How far is it from Carcar to Simala Shrine?
Short answer
Simala Shrine is about 18 km further south of Carcar on the same highway - roughly a 30 minute drive. Since both towns sit on the one road, most visitors treat this as a single short hop rather than two separate trips: shrine first while it is cool, then Carcar for lechon on the way back.
There is no dedicated bus between the two - any southbound Ceres bus running the Cebu-Sibonga highway passes through both, but it drops you on the road rather than at either destination, and Simala still needs a habal-habal for the final climb up from the highway.
A private car makes the combination easy: your driver waits at each stop, so you are not timing your visit around a public bus schedule in either direction.
Step by step: Carcar City to Simala Shrine (Sibonga)
- 1Start from Carcar
Whether you are coming from the heritage plaza or just passing through, the highway south continues straight towards Sibonga.
- 2Drive the short highway leg
About 18 km and 30 minutes by private car, continuing south past Carcar towards Sibonga.
- 3Climb up to the shrine grounds
A short turn off the highway and up the hill to Simala Shrine itself, where your driver can wait through the visit.
Ways to travel, compared
- Private transfer (what we arrange)~30 min
Direct, with a waiting driver at either end - easy to run as one loop with Carcar and back. Fixed price - request a quote.
- Ceres bus + habal-habal (public)~45-60 min
A southbound Ceres bus covers the highway leg, but drops you on the road; Simala still needs a habal-habal up from there.
When Simala Shrine is open, and what to expect at the gate
- Opening hours
- Daily, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Entrance fee
- Free - the shrine is kept up by donations
- Daily mass
- 12:00 noon, every day. Saturday, Sunday and the 13th differ - see below
- Dress code
- Shoulders and knees covered, for men and women. It is checked at the gate, and visitors are turned away
- Quietest time
- A weekday morning, soon after the 8:00 AM opening
- Busiest days
- Weekends, the 13th of every month, and 8 September - the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
- Plan the drive around the 5:00 PM close, not around the distance. From Cebu City this run is ~55 km but 1.5-2 hours in real traffic, so leaving after about 3:00 PM risks arriving at a shut gate - and the southern highway is slowest on exactly the weekends and 13ths when most people go.
- Leave Cebu City around 6:30-7:00 AM and you arrive close to opening, which is both the coolest part of the day and the emptiest the shrine gets.
- The 13th of the month is a genuine pilgrimage day, not a quiet one: expect heavy highway traffic south of Carcar and a full car park.
- Mass times outside the daily noon service are reported differently by different sources - Saturday is variously given as 10:30 AM, and the Sunday afternoon and 13th-of-the-month services as 3:00 PM or 3:30 PM. We are not printing a time we cannot stand behind; if you are travelling for a particular mass, confirm it with the shrine before you set out and we will time the car to it.
- Shoes come off before the adoration area, and photography is fine outdoors but not inside the chapel or during mass.
Add stops on the way to Simala Shrine (Sibonga)
It is a ~18 km drive, and you do not have to do it in one go. The car is yours for the journey and the driver waits wherever you stop, so a waterfall, an old church or a long lunch can sit in the middle of the run rather than costing you a separate day. List the stops you want in the quote request and we price the day, not the hop.
- 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 Carcar City → Simala Shrine (Sibonga). Put the stops you want in the notes box and we'll come back with one all-in price.
What the quote covers
- 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
- 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.
Carcar City to Simala Shrine (Sibonga): FAQs
What time does Simala Shrine open and close?
Simala Shrine is open daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and entry is free. Because the drive from Cebu City is 1.5-2 hours, leaving much after 3:00 PM risks arriving to a closed gate - a weekday morning departure around 6:30-7:00 AM gets you there near opening, when it is quietest.
What time is mass at Simala Shrine?
There is a mass at 12:00 noon every day. Saturday, Sunday afternoon and the 13th of each month run to a different schedule, and published sources disagree on the exact times, so confirm with the shrine if you are travelling for a particular mass - we will time the car around it.
Is there a dress code at Simala Shrine?
Yes, and it is enforced at the gate: shoulders and knees covered, for men and women. Shoes come off before the adoration area. Photography is fine outdoors but not inside the chapel or during mass.
Is Simala Church the same as Simala Shrine, and where is Sibonga?
One place, several names. Formally it is the Monastery of the Holy Eucharist, also known as the Our Lady of Lindogon Shrine, and it is commonly called either the Simala Shrine or the Simala Parish Church - so "Simala Church" and "Simala Shrine" are the same building. It stands in Barangay Lindogon in the municipality of Sibonga, which is why an address says Sibonga while directions say Simala: they are the same stop on the southern highway.
How far is Carcar from Simala Shrine?
About 18 km, roughly a 30 minute drive by private car. Carcar sits directly on the road to Simala, so the two are very commonly combined into one trip.
How many hours from Carcar to Simala?
Well under an hour - about 30 minutes by private car for the 18 km. It is one of the shortest hops on the southern highway.
How far is Sibonga from Carcar?
Simala Shrine itself sits in Lindogon, Sibonga, so this is the same 18 km / 30 minute drive - Sibonga town and the shrine are effectively the same stop on the southern highway.
Can I visit Carcar and Simala Shrine in one trip?
Yes - they are the most commonly paired stops in south Cebu. Most visitors do the shrine first while it is cool, then Carcar for lechon on the way back.
Is there a bus from Carcar to Simala Shrine?
A southbound Ceres bus covers the highway leg between the two, but it drops you on the road rather than at the shrine - you still need a habal-habal for the final climb.
Can you do the return trip, Simala Shrine (Sibonga) back to Carcar City?
Yes - the same private car and driver, Simala Shrine (Sibonga) back to Carcar City over the same ~18 km. Ask for both legs in one quote request and we price the round trip together.
What does the price for Carcar City to Simala Shrine (Sibonga) 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.
Simala Shrine (Sibonga) to Carcar City
We run this route in both directions, with the same car and driver. Ask for both legs in one request and we'll price the round trip together.
We'll pre-fill Simala Shrine (Sibonga) → Carcar City on the form. Just add your dates and details.
Related Cebu routes
Planning more of the trip? These are the routes travellers most often pair with this one.