Hundred Islands National Park Day Tour

Hundred Islands National Park is one of the Philippines' oldest national parks (established 1940) and one of its most distinctive natural environments. Despite the name, the park contains 124 islands and islets at low tide — every one a mushroom-shaped limestone outcrop carpeted with green scrub and ringed by white sand or smooth rock, rising from the shallow Lingayen Gulf like a scene from a prehistoric ocean.

Island hopping here is unhurried and flexible. The most visited cluster — Governor's Island, Children's Island, and Quezon Island — offers a mix of beach space, snorkelling on healthy coral patches, and the famous cliff jump platform at Governor's where the bravest travellers launch themselves 8 metres into the turquoise water. Cathedral Cave on Governor's Island is a cathedral-height limestone cavern with a passage that opens directly to the sea — swimming through it at high tide is a favourite adventure.

Beyond the main islands, quieter islets reward those who ask their boatman to venture further: tiny sandbars appear at low tide, sea turtles feed on seagrass beds in the shallows, and colourful reef fish dart through the finger corals between the limestone bases. Alaminos City itself is a pleasant overnight base with simple guesthouses and excellent fresh seafood restaurants serving Pangasinan's famous milkfish (bangus) and sea urchin roe (uni).