Alaminos

Hundred Islands Service Boat Guide

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Whenever I go to Hundred Islands National Park in Alaminos, Pangasinan I take the Service Boat instead of the Regular Tour because I would like to visit the many islands inside the park. Unfortunately, everytime I ask the different boatmen I was with to take us to an undeveloped island they would stare blank at me and suggest the 3 developed islands! Fail!

So I decided to make a Service Boat Guide so whenever you are doing a Island Hopping tour in the Hundred Islands National Park you would just say the undeveloped island that you want to swim in or the island you would want to spend time.

Beach at Lopez Island

Here are the islands that you can go because they have beaches.

Name of Island Has shade
Lopez Island Morning and a little space in the afternoon
Scout Island Morning
Old Scout Island Morning
Marcos Island Morning. Can also do cliff jumping inside Imelda Cave
Clave Island Morning and Afternoon
Cuenco Island West Side morning shade. East Side afternoon shade.
Ma. Liza Island Morning
Quirino Island Morning

Hundred Islands Tourist Welcome Center

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I was looking for an information center at Lucap Wharf in Alaminos, Pangasinan for the Hundred Islands National Park 4 years ago. I’ve heard that there exists of an information center but due to the persistence of our lodging I never got to visit the information center nor was the center easily visible. Fortunately, on my second visit in the park there was a big improvement, the information Center is now very visible and they call it the Tourist Welcome Center.

Tourist Welcome Center at Lucap Wharf

The Tourist Welcome Center is open 24 hours everyday according to the brochure that they gave me.

You can find the following in the Tourist Welcome Center

Island Hopping in Hundred Islands National Park

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At the Tourist Welcome Center at Lucap Wharf, Alaminos, Pangasinan we were given 2 choices for our island hopping adventure. Either we get the Day Tour or we hire a Service Boat for a day.

The Day Tour costs 800 Pesos for 1-5 pax and would only take us to three developed islands – Governor, Childrens and Quezon Island with a time limit of 20 minutes per island and the boat will leave us at the last island and will just fetch us at our desired time.

The Service Boat costs 1,400 Pesos for 1-5 pax and we could have the boat for the whole day and we can go to any island we want without any time limit. We get to have our own tour guide too which will be our boatman.

Since one of our target was to visit Cathedral Island, also known as Marcos Island, and do some cliff jumping to splash to the waters of Cathedral (Imelda) Cave, the Day Tour would not be our option. Besides, I am not a fan of developed islands so it is best to stay on the less developed ones.

Here’s an account of what happened to us during our island hopping tour inside the Hundred Islands National Park

10:46 AM – Arrival at Alaminos Town Proper from Bolinao via mini bus (45 Pesos/pax; Travel Time 1 hour 15 minutes);

10:47 AM – Rode tricycle to Lucap Wharf; 50 Pesos/tricycle

10:57 AM – Arrival at Lucap Wharf; Went into the Tourist Welcome Center to ask for details

11:14 AM – Registered at the Tourist Welcome Center. Paid the 20 Pesos Entrance Fee for a day

11:20 AM – Ate lunch at Lucap Wharf eateries

11:45 AM – Went to the Boat Dispatcher for the start of the Island Hopping

Boat Dispatcher at Lucap Wharf

11:54 AM – Start of Island Hopping. Woohooo!!!

12:22 PM – Arrival at Governor’s Island. Check View Deck and go around the island

at Governor’s Island view deck

12:39 PM – Took a wrong turn to Pinoy Big Brother house. We got to a secluded beach

How to get to Hundred Islands National Park from Bolinao, Pangasinan

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Bus from Bolinao to Alaminos

From Bolinao you may ride a non-airconditioned mini bus going to Dagupan via Alaminos near the St. James the Great Parish Church. There are 2 bus stations that you can go to, Bolinao Express and Boltex Express.

Bolinao Express Station

First Trip is 6AM in the morning
Last Trip is 4PM in the afternoon
Bus leaves every 15 minutes and the two bus stations alternate their schedules.

Fare to Alaminos is 45 Pesos/pax; Travel Time is 1 hour
Fare to Dagupan is 100 Pesos/pax; Travel Time is 3 hours

Boltex Express Station

Contact Numbers
Bolinao Express – 0948-136-5011 Dispatcher
Boltex Express – (075) 554-2107

Tricycle from Alaminos Town Proper to Lucap Wharf

Bolinao – Alaminos, Pangasinan Budget & Itinerary

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View from Bolinao Lighthouse

View from Bolinao Lighthouse

Summary

No. of Pax: 4 pax
Budget: P2,700 – including transportation, lodging, entrance fees & tours
Duration: 2 days – 1 night
Estimated Start: Day 0 – 11:00 PM Assembly at Five Star Pasay
Estimated End: Day 2 – 12:00 MN at Victory Liner Cubao
Lodging: Kubo at Abrac Beach, Patar, Bolinao
Activities:

  • Tricycle Tour and Beach Walk at Patar, Bolinao
  • Island Hopping in Hundred Islands National Park

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Suggested Itinerary

Day 0
1100 PM Assembly at Five Star Pasay; Buy tickets
1200 MN ETD to Bolinao, Pangasinan; P442/pax
Day 1
0600 AM Arrival at Bolinao, Pangasinan; Walk to Adora’s Restaurant; Ask directions from locals
0610 AM Breakfast at Adora’s Restaurant
0700 AM Walk to Market to buy packed lunch and ingredients for breakfast the next day
0730 AM Hire a tricycle to tour you around Bolinao and for you to be picked up at Patar Beach tomorrow in the morning. P800/tryc; 4pax/tricycle
0745 AM Start of tricycle tour; ETD to UP Marine Institute
0800 AM ETA UP Marine Institute; Entrance Fee P10/pax
0945 AM ETD to Enchanted Cave
1025 AM ETA Enchanted Cave; Entrance Fee w/ swimming P70/pax; Parking Fee P15/tricycle
1100 AM ETD to Wondeful Cave
1110 AM ETA Wonderful Cave; Entrance Fee P40/pax
1150 AM Early Lunch at Wonderful Cave; Packed Lunch
1230 PM ETD to Cindy’s Cave
1240 PM ETA Cindy’s Cave; Entrance Fee P50/pax
0110 PM ETD to Bolinao Lighthouse
0125 PM ETA Bolinao Lighthouse
0200 PM ETD to Abrac Beach or your desired Kubo Lodging in Patar
0210 PM ETA to Abrac Beach or lodging; Check-in – P1,000/kubo during off-peak; can fit up to 4 pax; Settle down and rest! Don’t forget to remind your tricycle driver to pick you up the next day around 8AM
0330 PM Walk by the beach up to the end of Abrac Beach; Don’t forget to bring snacks, water and something to cover you from the heat of the sun; You can rest in between
0420 PM Arrival at the end of Abrac Beach
0430 PM Walk back to your lodging
0530 PM Arrival back at lodging; Don’t go in yet; Time for sunset watching!
0600 PM Freshen up; P10/pax shower
0630 PM Walk to La Parola Restaurant; Bring flashlight as the road in front of the restaurant is quite dark.
0640 PM Dinner at La Parola Restaurant
0740 PM Walk back to lodging; Don’t forget to bring a stick for the dogs.
0750 PM Back at lodging;
Day 2