Best Places to Visit in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

Hiking at Incredible Sigiriya Rock

Sigiriya Rock or Lion Rock is the main thing to do in Sri Lanka, an iconic place listed as one of the world’s wonders and a UNESCO world heritage. It is believed that Sigiriya Rock’s origin goes around billion years back formed of magma of an extinct volcano.

You can see the remains of the king’s castle that once sat inconveniently on the top of this massive column of Rock, which is tall around 200 meters.

The Sigiriya Rock is surrounded by a pretty garden, which is very pleasant to visit, and from where you are lead to the lion staircase that goes towards the top of the fortress. But you’ll have to climb up 1200 steps to reach the top.

History says that the Sigiriya Rock was once a monastery in the 3rd century BC, but later towards the second half of the 5th century, the king had built the fortress.

30 USD is charged from foreigners as the entrance fee to Sigiriya, which is open for visitors from 7 am to 5 pm. If possible, early or in the late afternoon will be the best time to climb up without being interrupted by the heat and the crowds.

Hiking at Marvalous Pidirangala Rock

Pidurangala Rock is another popular attraction you must visit at Sigiriya, which is less expensive than Sigiriya. This is a popular viewing spot that lets you watch the sunrise and gives breathtaking 360-degree views, including the surrounding forestland and surprising view of the lion rock.

At the base of Pidurangala rock, there is a Pidurangala temple where you are required to pay just a USD 3 or Rs 500 of entrance fee, much lower cost than Sigiriya entrance. If you are traveling on a cheaper budget, you can go straight to Pidurangala.

To walk around the temple, make sure to bring a sarong, scarf, or a cloth to cover your shoulders and knees unless you will have to rent one from a roadside stand, which will cost around 100 LKR.

The journey to the top of Pidurangala rock is about 30 minutes long. The walk will give you chances to see some monkeys, lizards, and snakes. The trail is all stairs until the last short distance where you must climb over some boulders.

The walk to Pidurangala is a bit of adventure because of the narrow and rough path. Therefore make sure to wear good shoes to climb up there and don’t expect dangerous sections but few boulders which require a big step up.

Many travelers choose to take the trail to Pidurangala rock early in the morning to catch the sunrise and then head to Sigiriya rock to watch the sunset, whereas some people take the other way round, switching the two views.

See Elephants at Minneriya National Park

Are you an elephant lover? Minneriya Park is the best place to go for a safari in Sigiriya Sri Lanka and the best place to visit wild elephants. You can see wild Elephants around 350 of a pack gather in one place in this park between July to September, and the park is known to be the largest Asian Elephant gathering.

Although Minneriya National park is not a large one compared to Yala or Udawalawe National park, it is the largest haven of wild elephants in Sri Lanka, where the elephant lovers can given a chance to witness hundreds of elephants at a glance while in a safari.

Minneriya Park serves as the main feeding ground for wild elephants in Matale, Polonnaruwa, and Trincomalee regions during the dry season in Sri Lanka. Apart from that, it is a residence for lots of other wildlife (especially birds and crocodiles)

Visit Minneriya National Park to witness elephants in all their glory. It’s only a 30 minutes drive from Sigiriya. You’ll have to hire a jeep for the half-day safari (3hour) in the morning or evening to see around the park.

Stay a Night at Jeffery Bawa made hotel Kandalama

The Heritance Kandalama honored to be the first Green Globe 21 certified hotel in Asia and also hailed the first hotel to awarded the prestigious LEED Green Building certification. It is a true masterpiece of Sri Lanka’s famous architect, Geoffrey Bawa, who considered it “an austere jungle palace.”

Kandalama hotel stands to be Bawa’s one of the most significant designs that clearly depicts his talent in creating useful spatial sequences and architectural narrative. The interior is minimalist in style, and the building itself shows his mastery. These designs harmlessly blend with the landscape and compromise with the tranquil environment.

Hotel surrounding is totally the serene wilderness in which numerous species of birds, butterflies, monkeys, spotted deer, and wild boars live. It’s no wonder the hotel has won several environmental awards.

Kandalama Hotel is a perfect example to showcase how tourist facilities can be united into an undeveloped setting successfully.

Heritance Kandalama is full of luxury, which is about a kilometer long and consists of 152 luxury rooms. Each room gives you a pleasant nature view facing either to Kamdalama lake or the forest. Bawa’s designs allow you to get along with the magnificent views of the ancient Sigiriya rock, the surrounding mountains, and the Kandalama reservoir.

Visit Dambulla Cave Temple

Dambulla Cave Temple or the Golden Temple is a world heritage site known to be the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex you can visit in Sri Lanka. It is reachable within 20 minutes drive from Sigiriya. The Cave temple dates back to the first century BCE, and even today, the Dambulla cave monastery is still functional.

160 m above from the temple compound, you can find The Rock Temple complex that gives you eye-catching views of the area. The main attraction is the cave complex, which includes 5 different sized caves with Buddha statues and paintings.

All caves comprised of 157 impressive Buddha statues, statues of Gods, Goddesses, and Sri Lankan kings. Covering a surface area of 2,100 m² of the cave walls and ceiling, you can see the paintings of murals related to Buddha.

Before you start the 800 steps upward the temple, you will have to grab a ticket from the counter at the bottom of the temple area. The entrance fee to the temple costs 1500 rupees per person. The hike up to the top is not much challenging, which will take 15 minutes.

The experience is worth it when you follow the disciplinary plan where you will have to take off the shoes before entering the cave temple complex. You can secure your shoes, paying 25 rupees to the attendant outside, who will keep a look until the end of your visit. Also, both men and women are requested to remove the hats and cover the legs and shoulders.

Amazing Hot Air Ballooning Ride

If you have never experienced a ride in a Hot Air Baloon, you can make this is the best chance once in a lifetime to experience in a Hot Air Baloon. Exclusively in Sigiriya, the Baloon ride in Sri Lanka is a great way to calmly feel the thrill of a flight with a bird’s eye view over the prestigious area of Sigiriya.

Hot Air Ballooning starts between 5:45-6:00 am, and the team will wait at the Kandalama grounds from where the balloon will be set off to the sky. After you are on board, the chief pilot will do a 15-minute short briefing about the safety while the balloon is being lifted up.

The balloon ride will cost USD 210 per person. The balloon ride will be available between December to March due to the weather conditions.

Rose Quarters Mountains

Want to have a different experience in Sigiriya? The visit to Rose Quartz mountain is the answer. This mountain area is famed as the largest ironwood forest in Asia named “Jathika Namal Uyana ” in Sinhala. It located closer to Dambulla, this an ancient forest sanctuary that makes the path to the rose quartz mountain.

Quartz crystals can be found commonly around the world. What makes this deposit a unique one is because it hailed as the largest rose quartz deposit in Asia. Your expedition is made interesting where you walk through a forest encountering some ruins and then lead up to the mountain made entirely of rose quartz.

You can not expect a mountain in a bright pink colour, but it does have a dusty rose colour, and you will see rose quartz beneath your feet anywhere you step.

The location of Rose quartz mountain is “Jathika Namal Uyana” and one hour drive from Sigiriya will take you to the base of the mountain.

Mountain hiking will require you to pay USD 5. The hike will be about an hour-long, which is not very hard, but wearing shoes with a good grip will prevent you slip in some steep areas.

Enjoy Hiriwadunna Lake and Village Safari

Hiriwadunna Village Tour is a beautiful experience you can have at Sigiriya Sri Lanka. You can study how people spend their lives in the village. Also, you can witness how people make their livelihoods, fishing, and more wildlife. You will grab a chance to eat home-cooked lunch with a village taste made by the people in the village.

First, you can experience a cart ride around the village. A carriage dragged by a cow will be a very slow, bumpy yet a joyful ride until you meet the lake.

Next, your experience will be a ride on a catamaran boat, a tiny wooden boat you can go through the lake while enjoying the beautiful views and watching birds.

Once you finish the catamaran ride, you can spectate a house made of mud. Here you will be able to get an excellent experience in a local woman’s home with a short cooking demonstration, which turns into a delightful tasting session of local food. Finally, you can finish the village expedition with a unique tuk-tuk ride.