From misty mountains to golden coastlines - discover the best of Sri Lanka with Lisence to Travel Lanka.
A 200-metre column of granite rising out of the central plains, crowned with the ruins of a 5th-century royal citadel. UNESCO calls it a World Heritage Site; we call it the single most unforgettable climb in Sri Lanka.
Built by King Kasyapa around 477 AD, Sigiriya was once a fortress-palace perched on top of a sheer rock outcrop, ringed by water gardens, boulder gardens and terraced gardens that still survive almost intact today. Climbing to the summit takes you past the famous frescoes, through the Lion's Paw entrance, and along a mirror wall covered in centuries-old graffiti, before opening onto sweeping views of the surrounding jungle.
We plan the drive so you're at the base early, before the heat and the crowds build up, with cold water, a driver who knows the site's history, and enough time built in for the Sigiriya Museum or a stop at nearby Pidurangala Rock for the classic postcard view of the fortress itself.
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