Kamay ni Hesus

Kamay ni Hesus began in the 2000s as a healing ministry run by a local priest and grew into one of the busiest pilgrimage sites in southern Luzon. The centrepiece is a hillside climbed by around three hundred steps past life-size sculptural stations of the cross and scenes from the Bible, ending at a large statue of the risen Christ on the summit with a view over Lucban and toward Mount Banahaw. Below are the church, a healing hall where weekly services draw large numbers of people seeking cures, gardens, a replica of Noah's ark used as accommodation, and the retail and food area that inevitably followed. The atmosphere is closer to a devotional theme park than to an old shrine, which some visitors find off-putting and others find is exactly the point. Lucban itself, a few minutes away, is a handsome upland town known for its Pahiyas harvest festival in May and its longganisa.

What you actually see

• The stairway stations - sculptures up the three hundred steps.
• The summit Christ - the large statue over Lucban.
• The healing hall - the weekly services at the base.
• The Banahaw view - the mountain across the valley.

When to go

November to May for the climb in dry weather. Lent and Holy Week are the peak, with very large crowds; weekdays outside those are calm.

Honest expectations

The climb is three hundred steps in open sun with little shade. It is modern, commercial and busy - not a historic shrine. Lent brings crowds that fill the town's roads and parking.

Nearby

Lucban town and Kamay ni Hesus sit below Mount Banahaw; Tayabas basilica is about half an hour away.