The Hundred Islands National Park, the prime attraction of Pangasinan is the first national park and a protected area located in Alaminos. Of the 124 islands, only four are developed for tourism: Quezon Island, Lopez Island, Marcos Island, and Governor Island.

We’ve been to different beaches, but lesser our plans of going North. For Paolo’s 12th birthday, I sweetly coerced my hubby to celebrate our son’s birthday in Hundred Islands. To my delight, he agreed right away. This is one thing I’m so grateful to my husband; he is willing to spend money when it comes to family celebrations and he loves to go places just like me. And with this, the whole family heads off.

We left Pasay at 3:00 am passing the new SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway). We brought lots of food and our snorkel gear, for hygienic purposes. We arrived at 7:00 am at Alaminos market to buy fruits for our dessert. It was almost 8:00 am when we reached Lucap Wharf, the jump-off point in getting to the Hundred Islands Park.

We hired a boat for one day tour for a rate of P1,800. It was quite expensive, anyway, it has safety provisions. Fortunately, our local guide, Kuya Ato, is a family friend of Lyn who was living near the port. We were so thankful to him for providing us fresh crabs and shrimp to be cooked on the island.

He got mad when he learned that we were charged P1,800 for the boat. If he arrives earlier he could get us a boat for P1,000 only. In return, he urged the boatmen to bring us to Lopez Island and Cuenco Cave so we could enjoy our island hopping to the max.

QUEZON ISLAND. I was overwhelmed to see islets along the way. Sun was beaming into the horizon and the sea was calm. There was a little bumpy movement as we were approaching our first destination, Quezon Island. Everyone was brave enough for the boat ride except my mother who has fear of the sea. But thank God, this lasted for a few minutes only. Travel time- 25 minutes.

When we hopped out from the boat, I was amazed stepping on the creamy white sand which was so fine. The water was so clear. The island has nice facilities such as a picnic pavilion with four rectangular tables (P200 per table), comfort rooms, a grilling area, and a small sari-sari store. There are colorful kayaks for water activity. Indeed, the island is good for family bonding, office outings, and even for campers who starve for adventure.

The sand bar was wonderful, the water was shallow and so calm. It is safe for the kids to swim. There was a clam garden near the pavilion where we enjoyed counting the giant clams and so with the starfish.

On the other side, there was a crocodile-shaped islet and surprisingly the water was much clearer.  See?

The kids enjoyed their swim and we, the adults enjoyed our lunch. Haha! Our little Shen and her cousins Magnus and Ax didn’t want to leave the island and so with Pao, Miko, and Isha. But we have to move on to our next stop, to Lopez Island.

LOPEZ ISLAND. This island is good for sunbathing. There are no huts or trees to hide from the sun. No basic facilities to cater to the needs of visitors. Barely, it is the sun and the sand thing. The covered limestone can’t give even a hint of shade to visitors. But the creamy white sand is finer than Quezon Island.

It is less visited; you can almost have it all by yourself. You can snorkel with friends then later camp at night and stargaze.

My buddies preferred to stay on the boat but Shen and I hopped out and we explored, searched for a good spot, and took my very good shot!  What a wonderful island!

MARCOS ISLAND. This island was named after the late president, Ferdinand Marcos, and the cave after his better half, Imelda Marcos. The island is a perfect spot for swimming. The sand was near white and very fine. But what thrilled us much was the adventure into the cave.

The scorching heat didn’t hinder us from trekking the jagged hill just to see this wonder. It was a ten-minute walk through a clear pathway and stoned ladder.  Indeed, it was so accessible to reach.

The cathedral-shaped cave had an amazing enclosed pool with clear waters and with a chamber that leads to the open sea. There is a thin ladder that leads to the pool. There were bats hanging on rocks. Kuya Ato was willing to accompany us to jump into the water. Pao and Miko were so excited about the adventure. But since they were only two and most of us didn’t dare, we ended up just viewing the cave.

On our way back to the boat, I was in awe looking at the breathtaking view of the islands, the sparkling blue water, and the glistening shoreline. I was left behind and didn’t want to move away from the cliff. I still wanted to savor the moment with nature. But the call from my buddies forced me to walk back into the shore.

CHILDREN’S ISLAND. Now I know why Children’s Island got its name. It was shallow and safe for the kids. You can swim farther without worrying about drowning. You can leave your children in the water while sitting on the sand.

The kids enjoyed every minute of their swim, in fact, all of us did!

We took some rest by sitting on the sand. I lay my back and watched those leaves hovering in the sky. It was a perfect day to enjoy the summer heat.

The island is also good for family bonding. There were cottages, picnic sheds, cooking and dining areas, and tent rentals.

GOVERNOR ISLAND. Pinoy Big Brother House was on a shoot on the island and so visitors are prohibited from going there. A bit sad, we proceeded to our last destination.

CUENCO CAVE. This was our last drop-off spot. Cuenco Cave nestled in Cuenco Island. We were excited when we jumped out of the boat. There was a small strip of sand for swimming activity.

Kuya Ato led us inside the cave by walking on a rock ladder. We found out that there was another opening that leads to another sea. The cave was small but it’s so nice to sit on little rocks, take some rest and swim on the other side. Getting there was kinda wonderful.

Surprisingly, all of us had enough energy when we went back to the port. Visiting the Hundred Islands is another fulfilling and wonderful adventure for the whole family. It was like a dream come true for we only saw this famous tourist spot in postcards and in textbooks during our elementary days.

Thank you so much to Kuya Ato for being our guide and for the delicious seafood that he cooked for us.

Note: There are comfort rooms and shower rooms at the port for P10. Parking is free and safe.

Next stop, another swimming activity in Bolinao, still in the province of Pangasinan.