Sigiriya Rock Fortress And Cave Temples Day Trip

My friends and I had the absolute best experience booking a day trip to the Sigiriya Rock Fortress with Kingfisher Tours Sri Lanka. From the moment they picked us up, everything was seamless, professional, and incredibly fun. ​Climbing Sigiriya can be quite an intense workout, but our guide Aashik, made sure we were comfortable, well-paced, and kept us entertained the whole way. They shared incredible historical facts about the fortress, the ancient frescoes, and the water gardens that we never would have known if we explored on our own. ​The vehicle was super comfortable and clean (a huge plus for a group of friends!), and the driving felt very safe. Kingfisher Tours truly went above and beyond to make sure our group had an amazing, stress-free day. If you are planning to visit Sigiriya with a group, do not hesitate to book with them! Thank you for the epic memories!

Bad experience with the operator. We were informed that 10 -11 hours but it was 17 hours and we skipped some activities due to lack of information and the communication issue. It was not a quite good private tour. Totally disappointed.

Our trip to Sigiriya included an amazing Safari trip in the National Park Uda Walawe, where you can see very closely a wide range of animals, mostly elephants but also peacocks, buffalo, mongoose and different types of lizards, then the wonderful Sigiriya fortress, including the rock climbing of close to 1500 steps to reach the top, and finally we finished with admiring the buddist Dambulla Cave Temple, where the monks were cherishing the existence of Buddha, shaped in different huge stone statues. It is a must-see Unesco World Heritace Site, when in Sri Lanka- amazing experience, both adventure &soul enchanting!

I booked this tour because the description said it was 10-12 hours long, while most others said 15-16 hours. Unfortunately once we got to Colombo it became clear that the 4.5 hours driving time to Sigiriya meant it would clearly be impossible to do everything on the itinerary in 10-12 hours, but we had paid so we decided to go anyway. Our first contact with Aashik Aswar was a message asking us to pay in cash on the day. I had already paid Tripadvisor by card and he said he would refund my credit card so I could pay in cash, but I declined to do that. Next he sent me an itinerary for a completely different tour with pickup from the cruise port at 8 am. I messaged him about the itinerary and I also told him that we had booked the 7am pick up at our hotel, so that we could be at Sigiriya before the hottest part of the day. He confirmed that was correct, but on the day of the tour he did not arrive until almost 7.30. I immediately clarified that we wanted to go straight to Sigiriya and also to Pidurangala. We said we didn’t want to go to the herbal spice garden or the village tour, but Aashik said we had to go to the village for lunch around 3pm. We said that was too late for us to eat, and we would want lunch at the after Sigiriya. We set off and after half an hour he stopped the car and picked up another man with no explanation, which set alarm bells ringing for us two women. I had to ask who he was and I was told he was Iman, a “trainee”. Despite knowing that we wanted to get to Sigiriya, Aashik stopped at a roadside stall where we were given a coconut drink while he and his “trainee” had a smoke! When we eventually reached Sigiriya around noon, he told us we would have to pay 35 USD each entrance fee. We knew the fee was not included but feel that the amount should have been mentioned on Tripadvisor, as this is an unusually high fee in South east Asia. Aashik did not accompany us at Sigiriya, so we had no guide on the Lion Rock. He also said the cost of the “optional” village tour was 20USD each so we said we would skip that and go straight to lunch, as we would be hungry after the climb. When we came down from the rock we were hungry and we asked again to skip the village tour and to go straight to lunch, but Aashik said we would have to buy our own lunch if we didn’t go to the village. When I pointed out the lunch was supposed to be included in the tour he said he would reimburse the cost of lunch for us. He then said if we wanted to go to Pidurangala we would have to go straight there and have lunch afterwards as it was “in the wrong direction!” So off we went on the condition that we would go for food immediately after. We had to pay an admission fee at Pidurangala too, which the description says is included, but Aashik did climb up with us this time. After Pidurangala we once again asked to get taken to lunch at the Oakray restaurant, as it was already 3.30pm, but instead he drove us to an office where another man said we had to take the village tour to get to the place where we could have lunch. Aashik said we would be eating in 20 minutes, so since we were famished, we paid up and were taken on an uncomfortable ox cart ride, which lasted twenty minutes, to a dock where we had to get on a catamaran across a lake- another thirty minutes- to the village. We finally got food at 5pm! Then after the food a tuktuk returned us to our car in 15minutes, so we obviously could have gone to the village that way! Aashik said there was no washroom in the village but that he would stop at one nearby. So he then took us to the Herbal Garden where we had said we didn’t want to go, to use the washroom. Of course we were then handed over to a “doctor” for a garden tour, which again we had said we did not want, and where we acquired many mosquito bites, followed by a “complimentary “ massage, which we were obliged to tip for, then directed into a shop where the “doctor” pestered us to buy something. Finally after 6pm we headed back to Colombo. En route we were stopped by police - scary again- and had to ask what was happening. Aashik also stopped again for another smoke break. Around 10 pm we reached the Colombo port area and Aashik stopped again and his “trainee” got out of the car. After sitting for ten minutes, when we questioned why we were stopped, Aashik started the car again and took us to our hotel, leaving the “trainee”behind! By the time we got back we had been out for 15 hours! I asked Aashik if that was the normal time for the tour and he said yes it was! If we had insisted on visiting Dambulla it would have been even longer. We did get to climb both Sigiriya and Pidurangala which were fantastic, but as two women in a car in a foreign country with two men, we felt at the mercy of the driver and his “trainee”. While they were not openly unpleasant, they were not particularly friendly, spending most of the trip on their phones and stopping several times for smoking breaks. We felt we had to pay for an “optional” village tour and visit the Herbal Garden, which we clearly stated several times we did not want to do. We also did not know the cost of the Sigiriya ticket in advance, so the trip cost us 110 USD more than expected. Aashik will claim he did not force us to do anything, but we had no other choice but to go where he took us. A bad experience for us. Would not recommend.

This is a must-do tour in Sri Lanka. We visited Sigiriya Rock Fortress, had a great farmer experience with a unique local lunch, and also went to the Dambulla Golden Temple. What truly made this day exceptional was our tour guide, Ferose (the guy in the pink shirt). He’s one of a kind – incredibly kind, professional, and genuinely hospitable. More than a guide, he felt like a friend. I would recommend him a thousand times over.

Sigiriya is one of the finest cultural highlights in Sri Lanka. The climb is steady but manageable, and the views from the top are spectacular. The ancient frescoes, gardens, and engineering behind the site are remarkable. Early morning is the best time to visit for cooler weather and softer light for photography. A great addition to any itinerary. Beware of crowds. We did the trip as soon as the ticket counter opened. No queues, no rush but on our way back we noticed that the line was stationary. Not a great place to be in the hot sun. We also ended up taking the wrong way down I believe and ended up quite far from the entrance. Not sure if this is the norm. But worth checking out. I tuk offered my wife a private sight seen trip for 2500. Bit of a scam. Plenty to explore around the rock including Pidurangala. Fantastic photos opertunities over the lake to capture both mountains.

A beautiful experience with a professional and caring chauffeur Ferose Lovely interaction while booking with Kingfisher tours, very smooth and wonderful response Anyone visiting Sri Lanka can definitely avail their services as they are knowledgeable and hospitable

Our Guide Abdul was very helpful and accommodating. Private transfer and the day trip was tailored to our requests, got to see the places we wanted and skipped ones we didn't.

The driver Mr. Mohamed Aswer completed his work perfectly and supported us warmly. We are appreciated his professionalism and guidance. We prefer to have his support next time too if possible. Once again l, thank you very much!

A good day out. We had two drivers with us so we both had someone to ask questions to. The lads were patient and aloffered plenty of things to do. We picked and chose what we wanted to do and didn't feel rushed for time. Would gladly use them again.

Communication was fast and clear. This was my solo travel, Abdul Roman was very friendly and looked after you like his own family. It was a pleasure getting to know him. Went to Sigiriya and Dambulla, both amazing places to visit.

Warm and friendly drivers. Went out of their way to make our journey unique and wonderful. They even went and got medicine when I got sick. Remember to bring cash with you as some places dont take cards.

Wonderful tour operator. It is a private tour. Very affordable and the driver was very friendly. The manager who manages this is kind and helpful. Definitely recommended. Right from pickup to drop at the hotel was smoothly planned and executed.

Wonderful experience travelling with this company high quality service provided by them along with guiding as well Really enjoyed this day tour fully packed with activities1

We arrived by cruise ship and this was a one day experience. We have done lots of trip advisor trips so we do have experience. The guide is the important link. Communication from the tour company is second. The communication from the tour company was pretty good but on the day we arrived, we didn't know where to meet the guide. We arrived in a working port. I called our guide and he said to take the shuttle bus to the port gate. That is not uncommon in a working port. It too dangerous to let tourists walk through the port. He was at gate one. The bus dropped us off at gate two. We had no control over any of this. I called our guide again and he said he would pick us up. It took him 15 mins to get there. Aashik then took us to our first stop. A jewelry store. I kept asking him the same question all day. Do we have enough time to do everything on the tour. His answer was always yes. I told him that the most important thing was to get us on the ship by 10:30 pm. He always said, "no problem". My wife liked the jewelry store and the owner made some great deals. I told Aashik that out of all of the things on the tour, the Elephant part can be dropped if time is an issue. We spent about an hour at the store. Next stop was a spice farm. We got the personal "speedy" tour with one of the reps. We also received some great back rubs with red oil. We made some purchases here also. Traffic was horrible the entire way. Driving in Sri Lanka takes a special talent. Our driving was in the passing lane often. 2 lane highway the entire time. We were in the car for hours.Obviously we skipped the included lunch. I don't even know where that would have taken place. We stopped at the Elephant place. I don't know why. We got out of the car and told the attendant that we had no interest. Other things to do. Back in the car. More driving. We were 8 miles from Sigiriya and it was already after 5 pm. We stopped for the ancient dinner experience. We boarded a cart pulled by an ox. About 20 mins down the road we boarded a hand paddled boat for a trip across a lake. We arrived at a little village where some women prepared us dinner. They demonstrated the ancient ways of preparing the food. The food was delicious. There was a charge for dinner. The tour company allowed us to pay less because we didn't get the lunch. Time was now an issue. Do we go to Sigiriya, the whole reason we took this tour, or we do we drive back to the port? We had 4 hours before the ship left. Sigiriya was 30 mins away with traffic. 2500 steps, up to the top. We needed 2 hours to do? Who knew this? We chose to go back to the port. Traffic is too unpredictable. Halfway back we got onto an expressway. What a relief. I am guessing that all of the other stops interfered with taking the expressway on the way there. We arrived back into the port at 8:45. Time to spare. I am glad we left when we did. If you choose this tour and are on a ship, realize the issue of time and traffic. It is unavoidable. Plan accordingly.

Excellent experience but not for the lighthearted. Have to be reasonably fit to climb this. Although, you’d be surprised at how many infirm can manage it!! Beautiful views and definitely with a trip. Take lots of water. Locals will try for cash at every opportunity so have your wits about you.

Perfect day tour covering all the top attractions in one day. The Lion Rock view was stunning and the village experience was a lifetime memory Definitely will recommend

We took a few day trips from Sigiriya with a local driver Lalantha Kumara. We went to Dambulla Caves, Kandy City and Palonnaruwa Ancient City. He was very caring, punctual and professional, and quoted a very good price for us. Dambulla Cave paintings are very well preserved and are amazing. Driving from one site to another in a car with Lalantha was very efficient. He made sure that we saw everything. This ancient city is extensive. So much history and so much to see. I highly recommend him.

Wonderful day trip we took from this company highly recommend our driver Aswar who was very knowledgable and very helpful. We really enjoyed climbing the lion rock and the safari experience was fantastic

I booked this tour while traveling on a cruise ship docked at Colombo port. I arrived at the meeting point on time, to be told that this tour was not possible as it was too far from the port to make it back before the ship left. First, why would you offer this from Colombo port if it is too far? Ships are never in port that long- even if they're there overnight. And, I even inquired about the pick up location and still was not told it was too far to the destination. The operator/ owner said he did try to call me the night before but I only had ship WiFi and did not receive the call. He said he would give me a refund and offered me a city Tuk Tuk tour which I accepted and was very good. Unfortunately he didn't tell me the cost of the Tuk Tuk tour and so far I have not received any refund. I am still hopeful though. My advice would be to check the distance from your hotel/ port to the destination before booking. I do think the tour company should give an approximate distance from their pick up cities so travelers would know the travel time involved. I will be more careful in the future.

Great experience, got to alter the itinerary as we wished. Enjoyed climbing Sigiriya Rock and the villiage experience - food very nice and authentic. Safari was highlight, knowledgeable safari driver which was arranged by the company. Our driver for the day Ferose was friendly and knowledgeable. Comfortable car for long drives. Ferose was helpful and chatty and enjoyable company. Only thing to note is that all activities you need to pay for so have a decent amount of cash handy.

fake visits, and fake safari's arranged as against genuine. At the end was trying to avoid the best programme of climbing mount sigiriya and was forcing to take up forest safari for earning dubiously

This isn’t a tour but rather an option to rent a driver for the day. It’s very pricey and I felt rushed through the day. I had to pay for my own tickets and tour guides. I would not recommend as it was very expensive and not a good experience.

A Great and reliable company we booked the trip in advance and everything was perfectly organized in addition they even took us to a Natural Spice Garden and gave us a free Ayurvedic Massage The Rock was too heat but its worth climbing for the breathtaking views and history, Our driver was very professional and knowledgable about his coutry he assisted us in every stops and never left us alone in any part we highly recommend this company for anyone who travels in a short or long period

Driver was helpful and also had good time management. At the start of the trip we had some confusion on the exact program as there are many extra options that can be added (safari, village tour, etc) but we could adjust the program on the go and at the end we could make time for everything we wanted to see and even have a very nice lunch too. We started in an Ayurvedic Garden where the guide showed us the most common spices and produced cosmetics. Entry is free and although there is no pressure, it is nice to be prepared to buy something in the shop (card payment possible) or tip the guide (cash). Sigiriya rock is a great trip, but don't be surprised by the 1200 steps and the heat radiating from the warm rocks (sunscreen, sunglasses and hat highly advised). The trip takes at least 1.5 hours, but don't hurry, instead take some time in the cool gardens at the entrance, as the exit will be on the other side of the rock. Entry fee is 30 USD per person. On our request, the driver took us to a nice local restaurant (Sigiri Mount Villa) where we got some great curry with rice. At the second half of the day, we had time to visit Dambulla Cave Temple and had a chance to see the laying Buddha statues. Entry is 2000 SLR + 200 for shoe storage per person, cash only. Trip from Colombo starts with a cca 3-3,5 hrs car ride, so we recommend an early start. There were some logistical confusions during the day and also at the end regarding the advance card payment of the trip, so we suggest double checking and confirming the plans in advance. But all together it was a good and contentful day trip that we can warmly recommend.

Sri Lanka is an amazing place, with good very spicy food 😆 The driver/tour guide, Ferose is friendly and good como many in the trip. Unfortunately, I had only 2 1/2 days, because Sei Lanka deserved much more days to visit and know around.

More than 1200 steps one way is tough but it compensates. Views from the top of the rock fort were very much impressive and amazing. Must go. The guide is easily available at the Guide Counter (Japanese-speaking guide also). Foreigner tickets are sold inside of Museum US$30/person can be paid by US$. History is also interesting.

If you want to have a very memorable experience in Sri Lanka and benefit fully for a day trip, this is the best option you got in Sri Lanka I enjoyed visiting all the places towards Sigiriya, let alone the professionalism of the driver.

We booked this excursion for me and my family and highly recommend this company, everything was perfectly organized and the traditional lunch is fantastic.....Our driver who is knowledgable gave the best service and the car is very comfortable!We also booked their UAE tours for this year as we are very well satised with their service💯

What a fantastic service received by Kingfisher and Team! Everything was well planned and organized our guide was knowledgeable and loves his country, The authentic Sri Lankan lunch was so good and our Wildlife experience is such a marvelous adventure We highly recommend this company to use for anyone visiting Sri Lanka

Everything was amazing! We stopped on the way for some fresh coconuts and corn :) Save driver, can 100% recommend! Thanks for everything :-)

Enjoyed visiting Sigiriyi rock and dambulla caves. Also had a relaxing massage at a spice garden. Tour was very professional and smoothly run.

There are several things to improve. Our itinerary was: pick up from Unawatuna for a day trip to Sigiriya and drop off at the airport. One month before our arrival, I fixed with the agency about the quotation and the itinerary. At the day of the tour, the driver didn’t show up. I wrote to the agency, He said that he sent the driver to the Colombo airport. We had waited to check out at the hotel, because we were not sure if the tour could made it. After an hour and half of waiting another driver showed up, the driver excellent, nothing to say about him. Then we went to spice garden, it was OK but it is basically a place that they take you to sell you stuffs. Then when we went to Sigiriya l, there were guides that insisted a lot to accompany us expecting or charging tour guide fee, we reused totally because the guy from the agency was already with us, we didn’t understand why to pay another guide. The guy from the agency didn’t say anything, despite we were feeling uncomfortable. After we went down, we were about to go to the park to see elephants, the “jungle man” the guy from the agency said that the park we were originally going was full of water and he wanted to take us another park charging usd 140. We went to the park, we were exploring during an hour and half and we finally could find elephants. I don’t recommend this agency.

To start off, Ferose, from Kingfisher tours, drove me there all the way from the airport. This place is amazing, I fell in love with it as soon as I had my eyes on the rock, from far away. Climbing all the way up was nice and easy, a few slippery steps (It was raining) but nothing that a bit of precaution wouldn’t cover. The top is even better, much larger thn I expected. So many beautiful views! I definitely have to go there again under a good weather !

Only thing good about the tour was Surendra. He is great in introducing Sri Lanka to a tourist. I quite liked him. He arranged a custom tour with tight schedule for me . Initially told Don’t book through TripAdvisor please and you can use card directly with us if you don’t have USD and Local currency. I agreed Such a big mess this company. The tour went fine , at the time of payment , Kingfisher tour owner Ashiq and his father kept arguing about the form of payment . Father said no card I’m sorry and we can offer some discount (8 dollars for cash). Ashiq argues and tells me not to deal with his father. Then goes on and says I can tell his father that I will never get a discount for card or cash payment. What sense does it make to involve me in family feud. I would rather deal with Surendra directly than kingfisher. Very low in rating. Do not recommend.

We have had a unforgettable expiriences during day trip and safari in Hurulu Eco Park. Our driver took care of safe trip and intresting stoppages to enjoy local street food and intresting place. Highly recomended to everyone who travel to Lanka.

Hi I’m MEERAN from India I enjoyed the trip with the person who came with me and shown the beautiful sites in SriLanka . His name is Mr. Feroze . He taken a cab and picked me and we gone for holiday trip that’s was nice . I liked the trip

I had a great time. Ferose was an amazing guide, very knowledgeable, considerate, and accommodating to whatever I needed. I would recommend the company and Ferose any day.

The driver made an extra effort to make me feel comfortable and made sure that everything g we did was to my liking.

Amazing experience everything was prefect! Feroz Mohamad was such a nice guy very helpful guy and so kind, already planed to visit agin in a few months!

If you came in sri lanka you can not see this place and you can trust in kingfisher tour operator the owner is very nice amd my driver Feroce is a wonderful person.

Wonderful place in middle of jungke. Extraordinary food and very nice person. If you came in this place you can t not pass here for try this excelent sri lanka original food

I had Ferose as my guide and driver and he was absolutely one of the best guides I have had from all the world trips I have done. He is one of the friendliest and kindest people you could ever meet. He was on time for 2 of my tours that I did with him and made sure that I was comfortable. He would offer me drinks and food out of his own expense because he wanted me to have a good time and enjoy the Sri Lankan culture. He was even kind enough to help me get money from ATM and stop by places to rest for our long journey. I would definitely give him 10 stars if I had to. Aashik the kingfisher tour manager was also amazing and he was clear and concise about his communication and gave me great instructions. Well done kingfisher tours!

We a family of 4 visited Sri Lanka for our family Getaway and choosed this company for a day trip as my wife badly wanted to explore Sigiriya, Everything from the starting was five star services where we were picked up from our hotel in Colombo at the perfect timing ! Our drive Aswar was very polite and kind, He has a clean and smooth driving skill where we felt very comfortable traveling with him. His experience and knowledge about Sri Lanka was really fantastic we really enjoyed the Safari at Minneriya National Park with the Naturalist Nishantha and the Lunch with cooking class experience was so good We will never hestitate to use this company again and again as they are perfect for every travelers who comes to get a great experience about Sri Lanka Lots of love from Priyadarshana and family

I was appreciative of the opportunity to visit Sigiriya. The service was as described, but I wish I had paid more attention to the fine print as I did not recall reading that this service is simply a car service to get two and from locations and does not include admission to any of the sights. Entrance fees, tour guides, and tips ended up costing me over $160 USD in addition to the cost of this booking. Aswar was my driver. He took good care of me. He had an aggressive driving style, though I now have a sense that this is normal of private drivers in Sri Lanka. He was patient when each activity took hours. The car was clean and seemed well-maintained. The lunch spot chosen during the tour was lovely and with excellent food. Why not 5 stars? A few things. (1) The additional cost of the actual acitivies along the journey was not disclosed and so took me by surprise. (2) My driver told me little along the way with regards to what I was seeing; I think this may be partially because his English was not terribly strong (though much better than my Tamil).

A beautiful landmark worth the 3.5 hour journey in each direction. Easy to fill up the day with other activities if you want to spend money, but I think the palace and the cave temple are the only must sees. Be firm with the "tour guides" telling them you're not interested or they'll follow you around and expect a tip afterward. It's quite a hike so bring plenty of water or a filter.

The tour operator cancelled the tour one hour after is was supposed to start, like they forgot they had a booking when I called them. I got a refund but they still took away my opportunity to see these beautiful sights.

This was a great way to see Sigiriya Rock if you are staying in Colombo. My driver Ajantha also took me to a fantastic local restaurant for lunch, where the food was so yummy and the proprietors very kind. Just note that the included lunch in the tour is at the village safari. Just be prepared for a LONG day of driving, as the Rock is 4 hours away from Colombo, one way.

We cannot rate this company more than this! A fantastic tour by Kingfisher Tours to explore and get the best sights covering in one day Our driver mohammed was super knowledgeable and he knows about his country very well Our Safari Drive at Minneriya National is fantastic, We spotted a lot of Elephants and many birds Highly Recommend!