Capas travel guide

Inhabited by the dominant Kapampangan and the indigenous Aeta tribes, Capas has left its mark on history. Founded as a town belonging to Pampanga in 1711 by the Augustinian friars, Capas became part of Tarlac in the 19th century. It saw one of the most gruesome acts by the Japanese during World War II, the Death March, where surrendered Filipino and American soldiers were brought by train to Capas Station before being forcibly marched to Camp O'Donnell, an American military camp turned into a concentration camp by the invading Japanese.

Getting in

Being just along the main corridor between Manila, Ilocos and the Cordilleras, Capas is not hard to reach. While train service has ended in the late 1980s, many bus routes still pass through Capas town. The nearest airport is in Angeles (CRK). Capas is easily reached by multiple bus lines emanating out of Manila to northern Luzon. While the completion of the Subic Clark-Tarlac Expressway has largely bypassed the municipality, many buses still exit nearby at Concepcion, stop at Capas, and head north on the MacArthur Highway.

Getting around

Capas is a relatively large municipality, and getting around it usually involves tricycle or car. There is a two-lane concrete road that spurs off MacArthur Highway, serving NCC and the Pinatubo foothills. It dead-ends at the river northeast of the Pinatubo caldera, but construction is ongoing in 2024 to turn it into a scenic highway that will connect with Zambales.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.