Located within the cultural triangle formed by Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandy, Sigiriya stands sentinel as one of the most important cultural sites on the island of Sri Lanka. Imposing, beautiful, and difficult to reach all at once, the great ‘Lion’s Rock,’ is an obvious choice for anyone visiting the island. Spending a full day here back in 2017 wasn’t anywhere near enough. In fact, looking through all of these old photos is enough to make me strap on some boots, book a plane ticket and climb this old rock once more…

get it

The great left over plug from an ancient lava flow, the rock at Sigirya stands stark amidst an otherwise featureless plan in central Sri Lanka. While impressive in it’s own right, the great rock of Sigiriya is also famous for the one-time temple and palace complex that once crowned it’s upper peak. Despite being the most visited tourist location in all of Sri Lanka, the Sigiriya remains a true wonder of the world, and a place that truly needs to be walked upon to be vaguely understood. Evidence around the site suggests that it was used as a rock-shelter mountain monastery from about the 5th century BC, with caves prepared and donated by devotees of the Buddhist Sangha. The complex surrounding the rock (and the reason that it’s famous) was built by King Kasyapa (477–495 CE) whom seemed to be rather frightened of being attacked by the rightful King to Sri Lanka, Moggallana (apparently he stole the throne from him, so, fair enough). To mitigate his fears, King Kasyapa moved the traditional capital of Sri Lanka from it’s then home in Anuradhapura to the more secure location at Sigiriya. Most of the elaborate constructions on the rock summit and around it, including defensive structures, palaces, and gardens, date back to this period. Ironically enough, despite his preparations, King Kasyapa was defeated in 495 CE by Moggallana anyway, who moved the capital back again to Anuradhapura. Sigiriya was then turned back into a Buddhist monastery, which lasted until the 13th or 14th century. So, the history of this rock seems to be one of futile political moves, large scale construction atop ancient volcanic rock, and ultimate defeat. Positive sounding, right?

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

The complex at Sigiriya isn’t located close to any of the major tourist hot spots of the south of Sri Lanka, and is about 2 hours from the nearest major city (Jaffna or Kandy).

The complex of Sigiriya is going to be hot all year round, so I’d advise you to get there (really) early in the day to try and avoid the midday heat and sun. Accordingly, you’ll also want to pack some decent sun protection, water and sun screen. My goodness, I’m sounding like a teacher with this advice, but trust me, you’ll fry without it.

Finally, by Sri Lankan and South Asian standards, visiting Sigiriya is expensive. Real expensive. You’ll pay $25 USD for admission to the site alone, and probably about $40 USD for the entire day. In my opinion, this is my money absolutely well spent, as the experience of being on the rock itself is like no other, but for others, this might be prohibitive in a country where beer costs less than a dollar per litre…

GETTING THERE

Sigiriya sits dead in the centre of Sri Lanka, and is most closely located to the city of Dambulla. A regular bus service runs between Dambulla and Sigirya throughout the day, running every half an hour from the central bus terminal in town (return fare; $1 USD). You could also get from Dambulla to Sigiriya via tuk-tuk, which will take about 40 minutes and cost you about $ 5 USD

However, if coming from Kandy, your best bet is to get in via bus, which leaves from the central terminal in Kandy once per hour. The route will take at least 3 hours and will cost $2 USD return. You could also opt to go with a private tour or on a private tuk-tuk, but be warned that you’ll be paying between $20-40 USD minimum. Sigiriya is also serviced by bus routes from Jaffna (6 hours) and Trincomalee (2.5 hours).

once there

Once you arrive at Sigiriya your best bet is to go via foot. While many will opt to go with a guided tour, my advice is to have a read about the site itself before heading in, and just take yourself on a pedestrian tour. Once you arrive at the central bus stop, you’ll be left to your own devices - so, first step is to head towards the rock itself (if you can’t see it, look harder). There will be a ticket office before entering the site itself where you’ll pay the exorbitant entry fee of $25 USD. Your ticket will be checked approximately twice throughout the wander through Sigiriya, so it’s probably a good bet to pick it up.

Before heading up the rock itself it’s definitely a good idea to buy some water, there won’t be any available once you start exploring the citadel complex, and it’s going to get real hot as you head up the rock. There are about 1200 steps up to the summit, and you’ll ascend about 200m vertically. You’ll probably spend about 2 hours exploring the rock and it’s surrounds at the very least. The surrounding gardens have some excellent spots to explore including a small series of caves, a strange spot with a wasp infestation, and a variety of lovely garden avenues.

Once you feel ready to head up, head to the base of the rock and ascend up the (very) steep staircase. Your tickets will be checked again on the route up. Definitely take note of some of the amazing cave art about half-way up the stairs - there are some amazing frescoes that are truly beautiful. Take note though, taking photos of the frescoes is illegal and thoroughly frowned upon. There are signs everywhere along the stairs up, so don’t say you weren’t warned. Anyone caught taking a photo so will face ejection from the site and a heavy fine. On my way up an irate French woman was shelling out a heavy wad of cash to an unimpressed guard. So, don’t do what she did.

Once you reach the summit you’re free to explore the sprawling remains on the palace complex. Be warned though, this is no Macchu Picchu, and very few structures of any form remain on top. Expect a few crumbling walls, a series of zig-zagging stairways and a few remarkable remains of foundations that detail that massive complex that once stood here. I personally enjoyed the view afforded by being on top of the rock far more than the actual archaeological remains - however, the mirror wall and the remains of a pool were both pretty cool.

why go?

Sigiriya, despite being located a fair distance away from the main tourist areas of the south of Sri Lanka, is absolutely worth the day of detour it will take to cover fully. The site itself is fascinating to explore; walking through the ruins I was struck by the sheer history of the place, the starkness of the rock striking such a dominating form against the skyline. The day itself was amazing, and not once did I feel the need to hire a guide - just walking around the place felt more than enough to get a general understanding. Being beneath the daunting rock itself was captivating, and the views from the top were the best I found in the entire country. Whilst hardly a playground, Sigiriya is an amazing place to spend a few hours, clambering amidst caves, up steep rock faces and through gardens.
Better, yet, Sigiriya is just up the road from the cave temples at Dambulla, another breath taking series of caves to explore, which are easily tacked on to a day trip to Sigiriya, and are well worthy of a stop.

Tell us about your experience at Sigiriya below! Any questions, you know what to do - fire away in the comments below.