Sigiriya Lion Rock 2643 views
Sigiriya ・History & Culture・UNESCO Heritage
- Recomended duration
- 2+ Hours
- Best time of the year to visit
- Throughout the year
- Open Hours
- 7 AM - 5:30 PM (Last entry at 5 PM)
Activities
Little bit about Sigiriya Lion Rock
The Sigiriya lion rock is a much revered and widely visited natural monument in the north central part of the country. This ancient rock fortress of King Kashyapa, now stands evidencing the ruins of an ancient civilization and is a world heritage site.
This "Fortress in the Sky" is considered as the 8th wonder of the world.
Standing at over 200 meters tall this rock is stunning to look at from afar while climbing atop it is an exhilarating experience. The rock is named after its natural structure, resembling a sleeping lion – in Sinhala, ‘Sinha’ mean a lion and ‘Giriya’ means rock.
You have to climb up the rock through the lion’s mouth to reach the top. There are steps built that you can use to climb up and it is not so difficult although little tiring. Lion’s paws carved in the bedrock, mirror wall and the frescoes of about 500 beautiful ladies are remarkable that they are highly preserved. When you get to the top, the 360 degree view is breathtaking and completes one of the most special experiences in Sri Lanka.
Flat-topped summit has gardens and ruins of excellent ancient architectures in addition to the splendid view. Sigiriya is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning.
Ancient City of Sigiriya is one of the eight UNESCO World Heritage sites in Sri Lanka.
Things to know before you go
- Sigiriya lion rock ticket gives free access to the Museum
- Early morning visit is recomended to avoid the crowd and heat
- Make sure that you carry enough water and refreshments with you, there are no restaurents inside the fotress area
- There are around 1200 steps to the top of the fotress, in 3 stages. 1st stage is relatively easy compared to the other two. If you have any medical condition, make sure that you are fit for the journey
- Do not use the camera flash when taking pictures of Sigiri fescoes
- Do not write anything on the mirror wall and on any other ruins
- Do not use strong perfumes and be quite; heavy smell and noice could provoke Wasps
Tickets
|
Foriegners (SAARC Countries)
|
Adults | $15 |
| Children (Below 12) | $15 | |
|
Foriegners (All other countries)
|
Adults | $30 |
| Children (Below 12) | $15 | |
|
Locals
|
Adults | LKR 50 |
| Children (Below 12) | LKR 25 |
Tickets can be be purchased at the entrance or online.
Reviews
Edi
and 1 people reviewed this
Edi
5.0
A must go place in SL - some amazing history. I was told by one local that there are stories saying there had been elevators to the top. I am not so surprised considering the fact that how they took water to the top of the rock, at that time. And there are stories relating Sigiriya to Pyramids in Giza . An awesome piece of history to study. Do not forget to visit Pidurangaala, a beautiful view of Sigiriya is there. .