How do I do a Simala Shrine and Carcar day tour from Cebu?
A castle-like pilgrimage shrine and a heritage lechon town, both on the same southern highway.
Short answer
Simala Shrine, formally the Monastery of the Holy Eucharist, is a striking castle-like church in Lindogon, Sibonga, about 55 km (roughly 1.5 to 2 hours) south of Cebu City. Carcar, a heritage town famous for its Spanish-era plaza, ancestral houses and above all its lechon, sits about 40 km out on the same southern highway, closer to the city than Simala. Because both stops are on the same road and neither takes a full day, they combine naturally into one relaxed half-day trip.
Most travellers visit the shrine first, then stop in Carcar on the way back for a lechon lunch and a walk through the heritage plaza. Entry to Simala is free (donations welcome), and modest dress is expected since it is an active place of worship. A private car makes the pairing easy: your driver goes straight to Sibonga, waits through the visit, then swings through Carcar on the return leg rather than a separate round trip for each.
We arrange the private vehicle, driver and the half-day itinerary as a fixed-price quote. Lunch at Carcar’s lechon stalls is paid directly on the ground, and any donation at the shrine is entirely optional, so nothing beyond the car and driver is included in the price. We never invent those figures.
The day, stop by stop
- 1Morning pickup from your hotelmorning start
Your driver collects you from Cebu City, Mactan or your resort and heads south on the highway for the roughly 1.5 to 2 hour drive to Simala Shrine in Sibonga.
- 2Simala Shrinelate morning
Time to walk the castle-like grounds and gardens at your own pace. Entry is free and donations are welcome; modest dress (shoulders and knees covered) is appreciated since it is an active place of worship. Your driver waits nearby.
- 3Carcar on the way backmidday
Heading north, your driver stops in Carcar, about 40 km from the city and closer than Simala, for a heritage plaza walk (ancestral houses, the church, the rotunda) and a lechon lunch at the public-market stalls.
- 4Drop-off back in Cebu City or Mactanafternoon
Your driver brings you home, or on to the airport, at an easy pace once you are ready.
What the quote covers
- Private air-conditioned car or van with an English-speaking local driver for the half day
- Hotel or airport pickup and drop-off
- Fuel, tolls and parking, with your driver waiting at both Simala and Carcar
- A flexible stop order: shrine first or lechon first, your call
- Lechon lunch in Carcar, paid directly at the public-market stalls
- Any donation at Simala Shrine (entirely optional, there is no entrance fee)
- Meals beyond lunch and personal spending
We never invent activity or entrance prices - you pay those directly on the ground.
End the day somewhere else
This page is written as a round trip from Cebu because that is how most people run it, but it does not have to be one. The car and driver are yours for the day you book, so the Simala Shrine & Carcar half-day tour can sit in the middle of a move rather than costing you a separate one: picked up at your Cebu hotel in the morning, your bags staying in the vehicle while you are out, and dropped at a different hotel or town that evening. Tell us where you want to finish when you request the quote and we price the day that way.
- 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 & Carcar. Put the hotel or town you want to finish at in the notes box - and if you are checking out that morning, say how many bags, so the right vehicle is sent.
Private day tour vs doing it yourself
- Private half-day tour (car & driver, ours)half day, flexible
One vehicle and driver just for you, straight to Simala and back through Carcar with no separate round trips. The easiest way to see both in one relaxed outing.
- DIY by Ceres bus + habal-habal2+ hours each way, two separate legs
A southbound Ceres bus from the Cebu South Bus Terminal reaches Carcar directly on the highway, but Simala needs a further habal-habal (motorbike taxi) up from Sibonga. Doable as two separate stops, but slower and less flexible than one private car doing both.
Simala Shrine & Carcar half-day tour: FAQs
Can I visit Simala Shrine and Carcar in one day?
Yes, easily. They sit on the same southern highway, with Carcar (about 40 km out) closer to Cebu City than Simala (about 55 km). Neither stop takes a full day, so most visitors do both as one relaxed half-day trip, with Carcar as the natural stop on the way back.
Is there an entrance fee at Simala Shrine?
No. Entry is free; donations are welcome but entirely optional. As an active place of worship, modest dress (shoulders and knees covered) is appreciated.
What is Carcar known for?
Its heritage plaza and Spanish-era ancestral houses, and above all its food - Carcar lechon and chicharon are some of the most famous in the province. Many visitors come specifically for the heritage walk and a lechon lunch.
What does the quote cover, and what do I pay locally?
Our fixed-price quote covers the private car or van, the driver, fuel, tolls, parking and hotel or airport pickup and drop-off for the half day, with the driver waiting at both stops. Lunch at Carcar and any donation at Simala are paid directly on the ground. We never invent those prices.
When is the best day to go?
Weekday mornings are calmest at both stops. Weekends and the 13th of each month bring heavier pilgrim traffic on the southern highway into Simala, so a weekday visit is the easiest version of the trip if your schedule allows it.
How do I book?
Send the quote request with your date, pickup point and group size. We reply by email, usually within a few hours, with a clear all-in price for the car and driver. No payment to enquire, no obligation.
Can the Simala Shrine & Carcar half-day tour finish somewhere other than where it started?
Yes - tell us where you want to end up when you ask for the quote and we price the day that way. This page is written as a round trip out of Cebu because that is how most people run it, but the car and driver are yours for the day you book, so the day can sit in the middle of a move instead of costing you a separate transfer: picked up at your Cebu hotel in the morning, your bags staying in the vehicle while you are out, and dropped at a different hotel or town that evening. The car waits wherever you stop; Luggage stays in the vehicle; Fuel, tolls and parking included; Entrance fees paid locally, as you go. Put the hotel or town you want to finish at in the notes box, and if you are checking out that morning say how many bags, so the right vehicle is sent.