIONAL PARK IN THE PHILIPPINES IN 1940. BE HONEST ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS NOW: ONLY THREE ISLANDS ARE DEVELOPED - GOVERNOR, QUEZON AND CHILDREN'S - with the rest bare, unlandable or simply empty, and THE CORAL AROUND THEM IS IN POOR CONDITION after decades of heavy use. IT IS A DOMESTIC-TOURISM STAPLE, busy at weekends and in summer, AND VISITORS ARRIVING WITH EL NIDO IN THEIR HEADS ARE RELIABLY DISAPPOINTED. Taken for what it is - a short boat ride, a swim and a view - it is a good day out. Boats are chartered by the vessel rather than the seat, so a couple pays what a group of ten does, and a weekday visit is a different place from a weekend one entirely.
Hundred Islands National Park, Alaminos, Pangasinan, Alaminos, Pangasinan, Philippines
BOATS LEAVE FROM LUCAP WHARF IN ALAMINOS, which is ROUGHLY FIVE TO SIX HOURS FROM MANILA by bus and a short ride from the town. AN ENTRANCE FEE AND A BOAT HIRE ARE PAID AT THE WHARF - boats are chartered by the vessel rather than the seat, so a small group pays the same as a large one. THE STANDARD CIRCUIT COVERS GOVERNOR, QUEZON AND CHILDREN'S ISLANDS, THE ONLY THREE WITH FACILITIES; landing elsewhere is limited. EXTRA CHARGES APPLY for helmet diving, kayaks and the zipline on Governor. IT IS BUSIEST AT WEEKENDS AND THROUGH THE SUMMER, ROUGHLY MARCH TO MAY, and quiet on a weekday. CROSSINGS ARE CANCELLED IN ROUGH WEATHER and the typhoon season runs roughly June to November. Bring your own food; options on the islands are thin.