Our Lady’s Garden, Sibulan: The Statue Above the Highway, and Whether It Is Open
Our Lady’s Garden is a private hillside garden on the coastal highway in Sibulan, near Sea Forest Resort in Ajong, with a tall white statue of Mary looking out over the Tañon Strait toward Cebu. Whether it still lets visitors in is the open question: the newest dated guide that describes it admitting the public was last updated in February 2018, and Suroy.ph found nothing newer. If you are on the coastal highway north of Dumaguete anyway, stop at Jo’s By the Sea across the road, where tickets used to be sold, and ask, if Jo’s is still trading.
Sibulan · Negros Oriental
Ask before you climb
Tap a tab.
Opposite Jo’s
Where
Sources put the garden on the coastal highway in Sibulan, across the road from Jo’s By the Sea and less than 200 meters from Sea Forest Resort in Ajong. Dumaguete is about 7 to 10 km south. Sibulan is its own town, not part of Dumaguete.
Newest: 2018
The evidence
The newest dated guide that describes the garden admitting visitors was last updated in February 2018. Suroy.ph found no review, listing or news item from 2019 to 2026. Treat it as unconfirmed and ask at Jo’s before you climb.
₱100 adults, 2018
Fees then
In 2018 tickets were ₱100 for adults and ₱50 for children, sold at Jo’s By the Sea. Undated reviews also mention a camera fee. No newer figure exists.
Viewing only
The rules
The 2018 guide is plain about it: no food inside, the grounds are for viewing and meditating only, and the house and swimming pool belong to the owner. It is private land opened to visitors, not a parish or city park.
Bus to Sea Forest
Getting there
In 2018, a northbound bus or Easy Ride from Dumaguete took about 30 minutes for under ₱20; ask to be dropped at Sea Forest, near Jo’s. Those fares are eight years old.
Checked October 29, 2026.
Where it is
The garden is on the right as you head north on the national highway, about 7 to 10 km from Dumaguete, past the Sibulan market and plaza. It sits directly across the road from Jo’s By the Sea and less than 200 meters from Sea Forest Resort, which is in Ajong; no source names the garden’s own barangay. Sibulan is its own municipality, north of the city, and the airport that serves Dumaguete is there too. No published source gives coordinates, so this guide does not print any.
What was there, as last described
The 2018 description is short: a garden raised above the highway, a large statue of Mother Mary, the strait and Cebu on one side and the mountains of Negros Oriental on the other. A 2012 guide put the statue at the top of a well-kept park; a 2011 blog called the shrine a grotto. The guide’s tagline was “where the mountain meets the sea,” and some visitors called the place Mama Mary’s Garden.
Undated reviews mention flowers, a small zoo with peacocks and an ostrich, and a koi pond that had been drained. Some of those may describe Jo’s across the road; Suroy.ph could not separate the two, so treat them as hearsay.
The fees and rules on record
| Item | Last published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Adults | ₱100 | dumaguete.com, updated February 2018 |
| Children | ₱50 | dumaguete.com, updated February 2018 |
| Where to pay | Jo’s By the Sea, across the road | dumaguete.com, 2018 |
| Hours | 8 AM to 6 PM | dumaguete.com, 2018 |
| Camera fee | Mentioned, amount not given | Undated reviews |
Those figures are eight years old. The rules from the same guide are the part most likely to have held: no food inside, the grounds are for viewing and meditation only, and the house and swimming pool on the property are for the owner. This is private land opened to visitors, not a parish shrine or a public park. No source names the owner or says when the statue went up.
Getting there
In 2018 a northbound bus or Easy Ride from Dumaguete took about 30 minutes and cost under ₱20; ask the conductor for Sea Forest, near Jo’s. A chartered tricycle works too. Bring water, a hat or umbrella and shoes that grip, because the path climbs in the open. If you are crossing from Cebu, see Dumaguete from south Cebu; tourism fees in Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor and Dumaguete covers what the islands charge.
Nearby
Up the mountain behind Sibulan, Balinsasayao Twin Lakes is open and costs ₱50. In the city, the Campanario de Dumaguete stands beside the cathedral. For the Marian calendar, see the feast of Mary’s birthday.
A statue facing the sea, waiting for somebody to come up the hill. The Peace tee fits that kind of stop.
Suroy Wear · Statement Series
Frequently asked questions
Is Our Lady’s Garden in Sibulan still open?
Unconfirmed. The newest dated guide describing it open to visitors was updated in February 2018. Ask at Jo’s By the Sea across the road before climbing.
How much is the entrance fee?
₱100 for adults and ₱50 for children in 2018, sold at Jo’s By the Sea. No newer figure has been published.
Where exactly is Our Lady’s Garden?
On the coastal highway in Ajong, Sibulan, across from Jo’s By the Sea and under 200 meters from Sea Forest Resort, about 7 to 10 km north of Dumaguete.
Can you bring food?
No. The 2018 rules ban food inside; the grounds are for viewing and meditation only.
How do you get there from Dumaguete?
Take a northbound bus or Easy Ride and get off at Sea Forest, near Jo’s, about 30 minutes in 2018.
Location, fees and rules from dumaguete.com (last updated 13 February 2018), PH Tour Guide (29 September 2012) and Travelspeedx (20 August 2011); undated visitor reviews on menukort. No 2019 to 2026 source found. Checked 29 October 2026.
