Cebu.travel
The white colonnaded Temple of Leah on a ridge in the Cebu City highlands
Private transfer · route guide

How do I get from Mactan-Cebu Airport to Temple of Leah, Sirao & Tops?

Private vehicle and driver, with fuel, tolls and parking included

Drive time
45-60 minutes by private car
Distance
~20-25 km
Vehicle
Up to 12 per van
Pickup
Meet at arrivals

The short answer

Mactan-Cebu Airport (CEB) to Cebu Highlands (Temple of Leah, Sirao & Tops)

From Mactan-Cebu International Airport it’s about 20-25 km up to the Busay highlands above Cebu City, home to Temple of Leah, the Sirao flower garden and the Tops lookout - roughly 45-60 minutes by private car. That makes it an easy add-on straight off a flight, before check-in or on the way back for a final sunset before a late departure.

The longer answer

There’s no single bus or jeepney route linking the airport to the highland sights, and the roads up top are steep and winding with no direct public transport between Temple of Leah, Sirao and Tops themselves. A private car that meets you at arrivals and handles the whole loop is by far the easiest way in.

Rows of bright celosia flowers at Sirao Garden in the Cebu City highlands
Rows of bright celosia flowers at Sirao Garden in the Cebu City highlands

The route

Where the road goes

Mactan-Cebu Airport (CEB) → Cebu Highlands (Temple of Leah, Sirao & Tops) - Mactan Airport and Cebu Highlands on the real map, drawn from official boundary data.

Step by step

Step by step: Mactan-Cebu Airport (CEB) to Cebu Highlands (Temple of Leah, Sirao & Tops)

  1. 1
    Meet your driver at arrivals

    A private transfer meets you with a name board at Mactan-Cebu airport - no queueing or negotiating.

  2. 2
    Cross off Mactan and climb into Busay

    The route crosses one of the Mactan bridges, skirts Cebu City and climbs the Busay road into the highlands, about 20-25 km and 45-60 minutes total.

  3. 3
    Loop Temple of Leah, Sirao & Tops - gardens first, Tops last

    Your driver waits at each stop while you take in the temple, the flower fields and the ridge-top view. Run it in that order if you want sunset: the Sirao flower gardens close in the early evening, and Tops is the one that stays open around the clock.

  4. 4
    Continue to your hotel, or back to the airport

    Drop-off at your Cebu City or Mactan hotel, or timed for a later flight if you’d rather do the loop on arrival or departure day.

Your options

Ways to travel, compared

  • Airport transfer + highlands loop (what we arrange)
    ~45-60 min up

    Meet-and-greet at arrivals, then straight up to Temple of Leah, Sirao and Tops in a private air-conditioned vehicle. Fixed price for any flight time - request a quote.

  • Taxi / habal-habal (public)
    ~45-60 min +

    No direct route from the airport links the three sights, so visitors usually charter a taxi or motorbike for each leg - slower and less comfortable than one private car for the loop.

Landing at Mactan-Cebu Airport: when the drive can actually start

Clearing an international arrival
Allow about an hour from landing to the arrivals exit at Terminal 2 - immigration, then the bag. Thirty minutes happens on a quiet mid-day flight, but an hour is the number to plan against
Clearing a domestic arrival
Faster: Terminal 1 has no immigration queue, so it is the baggage belt or nothing. Hand luggage only and you can be at the kerb within about 15 minutes
Which terminal you land in
Terminal 2 for every international flight, Terminal 1 for every domestic one. They stand side by side with no airside link, so an international-to-domestic connection means clearing immigration, collecting your bag and checking in again
When the road clock starts
At the arrivals exit, not at the landing time. Every drive time on this site is measured from the kerb, so add the clearance to it before you plan the far end
What time we will meet you
Any hour, including the small hours - that part of the promise is real. We hold the driver against your actual landing time rather than the scheduled one, which is why the flight number matters more than a pickup time you have guessed
What stops running late
The MyBus airport shuttle finishes around 9:40 PM, so a late landing has no budget option into the city - it is a taxi, a Grab or a pre-booked car
5 planning notes
  • Work the sum forwards, not backwards, on an arrival. Landing time, plus about an hour to clear if you are international, plus the drive: a 10:30 PM international landing puts you on the road about 11:30 PM, so a 3-3.5 hour run south reaches Moalboal between about 2:30 and 3:00 AM. That is a real trip and we run it - it is worth knowing it is the trip you are booking.
  • Tell your accommodation the hour you will actually arrive, not the hour you land. A small-hours check-in is the part of a late arrival that most often goes wrong, and it is the one part we cannot fix from the car.
  • If the far end of your trip has a morning gate, a late landing usually means starting the next day rather than pushing through the night - Kawasan canyoneering, the Osmena Peak sunrise, the Oslob whale sharks, the Simala gate and the Carcar lechon market all have clocks, and a night drive to arrive before one of them costs you the sleep and buys you nothing.
  • Domestic connections through CEB are the case to leave real slack for, because the terminal switch is landside: clear immigration in Terminal 2, collect your bag, cross to Terminal 1 and check in from scratch. On separate tickets the airline does not protect the connection at all.
  • Send the flight number with your quote request and we watch the arrival, so a delayed plane moves the pickup instead of costing you the car. On a late landing that matters more than on any other run - there is no next bus to fall back on.
Flying in from abroad? File the free eTravel form before you board

When Temple of Leah, Sirao and Tops are open

Tops lookout
Open around the clock - the one stop that always works for sunset and city lights
Sirao flower gardens
Daytime only. The two side-by-side gardens close roughly between 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM, depending on the garden and the day of the week
Temple of Leah
Shortened hours announced in April 2026, with no fixed replacement schedule published - confirm on the day rather than plan an after-dark visit
Order for a sunset day
Gardens and temple first, Tops last. A sunset-first plan arrives at a shut garden
Entrance fees
Each site runs and charges its own, paid on the day. Not part of the transport quote
2 planning notes
  • The three sights are separately run and their hours do not match, which is the thing to plan around - not the 30-45 minute climb from the city.
  • Tell us in the quote request what time you want to be at Tops, and the pickup is worked back from it so the gardens are still open when you reach them. Your driver checks the gates on the day before you commit to an order.
Want more than a transfer?

Add stops on the way to Cebu Highlands (Temple of Leah, Sirao & Tops)

Landing with time to spare before you need to be at Cebu Highlands (Temple of Leah, Sirao & Tops)? Your driver can meet the flight, keep your luggage in the vehicle while you stop for lunch or a look around, and still have you there for the hour you name. Send us your flight and the time you need to arrive, and the gap gets built into the quote instead of spent at the terminal.

  • The car waits wherever you stop
  • Luggage stays in the vehicle
  • Fuel, tolls and parking included
  • Entrance fees paid locally, as you go

We'll pre-fill Mactan-Cebu Airport (CEB) → Cebu Highlands (Temple of Leah, Sirao & Tops). Add each one to the "Stops along the way" field on the form - it takes them in order - and we come back with one all-in price.

What the quote covers

Included
  • A private air-conditioned car or van with an English-speaking local driver for the whole journey
  • Door-to-door pickup and drop-off at the exact addresses you give us, not a meeting point
  • Fuel, tolls and parking
  • Waiting time and any extra stops you tell us about up front, priced into the quote rather than added afterwards
  • One fixed all-in price for the trip, agreed in writing before you travel
Paid locally, not in our quote
  • Entrance, activity, guide and boat fees at places you choose to stop (paid locally)
  • Meals and personal spending
  • Accommodation, including a driver overnight on a multi-day trip unless we have set it out in the quote
  • Inter-island ferry and boat crossings, unless we have set them out in the quote

We never invent activity or entrance prices - you pay those directly on the ground.

Good to know

Mactan-Cebu Airport (CEB) to Cebu Highlands (Temple of Leah, Sirao & Tops): FAQs

How do I get from Mactan airport to Temple of Leah?

There’s no direct public bus or jeepney, but a private transfer goes straight from the airport up to Temple of Leah, Sirao and Tops in about 45-60 minutes - the simplest option straight off a flight.

Can I do the highlands loop before checking in, or before a late flight out?

Yes - it’s a popular add-on either way: a half-day loop on arrival before heading to your hotel, or one last sunset at Tops before a late departure. Send your flight details with your quote request.

How long is the drive from Mactan airport up to Temple of Leah and the highlands?

Roughly 45-60 minutes for the 20-25 km, crossing off Mactan island and climbing the winding Busay road above Cebu City.

Can you do the return trip, Cebu Highlands (Temple of Leah, Sirao & Tops) back to Mactan-Cebu Airport (CEB)?

Yes - the same private car and driver, the other way round over the same ~20-25 km. Send us your flight time with the quote request and we work the pickup back from it, so you reach Mactan-Cebu Airport (CEB) with time to spare instead of guessing. Most people book both legs at once. If the way back ends somewhere other than where you started, say where in the Anything else? box on the quote form and we quote that leg instead of the reverse of this one. If a flight ends the trip as well as starting it, the form holds one flight number - put the other one in the Anything else? box with its date and time, and we time that pickup to the check-in.

What does the price for Mactan-Cebu Airport (CEB) to Cebu Highlands (Temple of Leah, Sirao & Tops) include?

The quote is one fixed all-in price for the trip, agreed in writing before you travel, and fuel, tolls and parking are inside it - along with any waiting time or extra stops you tell us about when you ask. What stays separate is what you would choose anyway: entrance, activity and boat fees at the places you stop, your meals, and your accommodation. We do not invent activity prices, so those you pay directly on the ground.

Can I compare options, or have the price split out?

One fixed all-in price for the journey, agreed in writing before you travel, with fuel, tolls, parking and waiting time already inside it. If it would help you decide, ask and we will also quote the alternatives next to it - a larger vehicle against two smaller ones for a group that is on the edge of a van, or the road leg quoted on its own where part of your journey crosses water you are booking yourself. On a trip of several legs we will price them individually as well as together if you want to see where the cost sits. Entrance, activity and boat fees at the places you stop stay outside our figure and are paid locally, and we never mark them up. Say how you want it broken up in the box marked "Anything else?".

Do you book the whale sharks or the canyoneering for us, or do we buy those on the day?

The drive, the driver and the waiting time are ours and they are in the quote. Whatever is sold at the far end is bought there: whale-shark watching is registered in person at the Oslob desk and cannot be booked ahead by us or by anyone, canyoneering is booked on the day with the licensed Alegria operators, and falls entrances and the Moalboal environmental fee are paid at the gate. The exception is Sumilon, where the day-use pass must be reserved with the resort before you travel. So the thing worth getting right in the quote is the arrival time rather than a reservation, and that is the part we plan. Say which activity you are going for in the box marked "Anything else?" and the pickup is timed back from its window.

How much notice do you need - can I book this for tomorrow?

Usually yes. There is no minimum notice on this route and no cut-off hour, so a request for tomorrow, or for later today, is worth sending rather than writing off. What settles it is whether a vetted driver is free for the time you need, and you will have the answer and the price by email the same day, usually within a few hours. A very early start is routine here rather than a complication. The part that gets harder with less notice is choice - holding a particular vehicle size or an exact pickup hour - not whether the journey can happen, so send the date and, if the timing is tight, the hour you need to be moving.

Do I pay anything up front, and when do I pay the rest?

Nothing to ask for a quote. Once you are happy with the price it is two steps, not a choice between two: a booking fee paid online (card, bank transfer or GCash) confirms the trip and is what gets you your written confirmation, then the balance goes directly to your driver at the end of the journey. The fee is part of the all-in figure you agreed rather than an extra on top of it, and your quote states it before you pay. Free cancellation up to 72 hours before pickup refunds the fee in full.

Do you need my flight number - what if the flight is not booked yet?

You do not need it to get a quote on this run, and most people asking for it do not have one yet. Give us the date and roughly when you expect to land or take off and we will quote it and time the drive from that, because the drive time on this page is measured from the arrivals exit rather than from the landing. Send the flight number by reply when the ticket is issued and we set the pickup to that flight, and from then on we watch the arrival so a delay moves the pickup instead of costing you the car. Retiming it that way is confirmed subject to driver availability rather than automatic, which is why it is worth sending as soon as you have it rather than on the day.

Do you have child seats, and do I need to ask in advance?

Yes, and on an airport run it is the one thing worth saying in the quote request rather than at the kerb. We fit child seats, but they are arranged in advance rather than carried as standard, so arrivals is the worst place to find out one is missing. Philippine law (RA 11229) sets the requirement by height rather than age: a child needs a restraint until they reach 150 cm, and the seat has to suit their age, height and weight, so one generic seat does not cover a family of different sizes. It also changes which vehicle meets you, because a child seat occupies a seat and a folded stroller travels as luggage - a family of four with two seats and a pushchair wants a van rather than a sedan even though it is only four people. You are welcome to bring your own seat and it still counts as luggage when we size the vehicle. Tick "We need a child seat" on the quote form and put the ages, heights and weights in "Anything bulky?" - that is what decides which seats we fit.

Travelling the other way?

Cebu Highlands (Temple of Leah, Sirao & Tops) to Mactan-Cebu Airport (CEB)

We run this route in both directions. For the trip back you tell us your flight time, and we work the pickup back from it, so you get to the airport with room to spare rather than watching the clock on the road.

We'll pre-fill Cebu Highlands (Temple of Leah, Sirao & Tops) → Mactan-Cebu Airport (CEB) on the form. Just add your dates and details.

Coming back to somewhere else - a different town, the airport, a pier for an onward boat? Say where in the Anything else? box on the form and we price the return to that instead of back to the start.

If the leg back is the one that catches a flight, give us that flight too - the quote form takes one flight number, so the second one goes in the Anything else? box, and we time that pickup to the check-in rather than to the clock.

Get a quote

Quote Mactan-Cebu Airport (CEB) to Cebu Highlands (Temple of Leah, Sirao & Tops)

We have filled in the route. Change anything, add your date and group, and we reply by email with one fixed, all-in price.

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Travellers

What guests tell us

  • ★★★★★

    “Landed at midnight and our driver was right there with a sign. Smooth ride to Moalboal and the price was exactly as quoted. So much less stressful than sorting it at the airport.”

    HHannah & TomCanada · Airport to Moalboal
  • ★★★★★

    “Booked an Oslob day trip for my parents from abroad. Everything was arranged by email before they flew. They felt safe the whole way, exactly what I hoped for.”

    JJoan R.OFW, Dubai · Oslob tour
  • ★★★★★

    “We needed a van and driver for three days of island hopping. Clear pricing, friendly driver, and flexible when our plans changed. Would book again in a heartbeat.”

    MMarco D.Australia · Multi-day tour
  • ★★★★★

    “Quoted a Kawasan Falls trip on a Sunday and had a fixed all-in price within the hour. No haggling, no surprises on the day. Exactly what we needed with two young kids.”

    PPriya S.Singapore · Kawasan Falls
  • ★★★★★

    “Our driver waited patiently while our flight was delayed two hours and still got us to the hotel relaxed and safe. Honest people who clearly take pride in the service.”

    DDaniel K.South Korea · Mactan to Cebu City
  • ★★★★★

    “Organised a whole Bantayan Island weekend for our family group chat from Manila. One contact, one price, zero stress. The kids loved the driver.”

    RRhea M.Manila · Bantayan weekend
  • ★★★★★

    “Booked from the US for our honeymoon and were nervous about transport. They answered every question fast and the car was spotless. Felt looked after the whole trip.”

    AAshley & BenUSA · Honeymoon transfers