Sigiriya - The Town at the Base of the Lion’s Rock
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So, like everyone who comes to Sri Lanka, you’re heading to Sigiriya. You can stay near the lions rock in lots of places, with excursions available from Habarana, Dambulla or even as far away as Colombo! However, if you want to be within walking distance of Sigiriya rock, there is a small town full of guesthouses, hotels and resturants right down next to the UNESCO world heritage site.
Here’s our quick little guide to the town at the base of the Lion’s Rock.
Getting to and from Sigiriya
Spot the langur monkey!
Buses
Sigiriya is not a large town and doesn’t have a train station or bus terminal but you are within a tuk-tuk or taxi ride away from the town of Dambulla and it’s busy bus terminal. Dambulla is fantastically well connected to nearly the whole island with buses serving Kandy, Anuradhapura and Colombo as well as northern and southern towns.
Many of the larger bus routes can drop you off at Inamaluwa Junction. Inamaluwa Junction lies much closer to Sigiriya town than Dambulla, and many of the long distance bus routes pass through here on their way to Dambulla. This is the junction we used to both arrive and depart from our stay in Sigiriya. When boarding the bus, just let the ticket seller know you’re heading to Sigiriya and they’ll let you know when you get to the junction. If you jump off the bus at this nondescript junction, you can easily flag a tuk tuk or taxi down to take you the short ride to Sigiriya itself.
For the budget friendly you can catch a bus between Sigiriya to Dambulla but the timetables are a mystery! Google has no idea, there is no bus stop in Sigiriya town (from what we could find) and our guesthouse advised us to just wait on the side of the road and try and flag the bus down when it rolled past!
Trains
There is also a train stations close(ish) by in Habarana and Kekirawa which are a short hop from Sigiriya. Habarana station has a train to Trincomalee in the north and the capital of Colombo although when we visited trains were not that frequent. You can book trains between Colombo and Kekirawa in advance here.
Accommodation in Sigiriya
Whatever your budget, there is a huge choice of accommodation within driving distance of Sigiriya. From hostels and guesthouses to 5 star luxury, there will be a place for you to stay. We, however, are backpackers, so we are probably not going to be able to advise you on high end resorts, but we did find two absolute gems of affordable accommodation in the area.
Roy’s Villa Hostel
The first time we visited Sigiriya, we did not stay in the town itself, but stayed a short drive away at Roy’s excellent hostel. Roy’s Villa Hostel is a fantastic place to stay, reasonably priced, with a mix of dorm and private rooms. The hostel is located amongst beautiful rice paddies near the village of Kimbissa. If you haven’t already, read all about our stay at Roy’s Villa Hostel here!
To book your stay at Roy’s Villa Hostel click here.
Sigiri Saman Home Stay
The second time we visited, we stayed in the main town of Sigiriya in a beautiful guest house called Sigiri Saman Home Stay. Set back from the road, surrounded by forest and flowers, this little oasis had a comfy room, a hot shower and brilliant breakfasts! Every morning we were treated to a fantastic spread of fresh fruit, eggs, steamed rice pancakes, fried varda and an array of other Sri Lankan treats. All washed down with unlimited tea, coffee and complimentary bottles of water.
We got an absolute bargain price when we stayed, mainly due to the time (2022) we were visiting the country and general lack of tourists, but it was easily worth 3 times what we paid. The guesthouse is just a short walk from the main Sigirya strip. To book your stay at Sigiri Saman Home Stay click here.
Sigiri Samam Home Stay is set within beautifully maintained jungle gardens!
To book other accommodation within Sigiriya, check out the map below:
Eating and drinking in Sigiriya town
Sigiriya town itself is never going to win awards for being the most happening of places. A small strip of shops, restaurants and bars serves the surrounding community and, in more normal times, the hordes of tourists coming to visit the Lion’s Rock.
We ate in two of the restaurants; the Chooti restaurant and Pradeep restaurant. If you ignore the Western menu and go for the good old favourite of rice and curry, they were both lovely. They gave us far better food at a more reasonable price than you would expect from such a touristy spot. Quite a few restaurants were advertising a bbq menu, however when we visited there simply weren't enough people visiting to warrant firing up the coals!
We have to mention the famous Rastarant Bar. It seems like wherever you are in the world, wherever there are backpackers, there will be a reggae bar. We have no idea how the Rastarant came to be, how they decided on their theming (to our knowledge Bob Marley wasn’t that into archaeology), but the Rastarant bar instantly won our hearts. The bar is made up of a funky collection of oil drums, wooden huts, and hammocks all set alongside a flowing stream. There are fire pits, nets over the water and even a slackline if you're feeling especially centred! After dark the candles come out and lights are switched on. This all should have been cheesy but instead the Rastarant was a great place to unwind and a very chilled out bar to have an ice cold beer after a day in the Sigiriya sun. The prices were in dollars so it was slightly more expensive than we were used to, but being the biggest bar in the area and being at the base of the Lion’s Rock, it's not too surprising.
One thing to note about Sigiriya town is that there is an absolute bellend who has decided to offer elephant rides. Please just don’t do this! We know the guy has to make money somehow, but please don’t support him in his endeavours to keep an elephant chained and subservient, just so some clueless tourist can have a ride. It’s just not cool!
Nearby Attractions
Central Sri Lanka has many attractions on offer, and staying in, or near Sigiriya means you’re never far from something interesting.
The Lion’s Rock of Sigiriya
It’s unlikely you ended up in this town without knowing what this is, but the Lion’s Rock is an incredible site and should not be missed! Read our guide all about visiting the Lion’s Rock of Sigiriya here.
Pidurangala Rock
With fantastic views over Sigiriya Rock and only a 20 minute or so hike to the top, this budget friendly walk is a must do in the area! For an even more incredible view, get to the top for sunrise or sunset. Read all about visiting here.
Dambulla Royal Cave Temple
These incredible ancient temples are carved into the rock of one of the hills overlooking Dambulla town. More than a millennium old, and decorated in intricate colourful artwork, these cave temples are well worth a visit. Read our guide here.
Kaudulla Elephant Safari
If you want to see elephants in their natural environment, then book a jeep safari to Kaudulla National Park. It is one of the few national parks where (season dependent) you are guaranteed to see an elephant! Read all about our incredible day here.
Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa
Slightly further afield, the enormous ruins of these two ancient cities are incredible. We visited Anuradhapura and were bowled over by the sheer scale and beauty of this archaeological site (okay, we may have also nearly got heat stroke but that’s a story you’ll have to read here). Your accomodation will definitely be able to arrange a trip or a tour to one or both of these amazing sites.
Ritigala Ancient Monastic Ruins
Lesser known than the ancient cities of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa or Sigiriya, these mountainside ruins are phenomenal. Set within the Ritigala Strict Nature Reserve, and a half day trip from the Sigiriya area, we cannot recommend this enough! Read all about it here.
We hope you enjoy your stay in central Sri Lanka.
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
Cheers to Sigirya!
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