Travel to Sigiriya

the hike up to the fortress is a major highlight

The Sigiriya area is located in northcentral Sri Lanka, around 150 km to the northeast of the coastal capital of Colombo.

Sigiriya itself is an ancient fortress which dates from around 480 AD and is dramatically situated atop a sheer-sided rocky outcrop. The ascent to the top includes 1200 stone-cut steps and can be extremely arduous in hot weather. Along the way you will pass 1000-year-old graffiti and the giant stone paws of a lion (after which the place is named). If the climb is too much, there are some pretty gardens and a museum at the foot of the rock.

Around 15 km southwest of Sigiriya lies the Dambulla area, which is renowned for its rock-cut temples, dating back to around 50 BC. The caves are accessed via a flight of 364 steps and inside they feature impressive murals and statues dedicated to the Buddhist faith, including a colossal 52 metre long statue of the reclining Buddha himself. The experience can be very atmospheric, as you mingle with devout pilgrims making offerings. If the steps feel like too much of an obstacle, you can instead head for the lesser known Aluvihare Cave Temple, which lies 40 km further south towards Kandy.

Around 30 km to the east of Sigiriya lies the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, which dates to around 950 AD. The ruins are again extremely impressive and are a pleasure to explore, being set out in an enormous area of formal gardens and forest.

It’s really important to realise that these places are popular attractions not just for international visitors, but also for local people, so it’s really important to avoid weekends, holidays and peak hours if you possibly can.

As well as these historic attractions in this area, there are also three national parks, Minneriya, Kaudulla and Eco Park. Although these reserves are home to populations of elephants, leopards and sloth bears, we generally recommend against visiting them on day trips. It is usually better to save yourselves for the other reserves around the country, where there is more chance of delivering high quality safari experiences.

It might be worth mentioning that Minneriya National Park is renowned for the seasonal clustering of elephants on the grasslands around the main lake, which is colloquially known as The Gathering. This usually takes place during the dry season months of Jan-Mar and can include hundreds of animals. However the place can also become overrun by vehicles and it’s something we strongly recommend avoiding.

The best time of year to visit the Sigiriya area is generally considered to be during the Jan-Mar southwest dry season and, to a lesser extent, the Jun-Sep northeast dry season.

Temperatures are more or less constant year round, with daytime temperatures around 24C/75F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures up at a potentially uncomfortable 18C/64F.

The main issue is rainfall, which is highest Oct-Dec and with another smaller peak Apr-May. These periods are therefore usually best avoided, although lower visitor numbers provide some compensation.

Getting there

The Sigiriya area is usually reached by road. For our guests, this means combining it with various other locations on the island in a private guided overland safari, travelling in the company of an expert driver-guide. Popular connections include …

Colombo : 4-5 hours
Wilpattu : 2-3 hours
Trincomalee : 2-3 hours
Anuradhapura : 1 hour
Kandy : 1-2 hours
Wasgamuwa : 1-2 hours

The Sigiriya area cannot be reached by train.

Where to stay

The accommodation in the Sigiriya and Dambulla area falls into three distinct categories …

Firstly, there are a handful of extremely large and commercial resorts. These properties generally attract quite low ratings, so you will find them listed towards the bottom of the selection.

Secondly, there’s a couple of much smaller and higher quality resorts, still quite commercial, but also rather polished, providing a really relaxing place to base yourselves for 2-3 nights.

Thirdly, there’s a handful of smaller and more intimate properties, which are likely to provide a more characterful stay, but which have a tendency to be a little less reliable …

Another option is to visit the Sigiriya area when travelling between other areas. On a safari-focused trip this would most likely sit between Wilpattu and Wasgamuwa.

try to visit at a less busy time, day and month