Sri Lanka, a beautiful island nation known for quite some time for its vivid blue oceans, white sand beaches and misty green tea plantations. But what most people tend to overlook is the more than 3000 year old history that this country holds and the ancient sites and structures that still stand proud today as flag bearers of that past.
And as big history buffs, we could not pass on the chance to visit the ancient site of Dambulla, especially being so close to it being in Kandy. Hence, we planned this Day Trip to Dambulla and Sigiriya from Kandy without haste. And Speaking of Kandy, we do have a detailed guide about Kandy just in case you need it to plan your trip.
Why a Day trip to Dambulla and Sigiriya
Situated just 75 Kms from Kandy, Dambulla is a pretty little town but with vast historic importance. The area was thought to be inhabited from as early as the 7th century BC. Dambulla is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka with over 80 documented caves in the surrounding area. Dambulla is famous for two famous UNESCO world heritage sites. The Sigiriya rock fortress and the Dambulla cave temple.
This was our story about a day trip to Dambulla and Sigiriya from Kandy. We are a roaming couple who likes short trips and budget travel. We generally don’t spend a long time in a particular place. As our blog name suggests, we hop around quite frequently. So if we suit your travel style please subscribe to us or connect with us on the social network of your choice.
-Quick Facts-
- Distance from Kandy is just 75 Kilometers, around 2 and a half hours by car.
- The entrance fee to Dambulla cave temple is 1500 LKR for foreigners.
- The entrance fee to Sigiriya rock is 30 USD for foreigners.
- Buses to Dambulla are available from Kandy bus station quite frequently for a cheap price within 1.5 USD.
- Cabs can be rented from Kandy and definitely a more comfortable way to travel and would cost around 40-50 USD for a complete day.
- You can’t wear shorts and need to cover shoulders inside Dambulla cave temples.
- Be ready to climb a lot. Dambulla cave temple hosts around 300 steps and Sigiriya rock is at a whopping 1200 steps of climb.
- There is no water or food available at the top of either Dambulla cave temple or Sigiriya rock. So carry enough before the climbs.
- Don’t miss the most magnificent sunset from top of the Sigiriya rock.
Way to Dambulla
Now we were indecisive between taking a cab or bus to Dambulla. No doubt the bus would have saved us a lot. But finally we decided against it as we just had 2 days in Kandy and we didn’t waste our precious time on journey. So we booked a car the evening before through a contact from our Airbnb host. We woke up early that day, and had a heavy breakfast. We wanted to reach Dambulla early before the crowd started to arrive.
Dambulla Cave Temple
Dambulla cave temple, is a beautifully preserved cave temple perched on top of a small hill and more than 2000 years old. It is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka and the rock that hosts these caves is around 160 meters high.
Just at the entrance to the climb to the hill is the ticket counter. After getting our tickets our first stop was the magnificent Golden temple. There is a giant golden Buddha statue on the monastery and is really hard to miss. This temple is at the bottom of the hill.
After visiting the monastery, we started our climb towards the cave temples. The climb was not that tough and had around 300 steps to the top, but the heat, humidity and the sun provided us with some minor challenges. Once on top of the hill, there is a counter where you have to deposit your shoes. Please keep in mind that you can’t wear shorts and need to cover your shoulders inside Dambulla cave temples.
Inside the temple it was peaceful at its best. There were more than 153 Buddha statues and also some statues of Hindu deities. Being inside the dark caves and so close to the ancient sculptures would definitely give you goosebumps.
There are around 5 caves open to the tourist and one of them has a mighty long Buddha sculpture in a laying down posture.
We were also awestruck by the extravagant frescoes and wall paintings on every corner of the caves, even on the ceilings, telling tales from Buddhism. We have been to a lot many Buddhist temples and monasteries all over India, Southeast Asia, China and wherenot. But Dambulla cave temple definitely stands out as an unique place.
Sigiriya Rock Fortress
After spending some 2 hours inside the Dambulla cave temple, we headed towards the famous Sigiriya rock. Our cab was waiting below the hills and it was a quick 20 minutes drive to the site.
Once there, we had to walk around 10 minutes towards the entrance. There was the ticket counter just by the road and we took our tickets there. The entrance fee was 30USD for foreigners.
SIgiriya, an ancient rock fortress, is another unique place in itself. This is a huge granite hill almost 180 meters high, on top of which there are the ruins of an ancient city and fortress, constructed around 477 AD by King Kashyapa I.
The stairs to the actual climb started from a set of giant lion paw sculptures below the rock.
With the heat and the harsh afternoon sun, the climb of over 1200 stairs was tiring. Almost the whole path was made of metal platforms and steps.
At some portions of the climb, there were beautiful wall paintings from the ancient times along the way.
After a tiring climb, we reached the top of the rock. Very few standing structures remain there now but there are constructions still present as testimony to the ancient city. From what could be seen, it was evident that a lot of complex structures existed before including defensive establishments, palaces, and gardens.
And the view from the top was breathtaking. We witnessed a view of the whole region covered by a vast blanket of green forest. We stayed there till the sunset and definitely it was one of the most beautiful sunsets that we had ever seen.
The climb down was along the same metal path and was easy. But people with problem with height might feel a bit uncomfortable when looking down the steep rock.
Return back from Dambulla
Once back down, we again had to walk 10 minutes through the forest road to our predesignated position where our cab was waiting for us. The return journey was uneventful as we cruised along the highway and reached Kandy within 2 hours. We were tired and hungry, but mesmerized by the day we had. Lots of good memories and photos to cherish forever.
Having said all these, if you are looking for ease, you might want to check this day trip to Dambulla from Kandy
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