This private day tour links two of Sri Lanka's best-known ancient sites, the Sigiriya Rock Fortress and the Dambulla Cave Temple, in a single twelve-hour run out from the coast and back. Your day begins and ends at your hotel in Negombo, with an English-speaking chauffeur guide and a private air-conditioned vehicle kept for your party alone.
Sigiriya is a rocky outcrop rising from the central plains, its near-vertical walls climbing to a flat-topped summit that holds the ruins of an ancient civilisation, thought to have been the centre of the short-lived kingdom of Kasyapa. At Dambulla, the rock shelters hold painted ceilings and hundreds of statues gathered over centuries. Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites are covered in one day.
The tour runs for one to eight guests. Entrance tickets to Sigiriya and Dambulla are not part of the base fare: you can add them to your booking through the Tickets option on this page, or buy them yourself at each site on the day, whichever suits you.
Highlights
- Two UNESCO-listed sites, Sigiriya and Dambulla, visited in one day from Negombo.
- The 5th-century AD rock fortress of King Kasyapa, entered between a lion's paws.
- The unfading murals that brought Sigiriya its fame, and the terraced gardens and still-working cisterns above.
- Five main caves at the Golden Temple of Dambulla, with murals of the life of Lord Gautama Buddha.
- A private air-conditioned vehicle and an English-speaking chauffeur guide for the whole twelve hours.
The day in order
Your chauffeur guide collects you from your hotel in Negombo at 06:00 and you travel inland in a private air-conditioned vehicle. At Sigiriya you climb the 5th-century AD rock fortress where King Kasyapa ruled, passing through the entrance framed by the paws of a lion, and stopping at the unfading murals the site is known for. A steep staircase leads on to the terraced gardens and the cisterns that still hold water, and the tunnels beyond lead towards the palace. From Sigiriya it is a drive of 20 to 30 minutes to Dambulla, where you enter the historic caves of the Golden Temple of Dambulla, dating from the 1st century BC. Inside, the murals tell the life story of Lord Gautama Buddha, and hundreds of figures of the Buddha and other deities are set through the five main caves, among them the Cave of the Divine King, the Cave of the Great King and the Great New Monastery. A short distance outside the cave complex stands the giant golden Buddha statue. The tour finishes at 17:30 back at your hotel in Negombo.
Includes
- Transport throughout the tour in an air-conditioned vehicle.
- Service of an English-speaking chauffeur.
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Negombo.
- One litre of bottled mineral water per person.
- All taxes and service charges.
Excludes
- Entrance tickets to Sigiriya and Dambulla, unless added to your booking through the Tickets option.
- Food and drinks.
- Gratuities, which are optional.
- Expenses of a personal nature.
Good to know
- Comfortable walking shoes are recommended, as both sites are climbed on foot.
- Entrance tickets to the two sites are not included in the fare. Add them at the time of booking using the Tickets option, or pay at each site on the day.
- The tour is private and takes one to eight guests.
