Overview
Our private Dambulla to Sigiriya tour is the easy way to climb Sri Lanka’s famous Lion Rock while you are staying in Dambulla. Your English-speaking driver picks you up from your hotel at 6:30 or 7:00 am, and about 30 minutes later you are at the gate of Sigiriya Rock Fortress, ready to climb before the day gets hot.
The price covers your private transport, waiting time and return: US$50 for 1 to 3 people in an air-conditioned car, or US$70 for 4 to 7 people in a van. Entrance tickets are extra. You can make a full day of it by adding Pidurangala Rock, a village tour with lunch, or an afternoon elephant safari in the booking box.
Sigiriya tour from Dambulla: the climb
Walk through the royal water and boulder gardens, climb the spiral stairs to the painted maidens frescoes and the Mirror Wall, and pass between the giant stone paws of the Lion Gate to the palace ruins on the summit. Allow 2.5 to 3 hours at a relaxed pace. Read more about Sigiriya Rock Fortress.
Optional extras
Pidurangala Rock is next door to Sigiriya and has the best view of Lion Rock itself, after a short, steep hike and a scramble over boulders. For sunrise, book our Pidurangala Rock sunrise hike instead. A village tour takes you by bullock cart and catamaran to a farming village for a home-cooked rice and curry lunch. In the afternoon, a private jeep safari at Minneriya or Kaudulla brings you close to wild elephant herds.
More day tours from Dambulla and Sigiriya
This is one of our private day tours from Dambulla and Sigiriya. Coming from further away? See our Sigiriya day trip from Colombo or from Kandy.
Highlights
- Dambulla to Sigiriya tour with hotel pickup at 6:30 or 7:00 am
- Climb Sigiriya Rock Fortress in the cool early morning
- See the frescoes, the Mirror Wall, the Lion Gate and the summit palace
- Optional Pidurangala Rock hike, village tour with lunch or Minneriya safari
- Private air-conditioned car (1–3 people) or van (4–7 people) with an English-speaking driver
- Transport from US$50 · entrance tickets extra
