Marine Activities at Hundred Islands!

We will provide you with the latest information about Handled Island, which is only 4 hours and 30 minutes away from Baguio by direct bus, focusing on activities and fees! (Information is current as of December 2023)

Various fees for sightseeing on Hundred Island

As the name suggests, Hand Red Island is a natural amusement park formed by a group of small islands. Each island offers a variety of activities, so it is common for groups to charter a boat to visit each of the islands.

There is an entrance about 20 minutes by tricycle from the center of Alaminos, where you can register for entry, arrange for boats, and do all other procedures.

Fees are as above. For day trips, just refer to the fee schedule on the left half of the map.

　REGISTRATION FEES：120 peso/person

　TOURGUIDE ASSISTANCE(※not nessesary)：1000 peso/group

　ISLAND ACTIVITIES：pay later

　MOTORBOAT RATES：1400 peso～/group

This sign is located right after you arrive, by the facility where you can go through the formalities, and the attendant will explain it to you in detail. Since there were four of us visiting this time, the required fee was 120 pesos/person for registration and 1400 pesos for the boat, which was 470 pesos (about 1222 yen) per person.

In addition to the items listed here, life jackets and snorkeling equipment are also available for rent. This is also not mandatory, but you are required to wear a life jacket at the point where you can jump off from a high place, so you should rent one if necessary.

Another thing to note is that each group will ask for a 200 peso deposit. In exchange for this, you will receive a garbage bag, which will be returned to you in exchange for the bag after you finish playing and return to the entrance. There are trash cans throughout the island, so I was surprised that I did not need one at any time.

Finally, toilets and showers are available for 5 or 10 pesos, depending on the purpose of use. The showers do not have a shower head, but rather a tub of water to cover yourself with, so you should keep in mind that they are not fully equipped.

After completing the formalities, we departed for Hundred Islands!

There is a magnificent gate at the entrance, and you can feel the atmosphere of a harbor town, which makes you want to take your time and look around, but that will have to wait until later. Because peddlers and beggar children will come aggressively. And they are quite persistent….

After completing the above procedures, you will be given a numbered numbered card, which you will take to the tanning area where the boatmen are located. You will be asked “Japanese?” or “Korean?” in a jovial manner, and after waiting while conversing, a boatman will be selected to guide you to the boat.

The boatman will be the driver and keeper of the boat for the trip between islands, so he will not come to you after you land on the island. However, he has a lot of information, so if you can communicate with him well enough, you don’t need to hire a separate person to double your time. Especially if you want to take your time and relax.

So we get on the boat and finally depart for the Hundred Islands. The boat has only a roof and is open in front, behind, and to the left and right, so you can directly feel the waves, wind, and smells, which is quite exciting.

Life jackets are provided on the boat and must be worn during the trip. These are for on-board use only, so it seemed that you are not allowed to take them out with you. However, the boatman was kind enough to allow us to take them out this time.

We tipped the boatman 50 pesos per person in advance, or 200 pesos for four people, at the time of departure. Speaking of tipping, you might think that you give it after receiving service, but if you give it in advance, it might be a good thing, as it was this time.

(1) The second island: Pilgrimage Island for a panoramic view of the surrounding area!

It took about 20 minutes from the entrance to the boat to cut the wind and waves comfortably. Finally, the first island came into view. It is also called “Pilgrimage Island.The blue sea and sky contrasting with the white stone statues is a beautiful sight.

The islands are connected to each other by a floating bridge, which allows visitors to come and go on foot. Walking ashore, I felt a very pleasant sense of openness and remembered the everlasting summer of the Philippines that I had forgotten during my stay in Baguio.

It takes about 10 minutes to reach the stone statues on foot, but there are many stairs, which, combined with the heat, may be surprisingly difficult. However, the view from the top is exceptional, as you can climb to a height from which you can see far into the distance.

The interior of the island is rich in nature, and colorful flowers can be seen here and there. Is this a bougainvillea? It feels somewhat Okinawan.

And don’t worry if you get tired on the way. You will encounter many stalls selling sweets, drinks, desserts, and ice cream vendors throughout the island. If you get tired, take a break and relax.

(2) The second island: the longest zip line on Governor’s Island!

After the first island, we asked the boatman if we could zip line. We did not know how many different types of ziplines there were at this time, but he took us on the longest one.

It is over 500 meters long and connects islands, and here is a full view of it. If you don’t like heights, you might lose your footing.

Actually, this is the top of the island. And we came here by crossing the sea. What I am trying to say is that you have to climb up from 0m above sea level to this height on foot, and you have to use zip line equipment.

However, it is an impressive experience. You will be able to experience for yourself the kind of activities that entertainers do on TV. It is a great feeling.

After you finish sliding, you can buy a photo of yourself with the attraction’s logo on it for 150 pesos a piece, which you can keep as a souvenir! By the way, if you have an Android user, you may be able to get all the data, so please ask the staff.

Lunch at the third island: Quezon Island!

We were hungry by this point, so we moved to an island where we could eat. Since it was lunchtime, there were many people here.What is amazing is the clarity of the water and cleanliness of the sand around the island here.

This area varies from island to island, but it was much better here. So the people who spend time here seem to be enjoying swimming in a rather relaxed and leisurely manner.

First, we toasted with a mango smoothie and a coconut smoothie (150 pesos each)!

After that, we will have lunch at this restaurant.

Here is the menu. Here is what we ordered,

　Fried Bangus 250 peso ×2pcs

　Fried Hipon w/ Garic 250 peso

　Chicken Pork Adobo 250 peso

　+ Rice 25 peso

The taste was definitely delicious. The seafood was exceptional. I was very satisfied because I had always wanted to try a whole fish called “Bangus” when visiting the Pampanga region. The price was reasonable and not too expensive, even though it was priced at a tourist resort.

The third island: banana boat ride on Quezon Island!

After lunch, we spent some time relaxing on the beach of the island. The beach is a little smaller in size, but the sea water temperature is just right and the waves are calm.

If you go 10 meters offshore from the beach, it becomes too deep for your feet to touch, but thanks to the rental of life jackets for the boat, you can relax and float around.

Now, you can take a banana boat ride on the same island. The price is as follows, and if you try it with a small group, you will have to share the ride with other groups, which is a little more expensive than the price on the signboard at the entrance.

As expected, we could not bring our camera on the banana boat, so we do not have any pictures, but it was nice to move at high speed between islands for about 10 minutes. However, it was really just a ride, and there were no screaming points, and the boat was very stable, so there were not so many thrills.

(4) Diving at the second island: Marcos Island!

The next island is very close to the island where we had lunch, and the water is clear and beautiful. The highlight of this island is the high dive from the cave. There is no charge, but you are required to wear a life jacket when diving.

I gave up bringing my camera here as well, so the photos are not very many, but there was a scene that I wanted to show you, but didn’t want to. The cave is a home for bats, and there are more than 100 live bats hanging from the ceiling.

The cave + bats + beautiful sea + diving. There are two different heights to choose from: a 2-meter beginner course and a 5-meter intermediate course.

After we all enjoyed the dive, we spent about 30 minutes floating on the sea and relaxing. After that, we stopped at the fifth island with a small diving board on the way back and went straight home.

Summary

This article was about a day trip to the Handled Islands, and if you have a one-day travel plan, going to the islands we visited is a rather ironclad course. In conclusion, I highly recommend it. It is a place where you can feel the real Philippines in a good way.

We took the 4:00 a.m. bus from Baguio, started our activities around 10:00 a.m., finished playing around 5:00 p.m., and returned to Baguio at 24:30 p.m. We were exhausted. I need to make sure that I have enough time to rest and not let it interfere with my studies.

Also, the common way to get to and from Alaminos ↔ Handled Island is by tricycle, which costs 100 pesos. Three people can fit in the basket of this aircraft and one person in the back seat of the driver. The speed is not so fast and comfortable, so you can try it if you like!