Time for the famed Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle!!! Due to time constraints, and how well I know myself, I opted to just do Sigiriya and Dambulla. Based on my Siem Reap experience, I realize I’m the type of person who’s perfectly happy exploring temples and nooks and crannies, but show me variations of the same thing for more than a day, and I get damn bored and cranky!

As folks really just go to Sigiriya for the Sigiriya Rock (and to a lesser extent, the Pidurangula Rock), and to Dambulla for the Dambulla Cave Temple – I’m opting to use this blog to chronicle how I went about going from Kandy to Sigiriya then to Dambulla; hopefully as a guide for future travelers to use (or to inspire some wanderlust)

Table of Content

• Sigirya
• Dambulla

Sigiriya

How to get to Sigiriya from Kandy?

First off, a lot of folks wonder where they should bunk down for the night – Sigiriya or Dambulla? Dambulla offers a lot more options, but it was extremely important for me to be the first one up Sigiriya Rock (didn’t want to get caught in the tourist rush -> the equivalent of traffic rush hour, but made worse because you can clearly see the way up, it’s just that you have no choice but to patiently wait as only one person at a time can go up the steep winding stairs). As such, I opted to spend the night in Sigiriya instead!

To get to Sigiriya from Kandy, there’s a 7AM bus that leaves the Kandy Bus Station and heads straight to Sigiriya. I urge you to wake up early and grab this bus, as otherwise you’d have to take a bus to Dambulla, then take another bus from there to Sigiriya. Doable, but a bit of a hassle. Note that bus timings may change, so just ask your hostel / hotel what time the straight to Sigiriya bus is

Once on the bus, I informed the bus conductor of my homestay destination (stayed at Palitha Homestay). Once there, the bus driver stopped the bus, the bus conductor told me this was my stop, and off I went! At times like these, I’m super thankful for these informal stops (even though I absolutely hate it when they do the same in Manila). I know, a bit hypocritical – but hey, when buses stop randomly in Manila at major highways, it affects HUNDREDS of cars! Here at Sigiriya, nary a car was in sight, so I figured it’s fine

Pidurangula Rock

After checking into my homestay, it was time for me to check out Pidurangula Rock! Pidurangula, what’s that? I don’t blame you. I’ve never heard of it either before I started researching Sigiriya. But blog after blog extolled the many virtues of Pidurangula and (gasp!) claim that it’s even better than Sigiriya

For just LKR 500 (vs the hefty LKR 4,600 entrance fee for Sigiriya Rock), you get the pleasure of hiking up this relatively easy hike (except for the last five minutes, where essentially it’s a pure rock scramble!) and enjoying a magnificent view of… Sigiriya Rock! Haha, so true – I did wonder how else I’d manage to get a nice photo of Sigiriya Rock if I was standing atop it… Well, problem solved now!

I hear the view is even more spectacular during sunrise and sunset, but I didn’t want to risk the climb in the dark – so none of that for me…

For those worried about the rock scramble, my personal assessment was… I wouldn’t be able to do it if I were on my own. I was only in flip flops, and I have zero upper body strength. Good thing I’d hired a guide, who gamely taught me which rocks to step on, and kind of pulled me up the last stretch of the way. Having said that, it’s totally doable, and if you’re more athletic than me (not a hard bar I assure you) or if you’re with someone athletic (who can kind of pull you up, or go ahead and show you where to step and whatnot) – then do it! Best value for money!

After breathing a sigh of relief once I checked and double checked that I truly made it out of Pidurangula alive, I accepted a local’s kind offer (who I later tipped of course) to bring me to a lake where wild animals are known to bathe and drink water from. Alas, looks like now isn’t the right time for it. Money still well-spent though as I got a magnificent shot of Pidurangula and Sigiriya Rock in one go and tried my hand at a motorcycle (for the first time in my life!!!)

Top tip: Would suggest you get a tuktuk to Pidurangula as it’s a ~30-45 mins walk otherwise. You should also ask your tuktuk to stay to bring you back, otherwise there are hardly any tuktuks in that area (think it’s ~3km from the main road)

Sigiriya Rock

Sigiriya Rock – also known as the Lion Rock, the Eight Wonder of the World, the Citadel of Sigiriya – ok, you get it by now. Essentially, this super impressive rock is basically the hallmark of Sri Lanka; so I KNEW I couldn’t not go (even though it was ridiculously expensive – seriously? USD 30 / LKR 4,600 is crazy…)

You might wonder – if you’ve already climbed Pidurangula, is there a point in climbing Sigiriya? Yes, yes, another resounding yes! Pidurangula is great for the views, but if you’re after history and culture – Sigiriya is where it’s at

Quick history lesson: the Sigiriya Rock Plateau was formed from the magma of an extinct volcano. Since the 3^rd century BC, Sigiriya’s been occupied – first as a monastery, then as a royal residence (5^th century BC), then back to a monastery (although it was abandoned post 14^th century BC). Now I can totally imagine monks living here, but wow, just the thought that this used to be a royal residence blows my mind. Can you imagine hundreds of people huffing and puffing up these steep trail, just to greet / mingle / serve the king? The sheer amount of engineering (and urban planning) needed to make that happen makes it a true marvel indeed! Do check out one of the oldest surviving gardens in Asia while here as well!

Note, unlike Pidurangula, Sigiriya is an easy climb – it’s steps all the way. Just keep in mind that in certain areas, there’s room only for one, and therefore once you’re there, there’s LITERALLY no turning back

Couple of tips to make sure you maximize your trip here:

• Sigirya Rock is Sri Lanka’s most famous tourist attraction, so it’s important you come here early lest you be stuck in the tourist rush. The site opens at 7AM – I suggest you be there when that happens. I started at 7AM, and was back down at 8:30AM. By this time, there were a lot more tourists, but still manageable. Having said that, I saw two bus load of Chinese tourists coming in around this time…
• Heed the photography signs. Certain areas cannot be photographed (particularly the ones with fresco murals). If you persist to take photos, your cameras could be confiscated
• Enjoy this marvelous UNESCO Heritage Site!

Dambulla

Time for Dambulla next! To get here, you can opt to grab a bus from Sigiriya to Dambulla… but I was hella lazy at this point, and my tour guide from the previous day managed to convince me that… instead of heading back to Colombo from Dambulla, I was better off enjoying the beautiful scenic beaches of Trincomalee! I have no idea how he did it – seriously! I’m the most J planner in the world, I like knowing where I’ll be at any specific moment of time (I’ve chilled a bit since I started work though – no one’s got the time to plan out a trip minute by minute). But still, to suddenly change plans the night before is… unheard of for me

Anyway, enough rambling! In the end, I agreed to pay LKR 8,000 (I’m sure you can get it for cheaper) for him to drive me to Dambulla, wait as I go up the Dambulla Cave Temple, then drive me to Trincomalee! From Trincomalee, I could then make my own sweet way back to Colombo

Dambulla Cave Temple

Another UNESCO Heritage Site, the Golden Temple of Dambulla is a sacred pilgrimage site. The temple caves themselves are must-sees, and it’s both awe-inspiring and a bit creepy when you enter the caves filled with dozens of Buddhas staring back at you!

If you took public transport to Dambulla, you can leave your bags at the ticket office (before you climb up the stairs) or with the shoekeeper (they’ll ask you to take off your shoes before you enter the temple area)

Top tip: Make sure to buy a ticket (costs LKR 1,500) at the BASE of the stairs, else they’ll make you go back down and buy one when you reach the temple entrance. Also, do note that there is a fair bit of stairs to climb going up to the temple, so just be prepared

Next up: Trincomalee!

If you wish to follow me on my 10-day Sri Lanka solo female backpacker journey, do check out my other blog posts as well:

• Sri Lanka Travel Guide for first-time travelers
• Start and end of trip: Colombo (includes day trip suggestions)
• Hill country: Ella
• Former capital of Sri Lanka: Kandy
• Beach-y wonder: Trincomalee

My schedule over the entire 10 days was essentially as follows: