In the middle of Sri Lanka, you’ll find the ancient rock fortress known as “Sigiriya Rock” or “Lion Rock”.
To get there, you need to pass a jungle with wild elephants, cross a moat with crocodiles, and climb the 1200 steps to the top of the rock. It doesn’t get more Indiana Jones-like than this.
Climbing Sigiriya Rock was one of the highlights of our trip to Sri Lanka, and we can’t recommend it enough.
That’s why we’ve decided to make this travel guide to help any future travelers to visit Sigiriya Rock. We’ll include some historical facts, all the practical information you need, and we’ll share what to expect at Sigiriya Rock.
Hopefully, when you’re done reading this, you’ll be ready to visit this extraordinary place in Sri Lanka.
AFFILIATE LINKS DISCLOSURE: Dear Reader, this blog post contains affiliate links. If you click on them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more here.
Why visit Sigiriya Rock
Some people are inclined to skip Sigiriya Rock because the entrance fee is a bit high ($30 for foreign tourists), especially when you compare it to the low entrance fee of Pidurangala Rock, which is located right next to it.
However, we really recommend you to visit! Not visiting Sigiriya Rock is like skipping Angkor Wat when in Cambodia or skipping the pyramids when in Egypt.
It’s such an iconic and historical monument in Sri Lanka that you just have to experience it. Sigiriya Rock is even an inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982.
There is so much to see on the way up to Sigiriya Rock such as the gardens, the frescoes, and the lion’s paws. All the while the views become more phenomenal by every step towards the top.
Once you reach the top of Sigiriya Rock, there is a lot of ruins to explore, and you get to see one of the best viewpoints in Sri Lanka, which in itself is reason enough to visit this extraordinary place.
History of Sigiriya Rock
Sigiriya Rock has a very interesting history, and it’s good to know a thing or two about this landmark before ascending it.
The story begins around 3rd century BC when monks moved into the caves at the rock. The monks lived here in peace until King Kassapa, also known as Kasyapa, took the throne of the Anuradhapura Kingdom in 477 AD, and this is where the story gets interesting.
When King Kassapa learned that his younger brother would be the heir to the throne, King Kassapa imprisoned and later killed his father to seize the throne. This obviously caused quite a stir, and to deal with the constant threats to his life, King Kassapa wanted to build a complete inaccessible palace.
And what better place to do that than an almost 200 meter tall rock in the jungle?
So King Kassapa pushed the monks out, giving them the neighbouring Pidurangala Rock instead, and started building his palace. He wanted to form the palace after a lion, which is why we see the two lion paws at the entrance to the top. That’s why Sigiriya Rock is also called Lion Rock.
The palace consisted of beautiful gardens, impressive sculptures, a few pools, and possibly the best views in the kingdom. We can only imagine how impressive this palace must have been.
King Kassapa was indestructible when living atop the rock. However, his past eventually caught up with him and his rule ended after 18 years. King Kassapa descended the rock to go fight his brother, Mogallana, who was the rightful heir to the throne.
Eventually, Mogallana won, King Kassapa died, the monks were given back Sigiriya Rock, and all that’s left of the palace are the ruins we see today.
How to visit Sigiriya Rock
How to get there
If you stay in Sigiriya, then it’s super easy to get to Sigiriya Rock. Just get a tuk tuk to drive you to the entrance that’s located close to the ticket office.
So let’s focus on how to get to the Lion Rock if you’re not staying in Sigiriya. If you take public transportation, then the closest big city to Sigiriya is Dambulla, so you might have to get here first. From Dambulla it’s only half an hour ride to Sigiriya.
From Kandy to Sigiriya
From Colombo to Sigiriya
Where to stay in Sigiriya
Instead of just doing a day trip from Colombo or Kandy, then consider staying in Sigiriya for a couple of nights.
We stayed in Sigiriya for 2 nights at Sigiriya Paradise Inn, and it was our absolute favorite accommodation during our time in Sri Lanka. Luckily for us, it was also the cheapest place we stayed in.
This hotel is located right by a big rice field, which means you have the most amazing bird sightings around you, and you can even spot Sigiriya Rock from afar.
The hotel is run by a friendly family that goes out of their way to help you and ensure that your time in Sigiriya is successful. We were driven to both Sigiriya Rock and Pidurangala Rock by the friendly owner for a small fee, plus he took us on a fantastic tour around the neighbourhood.
Opening hours 2024
The official opening hours to the Sigiriya Rock Fortress is 6:30 AM – 5:30 PM. However, some people have managed to visit as early as 5 AM and as late as 7 PM. So we can’t say for sure about the opening hours.
Entrance fee 2024
The entrance fee to Sigiriya Rock depends on whether you’re a tourist, a local, and how old you are. Entrance fee for children below 6 years old is free, children tickets are considered age 6-12, and adult tickets are everyone who is 12 years old or older.
Below is a table over the different ticket types and ticket prices to Sigiriya Rock in 2024:
| Ticket Types | Ticket Prices 2024 |
|---|---|
| Foreign Tourist Adult | 30 USD |
| Foreign Tourist Child | 15 USD |
| SAARC Tourist Adult | 15 USD |
| SAARC Tourist Child | 15 USD |
| Local Adult | 100 LKR |
| Local Child | 50 LKR |
How to buy your tickets
You buy your tickets directly at the main ticket office. Notice that it’s not possible to pay for your tickets with credit card, so you have to bring cash with you.
We paid 11160 LKR per person during our visit in 2023 because that was the currency rate at the time for $30. So make sure to check the current currency rate for when you’re visiting and bring enough Sri Lankan Rupees with you.
Rules and recommendations
It’s not like there are a lot of rules you need to follow in order to visit the Sigiriya Rock. However, there are a lot of wild animals in the area and you are walking in a cultural place which is important to Sri Lanka’s history, so please be respectful of this.
There is one place in particular where you aren’t allowed to take pictures, and this is at the historical frescoes and mirror wall, which you’ll find at part of the rock climb. So please put your camera away during this part of the climb. You’ll see the no-camera signs when you approach the area.
We’ve just mentioned that there are a lot of wild animals in the area around Sigiriya Rock, so please think about this during your visit.
While on the grounds, you may see signs that indicate you’re in a “WASP ATTACK AREA”, if you see these signs then you have to be silent. There are also crocodiles in the moat around the Sigiriya Rock and wild elephants in the surrounding area. So just be mindful of this when you’re visiting.
But please don’t be nervous about it, you most likely won’t see a crocodile or an elephant. However, you’re almost guaranteed to see monkeys!
What to expect at Sigiriya Rock
Now that we’ve covered all the practical information about how to visit Sigiriya Rock in Sri Lanka, it’s time to manage expectations. So below are 5 points on what you can expect during your visit.
1. Walking the gardens towards the rock
After you get your tickets at the official ticket office and cross the moat with the ticket control, you’re in!
The first part of experiencing Sigiriya Rock is walking through the water gardens. At first, it may not look like much considering the towering Sigiriya Rock takes all the attention from the garden. However, the water gardens are truly spectacular.
They’re some of the oldest landscaped gardens in the world, and they’re very well designed and preserved considering how many centuries ago they were founded.
Unfortunately, we were more intrigued about climbing the big rock ahead of us, so we never really gave the gardens much attention. But we encourage you to have a little walkabout before ascending the rock.
2. Ascending to the Lion’s Paw Terrace
While crossing the gardens, you’ll find yourself getting closer and closer to Sigiriya Rock. Right until you’re standing in front of two big boulders that are leaning on each other. This is where the ascent to the top begins.
From here, you’ll start walking up the steps until you finally reach the Lion’s Paw Terrace.
This particular terrace is where you’ll find the ancient entrance to Sigiriya Rock. The entrance is marked by two big lion paws on each side of the staircase. It’s believed that the staircase began at the lion paws and ended at the top, leading through a lion’s open mouth.
It must have been an intimidating sight back in time when you had to ascent Sigiriya Rock through a lion. Today, all you can see are the two big paws that marks the bottom of the entrance.
3. Ascending to the top of the rock
The next part of exploring Sigiriya Rock is going to the top of the rock. When you take that first step in between the majestic lion paws, the ascent has officially begun.
This part is both exciting and scary at once because you’re literally walking outside the rock, which means you have breathtaking views… but at the same time you realise you’re quite far up without much protection around you.
So just take it easy if you’re afraid of heights. I’m afraid of heights and I didn’t find it that intimidating, but some people on the stairs definitely did.
But maybe I wasn’t intimidated because the incredible view of Pidurangala Rock took all my attention. In our opinion, you get the best view of Pidurangala Rock when you’re ascending to the top of Sigiriya Rock because the view changes bit by bit the higher you go.
Pidurangala Rock is another massive rock located closely to Sigiriya Rock. It’s less touristy, cheaper, and great for sunsets! So we definitely recommend you to go here after exploring Sigiriya Rock.
4. Exploring Sigiriya Rock Fortress
The ascent doesn’t take that long, and sooner or later you’ll find yourself on top of Sigiriya Rock.
You kind of get the feeling that you’re on top of the world, like Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic you feel like screaming: “I’m the king of the World!”
We can definitely see why King Kassapa chose this particular rock for his home. The views are spectacular, there is jungle as far as the eye can see, and it truly is impenetrable by enemies.
The palace itself is long gone. However, there are several ruins you can explore on the top of the rock including the big pools. We honestly wish we knew more about the ruins on Sigiriya, but we had a hard time knowing what we were looking at, and it’s hard to find information about it online.
So, if you want to dive deeper into the palace ruins on the incredible Lion Rock, then we suggest you hire yourself a guide.
One thing is certain, you can still spend plenty of time walking around and exploring the top of Sigiriya Rock without knowing much about the ruins. We almost spent 2 hours here just taking some pictures, enjoying the incredible views, and watching monkeys play.
5. Watching the frescoes & Mirror wall
Most people who climb the Sigiriya Rock normally ascent from a different place than we did and thus begin their journey here. However, we didn’t see the historical frescoes and Mirror Wall until at the very end of our journey on the Sigiriya Rock.
So notice that you’ll most likely see this first, and not last like described in this blog post.
Apart from the palace ruins, the Lion’s Paw Terrace, and the beautiful water gardens at the ground level, Sigiriya Rock has one more surprise in hand – the historical frescoes and the Mirror Wall, which are both found on the Western walls of the rock.
The frescoes were created under the rule of King Kassapa, and they are paintings of naked women, which are said to celebrate the beauty of women. There used to be 500 of these frescoes, but today only 18 are left.
Right by the frescoes, you’ll find the Mirror Wall. This incredibly strong wall is still standing after so many centuries, and it got its name because of how the wall plaster was polished in a certain way that created a mirror-like effect. It’s also on this wall that you’ll find the ancient poems.
Sigiriya Rock had many visitors during the centuries that followed King Kassapa’s fall. These visitors wrote poems on the wall, which are now invaluable to understand the historical frescoes, because some of the poems describe frescoes which aren’t here anymore.
So make sure to see the frescoes and the Mirror Wall while visiting the Sigiriya Rock in Sri Lanka. I can’t believe we almost missed it!
Sigiriya Rock is such an incredible place, and we really encourage you to see it if you have the opportunity.
We hope you enjoyed this guide to climbing the iconic Sigiriya Rock, and that you found it helpful in planning your own visit in Sri Lanka. Let us know if you have any questions in the comment box below.
Thanks for reading and happy travels!
Not sure whether you’re heading to Sri Lanka for your next holiday? Read this: Why visit Sri Lanka
