I am excited to share to you the amazing weekend me and my friends had in Pangasinan.
Pangasinan is known for it's white-sandy beaches, waterfalls, caves and even ancient churches which is so perfect for a quick escapade that we are looking for. We planned to visit Bolinao Falls, Enchanted River, Patar Beach and the famous Hundred Islands. So, since we wanted to have 4 attractions in 2 days, we decided to get a travel agency (www.facebook.com/@AdTraMents) that will help us with the transportation, 2D1N itinerary and accommodation.
My excitement hyped up thinking that this will be an exciting "barkada" outing. We left Manila at 1 AM and arrived in Pangasinan at around 5 am in the morning - pretty early to start our adventure. We decided to take our breakfast first, and had a quick photo-op to this famous landmark which is just in front of their Municipal Hall.
And now we are ready to head to our first stop.....
DAY ONE : BOLINAO
Bolinao Falls - We did a refreshing dip at Bolinao Falls 1. The falls is far from the Town Proper and is located in Brgy. Samang Norte. The water is very clear that you can see the bottom at the shallow part of the lagoon. It has 3 level cliff diving that we did enjoy.
Enchanted Cave - Our Pangasinan trip will not be complete without visiting the famous Enchanted Cave. It's a soothing and fun experience to be able to swim in a cold water inside the cave.
Before entering the cave, you can observe that the place is very much maintained by the management. They offer kid's pool, wishing well and a lot of hammocks within the area. There are also monkeys on the trees beside the gate entrance.
Is it really enchanted? Probably :) There are areas inside the cave that the management is restricting everyone to enter. Maybe for everyone's safety. Plus the water is deep and is not recommended for those who did not know how to swim.
Patar Beach - This is the most popular beach in Bolinao, Pangasinan. It's a white sand beach that is open to public - meaning it's for free. You just have to rent for your cottage. We spent the whole afternoon enjoying this beautiful beach.
DAY TWO: HUNDRED ISLANDS
Hundred Islands National Park is the first national park and a protected area located in Alaminos, Pangasinan in the northern Philippines. The islands, totaling 124 at low tide and 123 at high tide, are scattered in Lingayen Gulf covering an area of 16.76 square kilometres (6.47 sq mi). Only three of them have been developed for tourism: Governor Island, Quezon Island, and Children's Island. The Lucap wharf in Alaminos, the entrance to the National Park, is about 240 kilometres (150 mi) north of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. (Source: wikipedia.org)
We first pay for our registration fees at the Lucap wharf where we also rented a boat that we will use during the island hopping. It is more advisable to travel in a group so you can share the cost. (See Registration Fees, Boat Rental Fees, etc below)
After the registration, our Island Hopping begins and we first went to Governor Island where we enjoy this beautiful view.
Photo credit: Ivann Basa
Also, we enjoyed snorkeling, banana boat and swimming in Quezon Island.
And of course, we did try the cliff jumping in Marcus Island.
How to get there:
We had our van during the whole trip but if you are going to Hundred Islands directly, you can go to Cubao. There are a lot of buses like Victory Liner, Dagupan Bus and Five Star Bus liners that have regular trips from Manila to Alaminos City. Bus fare is around Php 400.00 and travel time is about 5-6 hours. From Alaminos Terminal, you have to ride a tricycle going to Lucap wharf.
BOAT RENTALS AND FEES:
Environmental Fee is Php 40.00 per person for day tour and Php 80.00 per person for those who are planning to stay overnight.
Small (max.of 5 pax)
Php 1,400.00
Medium (max.of 10 pax)
Php 1,800.00
Large (max.of 15 pax)
Php 2,000.00
ISLAND ACTIVITIES:
Snorkeling - Php 250.00 per set gear rental
Zip line (546 meters) - Php 250.00 in Governor’s Island
Zip line (120 meters) - Php 100.00 in Quezon Island
Banana Boat (max. 7pax) - Php 1,500.00 per ride
Helmet Diving - Php 400.00 per dive (20 mins.)
Here's our 2D1N Iteneray:
Overall, we really enjoyed the whole Pangasinan trip! And we are heading next to........
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