Taoist Temple, Temple of Leah and the city lights from Tops

A late-afternoon drive into the hills behind the city: a hilltop Taoist temple, a marble monument to love and the whole bay glittering below at night.

Area

Cebu City

Start from

Lahug, Cebu City

Distance

about 25 km round trip

Time needed

half a day, ending at night

Best season

All year; clearest after rain

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

Taxi or a hired car for the hill roads

Tickets & rules

Small entrance fees at Temple of Leah and Tops

Why go

The hills of Busay rise steeply behind Cebu City, and in twenty minutes you leave the traffic for winding roads, flower farms and cooler air. This is the route I take in the late afternoon, ending somewhere high when the city lights come on, the planes descend towards Mactan and the bridges glow across the channel.

The Taoist Temple, in the Beverly Hills subdivision, is a red-and-green Chinese temple climbing a slope, with dragons on the roofs and wide views over the city. A little higher, the Temple of Leah is something else entirely: a Roman-style colonnade of columns, statues and grand staircases, built by a husband as a monument to his late wife.

At the top, Tops Lookout sits at around 600 metres. On a clear evening the whole of Metro Cebu spreads out below, from the port to the airport, and the breeze is cool enough that you might want a long sleeve. It’s simple, slightly kitsch and really lovely.

The story

The Taoist Temple was built in the early 1970s by Cebu’s Chinese community, which is one of the largest in the Philippines. Its stairway is often said to have 81 steps, the number of chapters in the Tao Te Ching. Worshippers come to light incense and to ask questions by dropping a pair of wooden blocks, reading the answer in the way they fall. Visitors are welcome on the lower levels, but some areas are for devotees only.

The Temple of Leah was begun around 2012 by Teodorico Soriano Adarna as a tribute to his wife, Leah Villa Albino-Adarna, after her death; it’s often called a Cebuano Taj Mahal. A bronze statue of Leah stands at its centre, and the plans included galleries for her collections. The building has been under construction for years and feels half like a monument and half like a film set.

Higher up, the village of Sirao has become known for its flower farms, where farmers grow celosia and chrysanthemums for the city’s markets and churches. Some fields have turned into small gardens with paths and painted windmills for photographs, and locals jokingly call the area Little Amsterdam.

The Transcentral Highway, which crosses the island’s spine from Cebu City to Balamban on the west coast, passes nearby, and on misty mornings these hills look nothing like the hot city below.

Getting there

From IT Park or Lahug, a taxi to the Taoist Temple takes 15–25 minutes. For Temple of Leah and Tops, a hired car or a driver for a few hours is easiest, as the roads are steep and taxis may be scarce for the return.

Habal-habal motorcycle taxis wait at the foot of the hills, but on narrow, steep roads at night I’d rather be in a car.

A suggested plan

1. 14:30Taoist Temple: climb the steps and look over the city.
2. 15:30Drive up to the Temple of Leah; walk around the colonnade and statues.
3. 16:30Optional detour to the flower farms of Sirao.
4. 17:30Tops Lookout for sunset and the first city lights.
5. 19:00Dinner on the way down, then back to the city.

Where to stay

The IT Park and Lahug areas are closest to the hills and full of restaurants, cafés and mid-range hotels, which makes them the most convenient base for this evening trip.

Good to know

• Agree a price and waiting time with your driver before you set out.
• Bring a light jacket; it can be breezy and cool at Tops after dark.
• Weekday evenings are calmer than weekends at the lookout.
• Check that the Taoist Temple is open to visitors on your day; hours can vary.