About this experience
Sigiriya and Dambulla from Dambulla City is a private tour for travellers already staying in Dambulla, pairing the rock fortress of Sigiriya with the Dambulla Cave Temple, two of Sri Lanka's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Your English-speaking chauffeur guide collects you from your hotel in Dambulla in a private air-conditioned vehicle, and the vehicle and guide are for your party alone.
Sigiriya comes first. It was the capital of King Kasyapa, who ruled in the 5th century AD, and the rock was once shaped as a lion, whose giant paws still mark the start of the final climb. The approach runs along a red-earth path between the rectangular ponds of the water gardens, past the walls and moats of the fortress, then up brick and stone stairways to a walkway that clings to the rock face above the forest. Partway up are the painted female figures that made Sigiriya famous, their colours still clear on the rock. Back at the base, the Sigiriya Museum sets out the story of the site.
The day then returns to Dambulla for the cave temple, also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla. It is a living Buddhist site of five cave shrines beneath a great bare rock, fronted by a white arcaded façade under the overhang. Inside, the ceilings and walls are covered in painted murals above rows of seated and standing Buddha statues, and in one cave a whitewashed stupa stands among the figures.
Your guide stays with you throughout and can explain what you are looking at in each place. Photography stops on the way can be arranged where there is reasonable parking. Drive times depend on road traffic, and the tour is subject to favourable weather.
Hotel pickup and drop-off, private transport and the chauffeur guide are included. Entrance tickets for Sigiriya Rock and the Dambulla Cave Temple are not included, nor are food and drinks, personal expenses or gratuities. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended for the day, and well-covered clothing is recommended at the cave temple and other religious sites.
