I am a mostly sedentary person but I love walking, and, up to about seven years ago, I learned that I can endure and do enjoy long, long walks. This year, my husband and I started to rediscover Cebu City and went on hikes during public holidays. The first hike we took was the Celestial Gardens hike, which is a very easy hike and is less than 2 kilometers from our home.

Celestial Gardens Hike

Where to start the hike

McDonald’s Paseo Arcenas, Banawa. By public transportation, jeepney routes 07D, 07B, 12L, and Mango Jeep pass by McDonald’s. We start the hike from our home, which is another kilometer away. When you are from Tisa, Labangon, Banawa or Guadalupe areas, you can start the hike from your homes.

Distance and duration of Celestial Garden hike

1.4 kilometer and about 17 minutes one way.

Stations of the Cross in Cebu

The hiking route itself is not very scenic but you will be rewarded with a view of Cebu City, and the light is golden in the early morning. You will pass by subdivisions, like Paseo de San Ramon and other still-developing subdivisions. You will also be walking past residential housesso expect to meet people. The road is mixed paved and rocky and there will be areas with loose stones, so still wear proper hiking shoes even if it’s an easy hike. I will also recommend that you bring drinking water.

Celestial Gardens is a cemetery that is also popular for the Holy Week Via Crusis because they have Stations of the Cross within the cemetery. It’s a relatively large cemetery so you can walk around the cemetery before going back down. When we first hiked there, it was Black Saturday and there were a lot of trash left from the Good Friday pilgrimage. There is a caretaker who cleans the area but it’s big place so do not be surprised if there are trash.

Early morning is the best time to do the hike because Cebu City is facing the east, meaning the light is golden during sunrise (as opposed to sunset). Many locals climb to Celestial Gardens on Maundy Thursday and sleep there and do the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. Good Friday will be a busy day at the top but it’s not very crowded. You can bring breakfast and enjoy it up the hill while facing the mountain, or buy food from the vendors there during Good Friday (although if not Good Friday, there are no vendors), or treat yourself to a cup of coffee and bread at Pan de Manila or breakfast at McDonald’s when you come down.