Hundred Islands National Park

The bay off Alaminos holds a scatter of small limestone islands, undercut at the waterline by the sea until many of them stand on a narrow stem, which is what gives them their mushroom profile. It was declared a national park in 1940, and the standard way to see it is a hired outrigger that works a circuit of the developed islands, four in all, and drops you at whichever coves you ask for. Governor's Island has a stepped viewdeck looking over the whole scatter, Quezon Island has the swimming and the food stalls, and Children's Island is the shallow one. The rest are left alone, and a few can be landed on if the sea is calm.

History

The Hundred Islands, 124 at low tide and 123 at high tide, became the first national park of the Philippines by a proclamation signed by President Manuel L. Quezon on 18 January 1940, covering 16.76 square kilometres. A conservation and development authority was created for it on 22 June 1962, and in 2001 the islands were declared a National Geological Monument (Wikipedia, Hundred Islands National Park).

Highlights

• The viewdeck on Governor's Island - the stepped climb to the view over the whole scatter of islands.
• The undercut limestone - the eroded stems at the waterline that give the islands their shape.
• Quezon Island - the developed island with swimming, kayaks and stalls, and the busiest by far.
• The outer islands - quieter coves the boatmen will stop at if the water is calm enough to land.

When to go

The dry months from November to May give the calmest water and the clearest crossings. Weekends, Holy Week and the summer school holidays in April and May fill the wharf and the developed islands completely, so a weekday is a different trip. Go out on the first boats of the morning and you get a couple of hours before the crowd.

Practical notes

The water is green rather than the turquoise of Palawan, and the coral around most islands is poor. Fees stack up: park entry, boat hire, landing charges, then hire of anything you use. Quezon Island can be shoulder to shoulder with day trippers and loud sound systems, and litter is a recurring problem. The islands are also small - the circuit is over in half a day.

Nearby

Bolinao and its beaches lie west along the Pangasinan coast.

Key facts