Sigiriya Rock or Lion Rock is probably on your list of places to visit as the site is one of the most valuable historical monuments of Sri Lanka and in the top 5 of the most visited places in the country. But unless you’ve got unlimited time and budged to spend in the area you might wonder whether you should climb up Sigiriya Rock or prioritize the less expensive and less crowded Pidurangala Rock instead. The latter offers the above view of the Lion Rock.
There’s a myriad of information online comparing the experience of climbing Pidurangala vs. Lion rock, most of it is factual, but in my opinion it’s a completely different experience when you climb on these rocks. Understanding the differences will help you decide which one is right for you.
Is it worth to climb up Sigiriya Rock?
The entrance fee for the Sigiriya Rock and Fortress is by far the highest you pay for a tourist attraction in Sri Lanka. For an adult you pay 30 USD, children up to 12 years pay 15 USD and children up to 5 years are free. For our family it adds up to 150 USD in total. So you might think whether it is worth visiting Sigiriya Rock Fortress and you may wonder what is so special about Sigiriya.
Sigiriya is one of the eight World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka. It is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning worldwide. There are remains of an extensive network of gardens and reservoirs. Some structures like fountains are still intact today.
The monolithic rock itself is a lava plug left over from an ancient long extinct volcano. It rises 200 m from the green scrub jungle surrounding it. Today on top the visitor finds the ruins of what was once a king´s fortress in the sky.
Sigiriya is also renowned for its 5th century frescoes which show 18 nude maiden figures. The „Wolkenmädchen“ (German: cloud girls) are richly adorned with ample bosoms and sinuous bodies barely concealed beneath translucent gossamer garments. Some say they are celestial nymphs carrying flowers to shower upon mortals below. Others suggest that they are the concubines of the king Kasyapa (in reality it is said that he used to have 500).
Here’s everything you need to know about climbing up Sigiriya Rock.
- Entrance fee is 30 USD per person
- The ancient site is open every day from 7:00AM to 5:30PM (last entrance at 5:00PM).
- climb takes about an hour, there are 1200 marble steps
- Best to start ascending in the early morning before the larger tourist groups arrive. It is less crowded and climbing up is easier because temperatures are not as high as during noon and afternoon.
- Try to avoid school holidays in Sri Lanka and weekends, since there are a lot of local tourists flocking to Sirigiya and while walking up the stairs to the fortress you get stuck in a tourist traffic jam.
- Carry plenty of water, there is no place where you can buy it along the way or on top.
- Be aware of monkey and dogs. They are very aggressive!
While climbing up the steps there was a lady before us who got in the middle of a fight between a monkey and a dog. She got bitten by the dog and needed to go down to get treated by the red cross at the lion’s gate. This is nothing that you would like to happen to you. So be aware of stray dogs and over-curious monkeys. If they approach you too boldly you might want to try out a self defense technique Marcell has discovered to be effective. He has successfully kept monkeys distant by using insect repellent.
We have had a rather funny incident with a cheeky money during a short lunch break at the lofty Sigiriya fortress. While we unpacked our food from our lunch boxes a monkey quickly approached us from behind and in a blink of an eye he grabbed one of the boxes with bananas and jumped on the next tree. It was amazing to see how skilful he opened the box and took out the banana. During the turmoil I was quite relaxed and waited for the moment the monkey would realize the box is not edible and drop it. Which was exactly what has happened a few moments later. The price of the bananas was worth the experience and the fun.
Once you have managed to climb the 1200 steps and pass the crazy monkeys you are rewarded with a stunning view from the top. You can feel the pride of the king Kasyapa who overlooked the Sri Lankan highlands 1600 years ago. Wandering on the plateau today you see people from all over the world. We have spotted a group of Buddhist monks whose safran colored robes stood in stark contrast to the lush green scenery in the distance.
Pidurangala Rock and what you should know before you go
During our stay in Sigiriya there was another adventure that captivated us. Pidurangala rock was a must-do for us! In fact many other travelers we spoke to also agreed that Sigiriya Rock was great but it was Pidurangala Rock that was the more memorable experience. When you are short on time and budget, we would suggest to chose Pidurangala rock over Sigiriya rock. But if 30 USD entrance fee per person don´t scare you and you got at least a full day in the area, you can do both. Many travelers wake up for the sunrise at Pidurangala and then head to sunset on top of Sigiriya Rock. We did it the other way around and went to Sigiriya rock in the morning and hiked up Pidurangala rock for sunset, and we can highly recommend the way we did it.
Pidurangala Rock is adjacent to Sigiriya Rock and it is the best viewing spot of Sigiriya Rock as their height above sea level is about the same. Pidurangala is a popular spot for sunset and sunrise as you can enjoy 360-degree views of not only the Sigiriya Rock but also the valleys, lakes and surrounding mountains. We are rather owls than larks so we opted to go there for sunset and we did not regret it. It was a more natural ascent, way less crowded and more peaceful and the view and light on top was just amazing.
Sustainable travel tip
Bring your own reusable water bottle! Plastic bottles are not allowed on the hike (even if this rule is obviously not strictly enforced). This is because people leave them behind. If you’re not one of those people (I really hope you’re not) then bring your own reusable water bottle.
At the beginning of the trail, you will need to pass through a Buddhist Temple. This means you MUST cover your shoulders, knees and remove your shoes. The path to the top is well maintained up until you reach the Pidurangala Cave Temple. There you will find the remnants of a lying Buddha figure.
After the cave temple, the “hike” becomes more of a scramble and you must find your own path to the top over some large rocks and boulders.
When you go to Pidurangala Rock for sunset keep in mind that it gets dark very fast. The path is not completely illuminated, so you should either start your descent at least 20 mins before it gets totally dark (roughly around 5.40 pm) or bring a flashlight to be safe climbing down the rock.
Here’s everything you need to know about hiking up Pidurangala Rock.
- Climb takes about 30 to 40-minutes, hike path is more natural, the path follows through a forest and goes via large bolders, some climbing skills are required
- Best climb at sunrise and sunset
- For sunset start around 4 pm to reach the top around 4.30 pm
- Entrance fee is 500 SLR
- You MUST cover up shoulders, knees and remove shoes at the temple at the start of the trail
- Ticket office for Pidurangala Rock opens at 5 am and close at 6 pm (you can stay up at the rock until dark, but the path is not completely illuminated, so bring a torch to be safe when coming down)
- It is a medium difficult hike and there are snakes in the area, so be careful and wear proper shoes
- No plastic allowed (not strictly enforced)
- There are no toilets at Pidurangala Rock or on the trail
Our Hotel in Sigiriya
Shady Mango Villa is run by Sunil and Nayana. It is a very relaxed and good value for money.
Sunil owns a tuktuk and he is happy to drive you pretty much where ever you want in the vicinity. Sunil has been a tourist guide in Sigiriya for more than 18 years before he opened his own guesthouse. They only have two rooms, which are beautifully decorated and well maintained. It was immaculate clean, it felt like you could eat from the floor. The breakfast they created for us every morning was very delicious and a little bit different every day so it never got boring. Fresh fruit juice, fresh fruits and a combination of continental and local food. Sunil always asked us to take the leftovers for lunch to not waste the food, which we happily accepted.
Click here if you want to check prices and availability for Shady Mango Villa.
Sustainable travel tip
We bought a set of 3 Sass & Belle Tiki Toucan Bamboo Lunch Boxes at home to take them with us to store food and safe plastic when traveling on planes or in trains and buying street food and they have already paid off. They are made of renewable material bamboo and are recyclable and biodegradable. You can stack the boxes together which safes a lot of space if they are empty.
Best Restaurant in Sigiriya
What you will realize when you search for restaurants on Tripadvisor is that there are few restaurants that are really hyped with almost 100 % 5 star ratings, which we have never seen before and we travel a lot, have seen a lot of places and try restaurants of different budgets. We were at three different restaurants in Sigiriya and though we are aware that taste is very individual we don’t quite understand the buzz and ratings on Tripadvisor for these places. Here is our ranking and our recommendations.
Sams Burger
Sams Burger is a laid back place with a chill out area on a platform next to the river, a little aside the road. It’s got a swing for children (our children loved it!!) The food was excellent. We’ve had burgers (try the Aussie burger with beet root and pineapple) and also a traditional curry. The lassies and the homemade lemonade was super delicious.
Sam and his family are very friendly. Sam always wears a winning smile on his face and he is taking care of his guests very well.
Mom’s Kitchen
Mom’s Kitchen is a small place with a lovely family. It feels a bit like you are sitting on the veranda of their house (which you actually do). Very hospitable, very friendly however not spotlessly clean. You dine on plastic chairs. Greetings from customers are written on the wall. When we came the selection from the menu was limited. Maybe it was because it was already late (around 8:30 pm) or there were very little travelers during our time of travel. We ordered kottu, fried rice and fried noodles. The kottu and the fried rice was very, very tasty.
Wijesiri Family Restaurant
The food was nice, no questions, but is was neither outrageous good nor was it the best food we had in Sri Lanka. Taking into account that Wijesiri Family Restaurant is in front of the main road and you are sitting on plastic chairs it was also missing a bit atmosphere from our perspective. It belongs to a former wood carving family and you can see some beautiful examples of their work in the shop next door, but why don’t they put a bit more love in decoration e.g. by using wooden chairs? This would add a bit more atmosphere and also to the family story of this place.
