Hot and humid. The sun may be scorching down the Philippine archipelago come summer time but Mother Nature made sure to make amends by blessing the islands with beautiful sights, majestic mountains and of course pristine beaches. Case in point, the Hundred Islands National Park in Alaminos Pangasinan.
I have never stepped foot in Pangasinan but as destiny would have it I finally got the chance when my maternal grandfather's side of the family held its quinquennial reunion summer of last year. (Yes this is one of those backlog posts that took me months to post. Blame the gazillion photos that I had to sort through.) It was my first time to attend the said traditional gathering because I've lived in Cebu all my life and never had the opportunity until late, that is after moving back to Manila. My relatives had the brilliant idea of taking a side trip to the Hundred Islands in Alaminos before heading back home. Of course, I said yes because why would I say no to paradise?
Hundred Islands got its name because it is literally made up of 124 tiny islands scattered in the Lingayen Gulf, the number of which decreases to 123 at high tide. Three of the biggest islands were developed for tourism with the others left pretty much untouched. Some have caves in them for people to explore, others had private beaches while some were all rock and greenery that resembled all sorts of shapes. Our boatman even pointed us to the crocodile and turtle islands which held the silhouette of the said reptiles.
Our massive group rented out two boats and left the dock a few hours after sunrise. Each one cost ₱1,100 and fits 15-20 passengers. Our first stop was Governor's Island where the viewing deck is situated. From here, one gets to have an unimpaired panoramic view of the entire park. Scroll to the very first photo in this post to see what I mean!
Meet "Doming Zu" the boat! What a play on words. Fishermen are so pun-tastic! Remember "Dao Ming Si" from the Taiwanese Meteor Garden series? No? Okay forget what I said.
After drooling over the view and taking a couple of pictures, we then headed out to the snorkeling area located near the Quezon Island. Sadly, we don't have any underwater camera so we opted for jumping shots instead. My cousin Harry (Styles or Potter?) nailed his! #Jealous
Quezon Island was the biggest and definitely the most crowded of all and for good reason too. It's got the most cottages, stores and dining areas as well as a zip line. We definitely loved gliding our way from one island to the next while seeing the majestic blue green waters beneath us. It costs ₱100 per person. I managed to take a video of the experience which you can watch at the end of this post.
My favorite part of our Hundred Islands adventure would have to be lunchtime. As much as I'd like to say it was because of the food, it was for an entirely different reason. Since Quezon Island was brimming with tourists and all the dining areas and cottages were taken, we had to look for another place to eat our lunch. I'd like to think of it as a blessing in disguise. Had it not been for the crowd, we wouldn't have found ourselves cruising towards Old Scout Island. It was very small. In fact, one could refer to it as an islet but what made it beautiful was the fact that it had its own private powdery white sand beach. We had it all to ourselves. The rock formations even made for the perfect shade when the sun was too much to bear. Plus, it had a mini reef area where we snorkeled to our heart's desires. Of course we made sandcastles and buried a cousin halfway in the sand. #FamilyGoals
By the way, here's a short vlog that I've managed to put together!
By the way, here's a short vlog that I've managed to put together!
If private beaches, boat rides, snorkeling and zip lines from one island to another aren't the epitome of a great summer adventure then I don't know what is. Our Hundred Islands National park adventure in Alaminos Pangasinan would have to be the best side trip I have ever had. Plus, the mere fact that we all bonded makes it one for the books! How about you, what is your definition of a great summer adventure?
Other Travel Adventures
Azure Urban Resorts and Residences Staycation
Mambukal Falls of Negros Occidental
Out and About Manila: Binondo Church
Mambukal Falls of Negros Occidental
Out and About Manila: Binondo Church
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