The Hundred Islands National Park is the entire reason most travellers come to Alaminos. Spread across the Lingayen Gulf, the 1,843-hectare park contains 123 islands and islets at low tide — limestone formations carved into mushroom shapes by millennia of wave erosion, each crowned with dense scrub and fringed with coral reefs. The Philippines established it as a protected area in 1940, making it one of the country's first national parks.
Island-hopping departs from Lucap Wharf, a short tricycle ride from the Alaminos city centre. You hire a bangka outrigger boat for the day — rates are fixed by the park authority and posted at the wharf — and the boatman takes you to whichever combination of islands you choose. Governor Island, Quezon Island and Children's Island are the busiest, each with picnic shelters, basic toilets and small beaches. Governor Island has a cave system worth exploring and a viewpoint reached by a short concrete staircase. Quezon Island has a long sandy beach and snorkelling just off its shores.
The real pleasure of the park is pushing past the three main islands to the quieter ones. Marcos Island, Bat Island and several unnamed islets see far fewer visitors, and on weekdays outside the Philippine school holidays you can have a beach to yourself. The coral beneath the water is damaged in places around the popular islands, but the outer reefs are in better shape and worth the extra boat time. Kayak hire is available at Lucap for those who want to explore at their own pace.