Sigiriya Rock and the Dambulla Cave Temples are two of the most popular places to visit during a trip to Sri Lanka. They are easy to access and absolutely worth a visit if you are traveling through the country.
INCLUDED IN THIS BLOG POST:
- What is the Sigiriya Rock Fortress?
- What are the Dambulla Cave Temples?
- What are the costs to enter these places?
- How to get there?
Sigiriya Rock Fortress
Starting our day at Sigiriya Rock, we arrived by local bus at the entrance to the entrance. We decided to walk as opposed to taking a tuk-tuk, so off we walked along the main dirt road that led us to one of Sri Lanka’s most famous sights.
The scenic 30-45 minute walk led us past flourishing gardens and small ponds where waterbirds sat sunning their feathers. All around the ponds are signs warning of crocodiles and even though we didn’t spot any, make sure you are always aware of your surroundings.
Before entering the grounds of the ruins and rock you must purchase your ticket at a separate counter. Around the same area is a free bathroom, cafeteria and a few other things. I purchased a quick snack and we got our $30 per person tickets and entered the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Luckily, we didn’t encounter any wasp attacks but they can happen and when they do the climb to the top of the rock is closed down.
Dambulla Cave Tempes
Back in Dambulla we jumped into an inexpensive tuk tuk to drive us to the entrance of the Dambulla Cave Temples about 10 minutes away from the bus station. We were dropped off right at the base of the stairs leading up to the caves where we purchased our $10 per person tickets.
Restoration work is constantly being carried out to ensure that the gorgeous works of art last for many more decades to come.
During our drive to the bus station he saw the bus to Kandy and flagged them down in the middle of the road so we could jump right onto the bus. Unfortunately, we hit some heavy traffic on the way back to Kandy but with the windows down and breeze flowing our longer ride back wasn’t so bad.
Getting to Dambulla & Sigiriya Rock from Kandy
While many visitors stay overnight in the area of Dambulla for these sights we did a day trip from Kandy. Waking up early at our hotel in Kandy we quickly hailed one of the cost effective tuk-tuk’s to drive us the short distance to the bus station.
Like our previous experience at the bus station, this was no different. Sri Lankan’s are quite friendly and helpful so all we ever needed to do was tell someone our end destination and they would point us in the right direction. We boarded the local bus, took our seats and paid the 98 LKR ($0.64) per person for our 2 hour ride to Dambulla.
Once we arrived in Dambulla, we exited that bus and boarded another one to take us to Sigiriya. After paying 35 LKR ($0.23) per person, we arrived at the entrance of the Sigiriya Rock Fortress just 30 min later.
After our couple hours at Sigiriya we took the local bus back to Dambulla. From there we took an inexpensive tuk-tuk to and from the entrance of the Dambulla Cave Temples. We returned back to Kandy by bus that evening.
Entrance Costs
Sigiriya Rock Fortress: $30 per person
Dambulla Cave Temples: $10 per person
Both sites except US Dollars, as well as, Sri Lankan Rupees
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