Bataan Voyage Tips and guide

Bataan is a province at the Central Luzon region of Luzon. A peninsula surrounded by Manila Bay to the east and the West Philippine Sea (or South China Sea) to the west, it is known in history as the last stronghold of the Americans in the Philippines when the Japanese invaded it during World War II.

Map of Bataan

• 14.679120.541 Balanga - Provincial capital and the only city

• 14.434120.4872 Mariveles - the largest town with more than 100,000 residents, it is where the infamous Death March began.
• 14.597120.3923 Bagac - Has the Philippine-Japanese Friendship Tower and Las Casas de Acuzar.
• 14.867120.464 Dinalupihan - Border town at the boundary with Pampanga
• 14.68120.2683335 Morong - A rural town combining Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, beaches and forests.
• 14.621120.5786 Orion - Known for Cayetano Arellano Memorial Shrine
• 14.666667120.5666677 Pilar - Houses the Shrine of Valor atop Mount Samat.

Bataan is one of the majority Tagalog provinces of Central Luzon, but it also has a Kapampangan minority, on the towns of Dinalupihan, Hermosa and Abucay. The Mariveleño people or the Ayta Magbeken, a subgroup of the Aeta (Negritos), were the indigenous inhabitants of the area; they were displaced by the Tagalogs from Cavite by the 16th century. Descendants of Ilocano settlers live in southeastern areas of the province, on the towns of Orion, Limay, and Mariveles.

Bataan is a mostly mountainous province, occupying the entirety of the namesake Bataan Peninsula. Much of the population is concentrated on the east coast facing Manila Bay, much of which being plains; this includes most of the province's municipalities and the capital Balanga. The western coast facing the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) is mostly sparsely populated; this includes the rural municipalities of Morong and Bagac.

Bataan was founded as province in 1757; it included some towns of Pampanga, and the military district of Mariveles, which included also Maragondon in Cavite.

After Japan invaded the Philippines in December 1941, the combined US and Filipino forces were being gradually overrun and General Douglas MacArthur moved his troops to the Bataan Peninsula in an attempt to hold out until a relief force could be sent from the U.S. Japanese forces started a siege of the peninsula on January 7, 1942, and launched an all-out assault on April 3, a few months after the Battle of the Points. The majority of the American and Filipino forces surrendered on April 9 and were forced to march more than 102 km (63 mi) from Bataan to Tarlac, which became known as the Bataan Death March.

After the war, Bataan rapidly industrialized, resulting in a string of factories and fuel refineries and terminals in the southern part of the peninsula. It was also during this time that Morong Nuclear Power Plant was built, although environmental and seismological hazards have prevented it from operating. The expansion in neighboring Zambales of the Subic Naval Base, later converted into the Subic Bay Freeport, has turned Morong and Dinalupihan into satellite towns of Olongapo.

Bataan is over two hours away from Metro Manila by car. From Manila, you can take the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and exit at San Fernando, and from there, follow the Olongapo-Gapan Road/Jose Abad Santos Avenue straight to Bataan. A longer alternative is to exit at Angeles, connect with the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and exit at Dinalupihan. While longer, this bypasses frequent traffic jams and bad infrastructure conditions along the Pampanga section of the Olongapo-Gapan Road.

A bridge is being proposed to link Bataan from Cavite, but this fixed link is still on the planning stages. An expressway from Metro Manila via the coastline of Bulacan is also being planned.

Getting to Bataan by bus takes around three hours. There are bus lines, specifically Genesis and Bataan Transit, in Cubao, Pasay and Manila that offers daily trips to Balanga City and Mariveles, Bataan. The fare going to Balanga costs ₱240 as of April 2016 from Avenida, Manila terminal. Victory Liner have buses to/from Olongapo City (2 hours, ₱100).

As of May 2018, the ferry boat going from Manila to Bataan is operational through the FAB Town Terminal in Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB), Mariveles, Bataan, which has a direct ferry service from FAB to Esplanade Seaside Terminal at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City, Metro Manila. The Port of Capinpin in Orion, Bataan is another ferry terminal in the province, having a route from Orion to Manila.

Driving is the best way to explore Bataan. Major highways traversing the province are the Jose Abad Santos Avenue or Olongapo-Gapan Road (Route 3) serving Dinalupihan and Hermosa, Roman Superhighway (Route 301) from Dinalupihan to Mariveles with a route bypassing the old town centers from Hermosa to Pilar and some portions of Orion, Limay and Mariveles through the Old National Road, Mariveles-Bagac Road from Mariveles to Bagac, and Gov. J.J. Linao National Rd. from Pilar to Morong. Jose Abad Santos Avenue and Gov. J.J. Linao National Rd. serve the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) having juridictions on the provinces of Bataan (Hermosa and Morong) and Zambales (Subic and Olongapo) therefore both roads also serve the province of Zambales, and the latter serves Mt. Samat. With this, Bataan highway networks form the provincial loop.

Buses connect the major towns on the east coast. There is limited bus service to the western coast from Balanga.

Bataan is a popular destination for military history buffs trying to retrace the Bataan Death March and the battlefields of the preceding Battle of Bataan. For those with less sanguine interests, a visita iglesia trail can be done along the Spanish-era churches of seven towns in eastern Bataan (Hermosa, Orani, Samal, Abucay, Balanga, Pilar and Orion), adding those of Bagac and Morong on the west side. Nature lovers appreciate the western side of the province for its beaches and forests, not to mention Bataan being dominated by the inactive volcanoes of Natib and Mariveles and their surrounding nature reserves.

• 14.721558120.5349541 Abucay Church (St. Dominic de Guzman Parish Church), National Road corner Laon Proper, Barangay Laon, Abucay. One of the oldest churches in Bataan. Built during the Spanish era, it became a battlefield during a Dutch invasion in 1647 that saw many of the inhabitants shipped off to Batavia (now Jakarta in Indonesia).  (updated Jan 2026)
• 14.715746120.3762612 Bataan National Park. A 23,000 hectares (57,000 acres) protected forest area covering Mount Natib, a dormant volcano with a wide caldera encompassing most of northern and central Bataan.  (updated Jan 2026)

• D'Samat Hotel. Camacho Street. phone +63 47 2373869. AC single/double rooms with own bathroom from ₱600.

The Roman Superhighway is a notorious accident prone area due to its wide multiple lanes, lack of dividers and speeding vehicles. Exercise caution when crossing or driving along the road.

Due to the presence of refineries and loading terminals for gas and petroleum in Limay, Orion and Mariveles, Bataan’s highways can be swarmed by rows of fuel tankers. Do not mess with such vehicles to avoid fiery mishaps.

• Bataan General Hospital. Balanga City. +63 47-237-1274. (DOH Hospital)

• Subic
• Olongapo
• Zambales