🏨 Sigiriya Rock and Dambulla Temple from Colombo, Negombo or Kandy Activity

Sigiriya Rock and Dambulla Temple from Colombo, Negombo or Kandy

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From $78.00

Price varies by group size

Lowest Price Guarantee

Pricing Info: Per Person

Duration:

Departs: Colombo, Colombo

Ticket Type: Mobile or paper ticket accepted

Free cancellation

Up to 24 hours in advance.

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Overview

Sigiriya Rock and Dambulla Cave Temple are two of Sri Lanka’s top sights, but impossible to visit in one day by public transport. This private tour from Colombo takes you to both in a day by private air-conditioned vehicle. Explore Sigiriya’s fifth-century rock top ruins and visit Dambulla’s Buddha-filled caves. with insights from your driver-guide.

What's Included

1 Liter of Bottled Mineral Water Per Person.

Air-conditioned vehicle

Hotel Pick & Drop from Colombo Hotels.

Service of an English-Speaking Chauffeur Guide.

What's Not Included

Entrance fees.(Sigiriya Rock, Dambulla Cave Temple)

Food and Beverages.

Gratuities.

Traveler Information

ADULT: Age: 6 - 70

Additional Info

Face masks provided for travellers
Face masks required for travellers in public areas
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Public transportation options are available nearby
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Temperature checks for travellers upon arrival
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
Regular temperature checks for staff
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

What To Expect

Sigiriya The Ancient Rock Fortress

Your private Sri Lankan history adventure begins at 6.00 am when your friendly local guide will pick you up from your hotel in Colombo.
Sigiriya lion rock is located in the central Matale District near town of Dambulla of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name refers to a site of historical and archeaological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres (660 ft) high. According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Culavamsa the site was selected by King Kasyapa (477 – 495 CE) for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure —Sīhāgiri, the Lion Rock. The capital and the royal palace were abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.

Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. It is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning. It is the most visited historic site in Sri Lanka.

Sigiriya consists of an ancient citadel built by King Kashyapa during the 5th century. The Sigiriya site contains the ruins of an upper palace located on the flat top of the rock, a mid-level terrace that includes the Lion Gate and the mirror wall with its frescoes, the lower palaces located behind the lavish lower gardens, and moats and ramparts which protected the citadel. The site was both a palace and a fortress. The upper palace on the top of the rock includes cisterns cut into the rock that still retain water. The moats and walls that surround the lower palace are still exquisitely beautiful.

3 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Golden Temple of Dambulla

It is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The rock towers 160 m (520 ft) over the surrounding plains.There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding. Major attractions are spread over 5 caves, which contain statues and paintings. This paintings and statues are related to Lord Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings and 4 statues of god and goddess. The latter 4 include two statues of Hindu gods, Vishnu and Ganesh. The murals cover an area of 2,100 m². Depictions in the walls of the caves include Buddha's temptation by demon Mara and Buddha's first sermon.

The area is thought to be inhabited from as early as the 7th to 3rd century BC. Statues and paintings in these caves date back to the 1st century BC. But the paintings and statues were repaired and repainted in the 11th, 12th, and 18th century AD. The caves in the city provided refuge to King Valagamba (also called Vattagamini Abhaya) in his 14-year-long exile from the Anuradapura kingdom. Buddhist monks meditating in the caves of Dambulla at that time provided the exiled king protection from his enemies. When King Valagamba returned to the throne at Anuradapura kingdom in the 1st century BC, he had a magnificent rock temple built at Dambulla in gratitude to the monks in Dambulla.
Leave Dambulla in the early evening and begin the drive back to Colombo, where your chauffeur guide will drop you off at your hotel.

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

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Sigiriya Rock and Dambulla Temple from Colombo, Negombo or Kandy Activity - Colombo Travel Guide

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