Hundred Islands National Park

Hundred Islands National Park is a protected park of 124 islands in Lingayen Gulf, accessed from the DOT Tourism Office at Lucap Wharf (Directions from Veue).

It was the first national park declared in the Philippines, in 1940, which is worth knowing before you go because it explains why so much of it is closed to visitors. Only a handful of the islands are developed at all; the rest are left alone deliberately.

The islands themselves are roughly two million years old and were once part of an ancient seabed. Wave action has cut away at their bases over that time, which is what gives them the distinctive undercut, mushroom-topped shape you see in every photograph of the park. It is the same limestone story as the coast around Veue, just carved into a different form.

There are two routes from Veue:

• Via Patar–Bani road (43 km, ~1 hr) — the shorter option, with some narrow and rougher sections. Fine in most vehicles.
• Via Bolinao Poblacion highway (56 km, ~1 hr 15 min) — slightly longer but on smoother road, and easier if your vehicle is fully loaded.

How to Book

Go to the DOT Tourism Office at Lucap Wharf and book a boat directly. Rates are standardized.

Tips for the boat:

• Choose a larger boat for comfort
• Ask about Unlimited Island Hopping, which is worth it for the number of stops it covers

Common Stops

Among the islands most boats include or pass:

• Governor’s Island, with a viewpoint at the top for panoramic photos of the cluster
• Quezon Island, a bigger beach with picnic facilities
• Marcos Island, a popular stop with swimming at the inner pool
• Children’s Island, shallow swimming, family-friendly
• Pilgrimage Island, with religious statues, quieter than the rest

Quezon is the most developed of the group and Governor’s has the well-known view deck, so those two carry most of the crowd. Marcos Island has a natural lagoon reached through a gap in the rock, and a plunge of around twelve feet for anyone who wants it.

You can snorkel at several spots in the islands. The water is calmer than the open sea at Patar.

If the scale and the crowds are not what you are after, the boat trip to Polipol Island is the quieter alternative on this coast, and much closer to Veue.

How to Plan It

• Allow a full day. The drive from Veue is ~1 hr via Patar-Bani road or ~1 hr 15 min via highway, plus the boat tour.
• Start early. Earlier boats mean calmer water and quieter islands.
• Combine with the drive. If you are coming from Manila, you can stop at Hundred Islands on the way in and reach Veue late afternoon. On the way out, you can leave Veue early, do Hundred Islands by midday, and continue to Manila in the evening.

What to Bring

• Swimwear, aqua shoes, and a mask and snorkel if you have them
• Sunscreen, reef-safe if you’ll be swimming over coral
• A hat and sunglasses, there is little shade on the boat
• Food and drinks, including a packed lunch
• A dry bag or waterproof phone case
• Cash for the boat hire and entrance fees

A Quieter Alternative

If you want the island-hopping experience without the crowds, ask us about boat trips from Patar instead. Veue’s caretakers can sometimes arrange a quieter trip along the coast that hits secluded beaches and the Patar Rock Formations. The Hundred Islands experience is larger in scale; the Patar coast trips are smaller and more intimate.