Leyte Master Class
October 17-21, 2027
An essential tour commemorating the Leyte Landings.
About the Leyte Master Class
“People of the Philippines, I have returned.
“By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine soil.”
On October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur fulfilled his promise to the Filipino people. After three and a half years, he returned and launched a year-long campaign to recapture and liberate the Philippines and end three and a half years of brutal Japanese Occupation.
Follow the Leyte Campaign from the landing beaches at Palo, Dulag, and Tacloban and move inland to Leyte Valley as the 6th Army did eighty years ago. Visit war memorials at Breakneck Ridge and Kilay Ridge, sites of some of the heaviest fighting as the troops pushed forward to stop Japanese reinforcements coming in from Ormoc Bay. From special vantage points, we will see Leyte Gulf where history’s biggest naval battle occurred, and where the deadly kamikazes were introduced - sinking and damaging allied ships, and striking fear at the hearts of American troops.
General Douglas MacArthur and staff land at Red Beach in Leyte, accompanied by Philippine President Sergio Osmeña and Carlos P. Romulo, 20 October 1944.
Tour Dates
October 17-21, 2027 (5 days)
Package Rates
To be announced.
Please contact us to secure your slot with a US$100 deposit.
PDF Brochure with Detailed Itinerary
To follow.
Tour Inclusions
Roundtrip airfare (Manila-Tacloban, Tacloban-Manila)
Touring with expert WWII historian and local battlefield guides
Deluxe, private, air-conditioned motor coach
Included meals: 2 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 3 Dinners
2-night hotel stays in Leyte
Entrance fees to all sites, toll fees
Roundtrip airport transfers
Daily cold refreshments
Itinerary Summary
Day 1 - Arrival
Arrive at Manila.
Accommodations: The Holiday Inn, Newport World Resorts
Day 2 - “People of the Philippines, I have returned.”
You will be picked up at your hotel for your flight to Tacloban. We’ll head to the MacArthur Park (Red Beach) in Palo where MacArthur finally set foot again on Philippine soil, fulfilling a promise he made to the Filipino people three and a half years prior. We’ll also visit the landing beaches at Dulag, including Hill 120, and the ruins of the centuries-old Jesuit church destroyed during the landings in October of 1944. At Tolosa, we share the story of a hometown hero who saved his town from the pre-invasion bombings.
Accomodations: The Tropics Hotel (B, L, D)
We’ll follow the 6th Army as they expand their beachhead, heading north to the towns of Capoocan and Limon, to the heartland of Leyte. We’ll then visit Breakneck Ridge, an unforgiving series of hills, mountains, and jungle crevices that the Japanese used to their advantage. Here, the Allied forces suffered heavy casualties, without proportionate gain, until a battalion sent to Kilay Ridge outflanked the Japanese. At Kilay, we’ll visit a war memorial in honor of the fallen, and head north to Ormoc and Ormoc Bay.
Accomodations: The Tropics Hotel (B, L, D)
Day 3 - Breakneck Ridge & Ormoc
From the hotel, we’ll visit Palo cathedral and Hill 522, a good vantage point to see the expanse of the Leyte Gulf. We will then head to Tacloban where we visit MacArthur’s Headquarters at the Old Leyte Provincial Capitol and his temporary residence at Price Mansion. We’ll get to visit several museums before we head to the airport for our flight back to Manila.
B, L, D
Day 4 - Battle of Leyte Gulf
Depart from Manila, or continue the adventure on our Aces of the Pacific Tour.
B
Day 5 - Departure
Larger than life bronze statues commemorate the landing at Red Beach at the MacArthur Park in Leyte.
Old Leyte Provincial Capitol
Palo Cathedral turned into a hospital during the Leyte Campaign
Gen. MacArthur receives local guerrilla leader Ruperto Kangleon
Contact Us
Get in touch with us through this form to secure a spot on the tour, and please use the subject title “Leyte Master Class 2027”. Inquiries about the tour and our other projects are also welcome!
You can also contact us directly through the following channels:
The Philippine World War II Memorial Foundation
+63 920 921 6118 (Telephone/WhatsApp/Viber)
