Mount Samat National Shrine - Dambana ng Kagitingan

What travelers say:

My Filipina wife and I have a summer home in Laguna. A few years ago we attended a reunion of the Vietnam-era refugee center at Morong. We hired a drive and vehicle and travelled to Bataan via Mount Samat. I knew it was a WW2 battle site and the dramatic events that took place there and the surrounding countryside. I remember the winding road up the mountain with many curves surrounded by lush jungle. There was intermittent rain but it was still a nice day. We arrived at the summit where a thin fog engulfed us. Towering above it was the magnificent Mount Samat Memorial cross. It is by far one of the best structures in the Philippines. It reminded me of the Washington Monument and Statue of Liberty. It was awesome. What was even more amazing was that we were the only ones there. We were able to visit all areas of the site. We made friends with some caretakers who had a cool monkey. They had a store and of course we bought souvenirs and snacks. The south view from the summit was breathtaking. You could see the flat plain south of us where major fighting took place and up to the big volcano. Fog shrouded the landscape and I could easily imagine seeing the flashes of explosions, the MG tracers, and intense battle. There are also weapons on display. A large Japanese artillery piece, a small infantry howitzer, and heavy machine guns of both USA and Japanese. Unfortunately the museum and elevator of the Cross were not open. I bet the view from the top of the cross would have been great on a clear day, but in this day, it would have been above the fogs. I was disappointed about not being to see its museum From what i understand there is an outstanding collection of artifacts from the battle on display. regardless, it was a nice stop on a great trip thru Bataan and would do it all over again. I highly recommend visiting this site.