About this experience
Sigiriya and Dambulla from Habarana City is a private day tour that links two of Sri Lanka's UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the island's interior. You are collected from your hotel in Habarana and travel in a private air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking chauffeur guide, so the day moves at the pace of your own party rather than a coach.
Sigiriya Rock Fortress was the capital of King Kasyapa, who ruled in the 5th century AD. The rock was once shaped as a lion, and the giant paws still stand at the foot of the final climb. Around the base lie the gardens, ponds, walls and moats of his fortress, and on the rock face are the painted figures that made Sigiriya famous. Back at ground level, the Sigiriya Museum sets the site's story out in its galleries.
The Dambulla Cave Temple, also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla, is a Buddhist cave monastery built into a great bare rock and still in use today. It is made up of five cave shrines, their ceilings and walls covered in painted murals, with rows of seated and standing Buddha statues beneath. A white arcaded frontage runs along the foot of the rock overhang, sheltering the entrances to the shrines.
Your guide stays with you through the day and can place what you see in context at each site. Photography stops on the drive can be arranged where there is reasonable parking, and drive times depend on road traffic.
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.
