Leyte Landing Memorial & Balangay Park

year-round; anniversary Oct 20

The Red Beach memorial in Palo marks General MacArthur's 1944 WWII return to the Philippines — a bronze tableau of MacArthur and Osmena wading ashore, set on the exact stretch of coast where the landing happened. Balangay Heritage Park nearby holds excavated 9th-century balangay boats (the oldest in Southeast Asia), reframing Leyte as a place where Philippine history began long before Spanish contact. Tip: both sites are 10km from Tacloban; a jeepney to Palo then a tricycle to Red Beach covers both in a half day.