How do I get to Simala Shrine from Cebu City?
Short answer
The Simala Shrine - commonly called Simala Church, and formally the Monastery of the Holy Eucharist - is in Barangay Lindogon, Sibonga, about 55 km south of Cebu City, roughly a 1.5-2 hour drive depending on traffic. It’s an easy half-day, and a popular pairing with Carcar’s heritage centre and lechon on the way back.
By public transport, take a southbound Ceres bus from the Cebu South Bus Terminal towards Sibonga, then a habal-habal up to the shrine. Note that weekends and the 13th of each month bring much heavier pilgrim traffic on the southern highway.
The shrine itself is open daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and entry is free, which is the figure that should set your departure time: with 1.5-2 hours of driving each way, leaving Cebu City after about 3:00 PM risks a closed gate, while a 6:30-7:00 AM start puts you there near opening, before the crowds and the heat.
Step by step: Cebu City to Simala Shrine
- 1Pick a quieter day if you can
Weekday mornings are calmest; the 13th of the month and weekends are busiest with pilgrims.
- 2Travel south to Sibonga
About 55 km and 1.5-2 hours by private car down the southern highway.
- 3Reach the shrine at Lindogon
Private cars drive up to the shrine; by bus, take a habal-habal for the final climb from the highway.
- 4Optionally stop in Carcar
Carcar’s heritage plaza and lechon are on the route back - an easy, popular add-on.
Ways to travel, compared
- Private transfer (what we arrange)~1.5-2 hrs
Door-to-door with a waiting driver, easy to combine with Carcar. Fixed half-day price - request a quote.
- Ceres bus + habal-habal~2 hrs+
Southbound Ceres bus from the South Bus Terminal to Sibonga, then a motorbike taxi up to the shrine.
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
It is a ~55 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 Cebu 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.
Cebu City to Simala Shrine: 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.
How far is Simala Church from Cebu City, and how many hours is the drive?
About 55 km south, in Barangay Lindogon, Sibonga - roughly a 1.5-2 hour drive each way. Traffic is heaviest on weekends and on the 13th of each month, when pilgrim numbers rise.
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.
Can I combine Simala with Carcar?
Yes - Carcar’s heritage streets and lechon are on the way back, making a relaxed south-Cebu half-day. We’ll quote a private car with the stops you want.
Is there an entrance fee or dress code?
There’s no entrance fee (donations welcome), and as an active place of worship, modest dress is appreciated inside the shrine.
Can you do the return trip, Simala Shrine back to Cebu City?
Yes - the same private car and driver, Simala Shrine back to Cebu City over the same ~55 km. Ask for both legs in one quote request and we price the round trip together.
What does the price for Cebu City to Simala Shrine 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 to Cebu 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 → Cebu City on the form. Just add your dates and details.
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