Thinking about it, I have never really thought much about traveling alone. It isn't even on my bucket list because just getting out of the comforts of home to travel to unexplored places (for me) even if I'm traveling with family or friends seems daunting enough because I can get really anxious. Again, every time I leave home, it is always out of my comfort zone. Having been to a few new places last year, I decided that I am finally ready to travel on my own. I booked a flight to one of Philippine Airlines' newest routes from Clark to San Jose, Mindoro in October. Heck, I don't even know what I can see in that part of Mindoro! I figured I had plenty of time to research since the trip is still months away.

A month ago, my family and I went to Alaminos, Pangasinan to visit one of Philippines' most famous destination-- the Hundred Islands National Park. I was so excited for this trip for its many firsts. It's the first trip I have ever planned, first trip I have ever planned for the family, and our family's first time to go out of town and ride a boat off to somewhere. It wasn't easy planning though. It turns out it's harder to plan a trip with your family than with friends especially with setting a date.

This will not be a detailed travel guide since we traveled on our own car to get there and we did a few stop-overs along the way. Allowing yourself to stop over whenever and wherever you like is what I love most about traveling on your own vehicle. It was still quite a long trip considering we were already coming from Pampanga. It still took us five hours. (Okay, maybe it IS because of the stop-overs. Teehee.)

We arrived in Alaminos around 11.30 a.m. and checked in at our hotel, Casa del Camba. You can read more about my Casa del Camba accommodation review here. It was quite comfortable for our group of 7 and had plenty more space if we're more than that. Casa del Camba already has a go-to person who will assist us in securing a boat and other necessities for the tour. I thought he was already our boatman but he wasn't. He's just a middleman from the hotel. We rested for a few minutes while preparing for things to bring for the tour while we were waiting for kuya. Good thing the hotel is just around 2-3 minutes from the hotel by car.

We immediately left after he arrived and we did a convoy following him in his tricycle. You see it's easy to do a Hundred Islands tour because they are so organized and there is plenty of parking space if you bring your own car. The rates of the boats are also standardized and you'll have to pay at their Tourism Office.

Here is a list of fees:



I did not encounter the Garbage fee from other blogs on my research but it is required when we went there. You'll also have to pay this fee on the same cashier where you have to pay the other fees and they will give you a typical black garbage bag. Here's tip no. 1: You can return the bag (with trash or not) and refund your Php 200 back. In the midst of preparing for the tour and renting additional equipment such as goggles and snorkeling gear, we forgot that kuya (sorry I forgot his name by now) has our trash bag, therefore, we can't refund the fee. We still have a balance from the gears we rented, so we just subtracted the Php 200 from our balance.

Tip no. 2: Lifevests are for free throughout your travel between the islands, but the moment you use them while roaming around the islands, there is already a fee of Php 50.00 per person. If you are a confident swimmer, you no longer have to rent a lifevest especially if you're not diving or snorkeling and just going to enjoy the beaches of the islands. Snorkeling gear also has an additional fee. Good thing I brought my own and the rest of the family have their own swimming goggles as well.

However, if you are planning to go jump in the pool inside Imelda Cave, then you will need a life vest because it is required before diving.

Tip no. 3: When you rent a boat, you can rent it for one whole day of day tour. It is best for you to research which islands you'd like to visit because some boatmen, like ours, just told us we can go anywhere we like, only offering a few tips on which islands are best to visit. Fortunately, I researched a little bit. Even though we started around 12 p.m., we were able to go to the must-see sites.

I hope you enjoy some of the photos I took. Here they are:

Lucap Wharf--the gateway to the Hundred Islands

Long way to the top of the view deck

View from Governor's Island

There's a sari-sari store which sells halo-halo for refreshment after the hike Next is Marcos Island. Marcos Island is a site famed for the Imelda Cave where you can experience cliff diving. I wasn't able to take a photo though because no one would carry the camera for me since my siblings and I want to do the dive. Again, let me remind you that you cannot dive without a life vest. I recommend cliff diving here. It was an exhilarating experience especially because it's my first time to experience it.  After Marcos Island, we went and "parked" our boat in an area between Old Scout Island and Virgin Island where we swam and snorkel some more. I wasn't able to take a picture of the islands itself because I was busy making friends with the fishes below. I really love snorkeling and seeing lots of corals and schools of fish. Plus, I really got good use of my new snorkeling gear which I will write more about soon.  Then after a few more enjoyable moments of snorkeling and swimming, off we went to our next destination, the Pilgrimage Island. Of all the islands I have seen and visited during our tour, this is my favorite because of the most spectacular view. The view here is even better than on Governor's Island in my opinion. It even showcased a great sunset. Truly a sight to behold! With the family These flowers around the island certainly added to the island's charm. I was in awe after reaching the top and seeing this huge statue of Jesus Christ. By that time, we were the only ones at the top which gave us the chance to take in the view of the other islands, pray and witness the glorious sunset. Doesn't it look glorious? I love me a good view of a sunset. It's a calming sight indeed.  Lastly, we dropped by Quezon Island. We literally just dropped by to check out the sights because the tour ends at 5 p.m. and we wanted to make the most of our tour. Finally, tip no. 4: Arrive early. Tour ends at 5 and you can rent a boat for a whole day and you can visit any islands that are open for the tour. Since we started a little after 12 p.m., we weren't able to visit other islands. Don't expect much though. Having been to Coron, Palawan has raised my expectations a bit for beaches. But let me remind you though that each place has its own unique charm and can offer a different experience. After the island hopping, we went back to the hotel for dinner and a restful sleep. We went back to Lucap Wharf the next day to go souvenir-shopping. You can buy ref magnets for 3 for Php 100, shirts for Php 150, sandos for Php 200 (the quality of fabric is better, they said.) and keychains for 5 for Php 100. There are plenty of other souvenir options to choose from with varying prices.  I still enjoyed our tour. Albeit short, my family and I still got to explore the main islands and got to enjoy swimming and snorkeling. Visiting the Hundred Islands is a great bonding experience for the entire family. I recommend for you to visit this Philippine treasure even just once in your lifetime. Bring your family, too.