Sigiriya
A granite outcrop some 180 metres high in the dry plains, crowned by the ruins of a fifth-century king's palace, with painted cave shrines at Dambulla a short drive away.
- Arrival
- Bandaranaike International, Colombo · CMB
- To Sigiriya
- About 30 minutes by air, 4 to 5 hours by road
- Private jets
- Land at Colombo, then fly or drive on
- Best time
- February to April
The city
A king's fortress on the Lion's Rock.
Kassapa I, who seized the throne by killing his father, reigned from 477 to 495 and raised his capital on the summit of the rock. Visitors still enter as his court did, by galleries and stairs leading up from the mouth of a colossal lion of brick and plaster. On the rock face eighteen painted figures survive, and the poems carved by later visitors are among the oldest texts in Sinhala.
Sigiriya lies inland, in the Cultural Triangle of ancient capitals. Sri Lanka Tourism points to March and April for this region, and February is drier still, with under 90 mm. The heaviest rain falls late in the year: 267 mm in October, 298 in November.
- The Lion's Rock The summit palace of Kassapa I, reached by stairs that climb from the mouth of a lion built of brick.
- The Sigiri graffiti Short poems left on the rock by visitors, prized as some of the earliest Sinhala literature.
- Dambulla Five cave shrines with 157 statues and 2,100 square metres of murals, a place of pilgrimage for twenty-two centuries.
Arriving
Into Colombo, then inland.
Sigiriya has a small domestic airfield but no airport for international jets. Every journey begins at Bandaranaike International, north of Colombo; from there the drive inland takes four to five hours.
- Malé 1 h 30
- Mumbai 2 h 20
- Doha 5 h 00
- Nairobi 6 h 45 long-range jet
- Munich 10 h 20 long-range jet
When to go
February to April.
Highs run from 28 °C in December and January to 32 °C in spring. February and March are the driest weeks before April's storms, and the middle of the year stays fairly dry. Heavy rain returns from October to December, above 250 mm a month.
- 28° J 109
- 30° F 87
- 32° M 84
- 32° A 169
- 32° M 97
- 31° J 55
- 31° J 70
- 31° A 71
- 31° S 99
- 30° O 267
- 29° N 298
- 28° D 258
Where to stay
Villas below the rock, and a Bawa building by the lake.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
Where to book near the rock.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Sri Lanka. These are the signature restaurants of two luxury hotels near Sigiriya, as their own sites describe them.
- Apsara Signature restaurant, Jetwing Vil Uyana Sri Lankan and international Jetwing Vil Uyana, near Sigiriya
- Kaludiya Signature restaurant, Heritance Kandalama Fusion Heritance Kandalama, Dambulla, outside Sigiriya
Elsewhere in Sri Lanka
More reasons to come.
- Colombo Colonial hotels on the Galle Face Green, by the Indian Ocean.
- Galle Ramparts, churches and small hotels inside the old fort.
- Kandy The Temple of the Tooth, in the hills.
- Nuwara Eliya Tea estates and colonial bungalows, high in the hills.
- Trincomalee A deep natural harbour, and blue whales offshore in season.
Flying to Sigiriya?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.