Sigiriya – Another packed amazing day in Sri Lanka

The diversity of things you can see in Sri Lanka is one of the best features of the country. From big cities, to ancient site, to natural wonders, there is such a range of things to do, you won’t get bored and you will feel like everyday is better than the previous. We started the day with a visit to one of the top attractions in the country – Sigiriya or Lion Rock. Basically, its a hike to the top of a large rock to see an ancient fortress on top.

While you will see a variety of info online, the “hike” is actually just climbing a set of stairs and will take about 30 minutes one way at a leisurely speed. Here are some of the views along the way.

Eventually, you will get to a halfway point where you can stop and enjoy the views.

If I remember correctly, the park opens at 6AM and this is when you should go. There will be less people, cooler weather, ability to see the sunrise and be back at your hotel in time for breakfast. Once at the top, you will enjoy some gorgeous views.

After the hike back down, we went to our hotel to enjoy breakfast. The service and food were excellent. After breakfast, we had to decide whether we wanted to visit the ruins at Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa. We went with the later as my research indicated the sites were better maintained and located in a more compact area. Anyway, if you go, you will buy tickets to enter the grounds, and then you should rent a bike so that you can explore the area. The road through the site is basically one way so you can explore in a straight path without risk of missing anything. After the entrance, go right first to see these ruins:

Then go back to the entrance and take the road (turn left at the entrance) and stop wherever you see something which interests you.

Note that it is SUPER hot so make sure you have sun protection and some water. On our way back to Sigiriya, we saw this amazing temple with the water in the background.

Once back in Sigiriya, we decided to do a “village safari”. It was one of the best things I did on the trip, and I learned a lot about the rural culture. It starts with a ride in a traditional carriage:

Then a relaxing boat ride.

…and then you will finally arrive at a typical village…

…see some amazing rice fields…

…and be invited into a local’s kitchen where they will cook for you…from scratch…and I do mean everything will be from scratch. They will show you, for example, how to ground flour and turn it into ROTI!!!!!!!!!!

After this amazing experience, we took a tuk tuk back to our hotel, where we explored the grounds and saw some amazing wildlife.

As you can see from this post, Sri Lanka is filled with amazing and unique adventures. Tomorrow, we visit the second largest city, Kandy, and stay at another amazing hotel.