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Sign in with FacebookLatest Sigiriya hotel reviews
Pro
Great history and views
Con
A long. long climb!
In a nutshell
Give your legs some exercise and get climbing!
Exploring Sigiriya Lion's Rock.
vladimir_klp Says: Sigiriya - what is it? A 'Garden of Eden' or The Fountains of Paradise? Thoughts and Impressions of My Visit. I want to outline my impressions, based on facts and observations – including observations of some things that are unexplained in terms of what we are familiar with...
euzkadi Says: And finally on top after an arduous climb, the royal compound, the ruins of the palace with all it´s rooms and halls, it´s terraces and gardens, an awesome place. The place offers a spectacular panorama of the surrounding valley.
euzkadi Says: After the corridor is located a terrace with the impressive main entrance, an old construction built in the form of a lion (only the Claws remain) . This is a good place to take a break and enjoy the magnificent views before continuing the climb.
euzkadi Says: This corridor running through the rock, was built of a material that reflects the figures of people who passes through it, so it is known as the mirror wall. They say it was crafted from so that the king could see the reflection of the girls walking. At the end of the...
euzkadi Says: After climbing a little, there´s a spiral staircase to the fabulous cave of the Maidens, beautiful frescoes of thousands of years old. It is said that the entire wall was filled with these paintings. Some of them are in perfect condition.
euzkadi Says: Located in the central section of the fortress, after passing the western gate there are several deep pools wich were connected to the moat, these were the water gardens built symmetrically with fountains, pools, ponds and gateways.
euzkadi Says: After the Water Gardens south of the entrance, is located the Boulders Garden. This second garden contains several large boulders linked with pathways, and are asymmetrical, as they were built around the existing rock formation, it´s salid that each boulder had a pavillion...
Boulders Garden. Granite throne.
euzkadi Says: Also in the Boulders Garden area, next to where the Audience Hall was located, there is a big five metre long granite throne, carved from the bouder itself. It was used as a resting place for the king during audiences.
euzkadi Says: The site is considered one of the most developed urban planning sites of the first millenium, with complicated designs of symmetry and asymmetry. It has five gates (with the western gate reserved for the royals). All the complex is surrounded by a huge moat built for it´s...
tim07 Says: The rock summit covers 1.6 hectares. Where once stood Kassapa's palace, only the foundations remain today. There is a 27m by 21m pond here which was probably used for water storage.The palace would have occupied the summits highest point, the lower areas would have been the...
tim07 Says: This is the fallen half of a split boulder. The pillars & roof which would have stood on it are long gone. The polished stone floor remains along with a five metre carved throne. This is where legends say that Kassapa sometimes held court.
tim07 Says: The cave gets its name from the boulder above it that resembles a fully opened cobra's hood. The cave was used by Buddhist monks as early as the 3rd century BC. Paintings in the cave though date back to the reign of Kassapa.
tim07 Says: Crossing the moats and approaching the rock through the main entrance, you first arrive at the Water Gardens. These are ornamental gardens containing symmetrically arranged ponds, water channels and tiny fountains. The first section of the gardens comprise of a central...
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486 Opinions
Rukmali rest and guest: Great Sri Lankan Curries
trisanna Says: This establishment is a small guest house and restaurant. The restaurant is quite good if you go for the local Sri Lankan curry and rice set. We got two plates of rice, various bowls of veggies and curry. I loved the beet curry.
Helpfulness
If you want to reach the top of Sigiriya rock you'll have to cover soem ground - or better some steps. About 1200 of them, to be precise - some cut in limestone, others built in iron. Some advice, then: bring plenty of water (trust me, you'll be sweating a lot) and try to climb it early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when it's not so hot, anymore. Use sun screen, too... and wear a hat. If you think you won't make it, don't despair.. it's full of people willing to give you a hand, or drag you up to the summit - as long as you're willing to pay.
Written Dec 17, 2004
shawnbrito Says: Climbing the Sigirya Rock was not an easy task as it initially apeared to my punny interlect. The steep rocky steps proved that I needed to work out more often as I gathered all my streangth climbing the steep stairs.A Word of Caution: There are Hornets at the half way point...
jenpud Says: Beware of guys "helping" you up the steps - whether you want them to or not. I was with a Kuoni guide in a group of 7 and, being fairly fit anyway, was able to shake my "helper" off most of the time but he was doggedly persistent, trailed me the whole time repeating the...
Helpfulness
Luggage and bags: If your heading to the Sigiriya Rock, I suggest you keep your backpack at the hotel as the climb is steep taking about 2 hours. A large water bottle, sun cream and a sandwitch would be ideal :)
Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Wear light colored clothing. Temperatures can reach 35'c on the Rock during mid day..
Good Ruber shoes/boots, and sports pants should be ok.. The rock surface is lined with stairs making it easier to climb, however be prepared to climb for 2hours.
Toiletries and Medical Supplies: There's aren't any Toilets up there.. So make sure you do everything down at the hotel. Bring a few plasters just incase you scrape yourself against the rocks. During certain times of the year, warsps gather in numbers! Therefore BE QUIET!
Photo Equipment: Camera+wide angle lens,
A very light tripod if you plan on taking HDRs (Remember! you have to haul it all the way up there)
Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: None!
Miscellaneous: When heading up the rock, put some distance between other travellers (especially young enthusiastic kids)... Warsps are attracted to noise!
Updated Mar 10, 2009
Website: http://www.saadhu.com/sigiriya/
tim07 Says: The climb up the rock can be quite exhausting. It's best to do it early in the morning to avoid the afternoon heat. Bring plenty of water and wear sunscreen & a hat to protect you from the sun. The climb to the top involves climbing a large number of steps. These range from...
hydronetta Says: Sigiriya is included in the Cultural triangle Ticket which is a good value to get rather than paying each site separately.This cost around 40$ (!!) and covers six sights (Anuradhapura, Sigirirya, Polonnaruwa, Nalanda, Medirigiriya, Ritigala BUT NOT Dambulla caves and...
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Sigiriya dates back from over 7,000 years ago, through Pre-Historic to Proto-Historic to Early Historic times, then as a rock-shelter mountain monastery from about the 3rd century BC, with caves...
The Sinhalese King Kasyapa and his household (think hundreds of people) lived on top of Sigiryia from about 480-495 AD.
Fortress in the Middle of Nowhere
We came down to Dambulla from Kandy, and the trip wasn't too long or uncomfortable. The only drawback is that we had to pay the full fare for the service to Anaradhapura though alighting at...
An old rock fortress located in the central Matale district of Sri Lanka. The fortress and the Kassapa Palace were built during the reign of King Kassapa I in the 4th century Ad. It´s one of the icons...
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