Full-day Private Sigiriya And Dambulla From Kandy

Sri Lanka by Car exceeded all our expectations. Our driver, Romindu, was fantastic - always punctual and  friendly,  He navigated the Sri Lankan roads with ease, making us feel safe and comfortable throughout the journey. Our tour guide, Kelum, truly brought Sri Lanka to life. His passion for his country was infectious, and he shared so much fascinating information about the history, culture, and wildlife. Kelum went above and beyond to ensure we had a memorable experience. The car itself was clean, comfortable, and well-maintained. We were able to relax and enjoy the stunning scenery without any worries about transportation.

My partner and I did the Sigiriya Rock and Dambulla Cave Temple Day Tour from Kandy with Yapa. He made the day absolutely amazing! On the journey Yapa explained the layout of the Cave Temple and what we could expect, as well as the history and tradition surrounding the temple. Yapa also gave us a detailed description of the origins of the Sigiriya Rock site. Unfortunately, when we got to Sigiriya rock we realised that due to the day of our tour falling on a sacred full-moon day and a long weekend the rock was extremely busy. There were thousands of locals trying to climb the rock, so it would have taken three times as long to get to the top of the rock. Sadly, we decided we couldn’t wait this long to climb the rock. After communicating this with Yapa he felt bad that we didn’t get to experience it, so he made various suggestions for other things we could do. We ended up deciding to climb the neighbouring rock, Pidurangala Rock, which we believe was equally amazing. Yapa also came up the rock with us to guide us with the climb. The climb itself was very cool and the view from the top was essentially the same as what you would see from Sigiriya rock, whilst also having a view of the rock. Overall, Yapa did everything he could to make this day as interesting and rewarding for us as possible. We would 100% recommend having Yapa take you for a tour!

The hole trip was amazing, and our guide Ruwan made it all worth it. He was a excellent driver and guide. The review only gets 5 stars because he made it a 5 star trip. He thought of everything, he even brought embrellas for us.

A great day with a great and informative guide. The drive from Kandy is about 2 hours, but our guide had lots of information to share along the way. Highly recommended!

Thanks our guide Kit was great, he told us a lot of interesting facts about Sigiriya and Sri Lanka overall. The ride was pleasant, and ascenssion was not as difficult as it seemed. I definitely recommend this tour even for those travelling with little kids.

Isuru was an excelent driver and guide!!! He is very dedicated and pays attention to the client's needs and preferences :) He knows a lot about the history and culture of the country and he gave me some tips for my solo travel. We even drank a tea and he showed me another town besides the tour plan. It was an amazing day and I recommend 100% to have a tour with him :)

We went on a full day tour to Sigiriya from Kandy with Kit. We are a family of 4 with 2 kids, 6 and 2 years old. We were hesitant to Sigiriya rock at first minding our young children but Kit reassured us that we will be fine. It was truly a great decisions as the views were totally worth it. What I particularly liked was that with a private tour we could adjust our trip as it was convenient for us. Thus we also visited a safari and got to the hotel just in time for dinner. Kit was very pleasant, and shared a lot of interesting information on Sri Lanka. He is a great driver with a very comfortable car. Thank you very much for this experience!

We had Diyath as a guide and it was amazing. He showed us all the things that we had to see and told us everything about the culture. We could ask him anything and we had lots of fun. Thank you and we would recommend it with Diyath for sure. He was really open minded and you felt like you were part of family and not on a tour.

We had a really nice day trip to Dambulla and Sigiriya with Diyath. He's a great tour guide, very caring and speaks good English. We had a -lunch village experience-, which I highly recommend to people who wanna see and taste something realistic of Sri Lanka. The whole Day was very interesting, funny and with a lot of WoW-Moments.

Excellent excursion, must see places. Our guide Diyath was punctual and gave us a lot of information. He even climbed the Lion Rock with us.

We climbed the Lion Rock and visited Dambullah with Diyath. He was punctual with a comfortable car and a good guide with lot of information. The view and the historic places are a must see in Sri Lanka.

As mentioned in other reviews, this is more of a private driver than a tour (i.e you are left to explore Sigiriya on your own), but great nonetheless. We also didn't get to see Dambulla either for some reason, I believe we may have ran out of time. Buffet lunch is great full of plenty of options, if not pricey compared to more local restaurants. Sigiriya is $30 pp and they don't accept card, so many sure you have plenty of cash with you.

We had Diyath as our guide and had a good time. He was really informative and told us about the history of the different places. Would recommend!

We booked this trip before arriving in Sri Lanka. Diyath our driver and guide arrived on time and from there the whole trip was amazing. Diyath guided us the whole day telling us detail about both places that only local knowledge can provide. Both Sigirya and Dambulla are very special and must visit if you come to Sri Lanka. I would 100% recommend the trip, the company and Diyath.

A fun filled, action packed day. Diyath was an awesome tour guide. A great driver, knowledgeable, super nice guy, he even carried my bag for me, & made sure I had enough water. I would highly recommend.

Sigiriya was stunning - enjoyable climb with great views and interesting history, and we really enjoyed the Dambulla cave temples as well. In between we stopped a delicious buffet lunch with lots of options including local dishes that we really enjoyed. Our guide, Dayath, was excellent - very knowledgable about history for Sri Lanka and of Buddhism as well, we felt like we learned a lot.

An excellent day trip! Our driver went above and beyond to show us around and make sure we were comfortable. The car was clean and large enough to fit our bags. The driver stopped on the way to get us fresh local fruit. He also took us to a very nice place for lunch. Couldn't recommend this trip enough!

Diyath picked us up from our hotel in central Kandy, the traffic was unexpectedly really heavy so he was slightly delayed and kindly let us know in advance. A safe and professional driver, we arrived at Sigiriya about 2.5 hours later, Diyath guided us to the ticket counter, and took us on a very speedy tour (about 15 mins) of the museum so we had a bit of historical context and could use the bathroom facilities. The walk up to the top of Sigiriya Rock Fortress is mainly stone then metal stairs and is tough enough going but so worth it - the view from the top is extraordinary. Diyath has a lot of knowledge and is clearly passionate about the history of this place. Through our travels we have went on quite a few tours and I would say Diyath is one of the more chilled and personable guides we have had. (Diyath provided us with a big bottle of water each - I would bring extra, we were glad we did). We were given the option of going to a buffet lunch or visiting local people who would take us on a catamaran and prepare lunch with us. This would be a great idea for a day tour on its own but we decided to visit the buffet instead, being pretty exhausted from the climb at that point, and very ready to eat. After lunch we went to the Cave Temples in Dambulla (quite a few more steps), and these are really something, again Diyath has a brilliant grasp of the historical and social background, making a beautiful cultural site a really enjoyable experience. (We skipped the last stop of the tour, it was a brilliant but slightly exhausting day from all the climbing). We needed to go to Kandy train station to reserve tickets for our journey the next day, and we asked Diyath if they would drop us there instead of back to our hotel, and they very generously did. Would highly recommend this tour and especially our guide Diyath :)

What a fantastic tour! We did hit some rain and the driver was very flexible with the schedule. He also knew the area very well and we ended up changing it up a bit. Road conditions change, so it is nice having some flexibility in your schedule, as weather changes also. Great trip! Thanks.

Had a great trip to include dambulla caves and a spice garden. We have had 4 different drivers out of kandy for various trips and all have been helpful and polite. So have no worries with sri lankan drivers.

We chose this tour because we didn’t want to stay overnight in Sigirya when we knew it was an easy day trip from Kandy. The knowledgeable guide was a bonus! We had a great trip

My driver, Nihal, was professional, courteous and a very safe driver. He gave me lots of great information about the sites we visited and was helpful and kind. Both sites were well worth the trip and Nilesh planned our day to be efficient, taking weather into account etc. He also brought me for great local food which was great to try.

We got picked up bang on time, 8am, from our central-Kandy hotel. Our driver was Sunil. We were in a VW with tinted windows and air con. He took us to a herb/spice garden on the way - but he gave us the choice, he also stopped for me to take photos. When we arrived, he took us to the ticket office, walked us to the base of the stairs,giving us information about the site on the way and showed us a slightly quicker way to avoid some of the queuing which we appreciated. Sigiriya itself if spectacular. It was very crowded and very hot, but due to the crowds it slowed the pace of climbing steps to the top so it was manageable. Sunil patiently waited for us at the bottom in the car park and was ready for us when we got down. He offered us the option of lunch (but was not pushy), and we chose to go for food and he took us to a buffet restaurant with the option to order from the menu which was nice and reasonably price. Next he took us to Dambulla caves - he took us directly to the ticket office and then he left us to go park the car whilst we ascended the stairs. We got to the top and he was there waiting for us, we couldn't believe how quickly he got up there! He gave us some information about the caves and accompanied us then took us a short cut back down to the car. I requested another photo stop on the way and Sunil was very obliging. We were safely deposited right outside our hotel door again. A recommended trip, reliable and Sunil was lovely.

It was a long drive, but my driver stopped off a couple of times for interesting food and views. The climb was challenging but the views were incredible, as was the sense of achievement.

Riyaz picked us up from the hostel at the allocated time. Car was comfortable, had AC and Riyaz made great company on the journey. It was great to see Dambulla Caves but the highlight was Sigirya Rock. Be sure to dress appropriately and be prepared for a good hike with plenty of water. Also worth noting that it is 30 USD entry for 'foreigners' and the ATM wasn't working so make sure you take money up with you! Riyaz was a great tour guide all round and was happy to oblige with requests for collecting footage. We made a few stop offs at a spice garden, woodwork studio and traditional Sri Lankan village with some great food. All of which were brilliant and despite some of the other reviews Riyaz was clear that we did not have to buy anything we didn't want to (we got some tea from the spice garden and had some really good food and a few tutorials for 1500lkr each in the village) Would recommend. Thanks for a great day Riaz.

We had a brilliant Day! Riyaz collected us from our hotel at 8am for our tour, he is very knowledgeable and couldn't be more helpful! We visited Dambulla cave temple, had a delicious lunch of local Sri Lankan food and then climbed Sigirya rock which Riyaz also climbed with us. The heat is a killer but the view from the top is 100% worth it and we got their just at the right time as there must of been only 4 other people as well as us when we got to the top. Afterwards we discussed the Elephant safari in Sigiriya and Riyaz arranged for us to go last minute! We paid for our entrance fee and 4x4 and seen 100's of elephants! It was the most Amazing experience! My absolute highlight! Amazing day all round! Highly recommend!

We had amazing experience! The guide has been very punctual and knowledgeable. He was knowledgeable of history, society as long as nature and wild life! Sigiriya was very impressive indeed as well. After we did the hike, we had amazing lunch in a very local village that probably was the unexpected highlight of the day. Highly recommended!

Although we loved Sigirya Rock and the Dambulla Caves (they are a must see if you're visiting Sri Lanka), we were disappointed with our tour guide and his approach to showing us these sights. Having experienced tours from all over the world through different tour providers, we were quite unhappy with this experience booked through viator.com. We were picked up on time from our hotel but despite saying we had no extra requests on top of the existing itinerary our guide decided to take us to additional places; some of which we had no interest in but felt like we had no choice but to stop off. The additional stop offs felt like a waste of time when all we wanted was the Sigiriya & Dambulla tour from Kandy as booked. It was a really frustrating experience which we were very disappointed about. I just felt like the whole day consisted of the guide calling up his mates, taking us to their shops and trying to make money out of us. If we didn't buy anything we were made to feel guilty, whereas we were well within our right to not buy things, we hadn't even asked to be taken there in the first place! At the end of the day if we are parting with our money it should be because we want to. I won't list absolutely everything but a few frustrating incidents included being hounded by a local who was trying to sell us some wooden boxes he had made. As we decided not to buy from him in the end he actually swore under his breath, which our guide laughed at; very unprofessional! Surely his job would be to step in and look after us? We were made to feel like easy targets with the locals. Having booked a guide, surely part of his job is to ensure that this is not the case? Another frustrating incident was when we were taken for lunch in a village. Although the food was some of the best we ate during our 2 weeks in Sri Lanka, we were told lots of sob stories of how the lady who had cooked for us struggled to make cash to bring up her children which couldn't have been further from the truth. She had what appeared to me a nice place to invite guests in for lunch and her husband was also a rickshaw driver (which we discovered after we had paid her - and given her extra money!) so they couldn't have been that tight for cash! On the drive back to our hotel we were asked if we wanted to stop off somewhere for a coffee to which i replied no, but the driver and guide still decided to stop so that they could get themselves a coffee. Why ask if they were going to stop anyway? Instead of getting back to our hotel at 5pm (as was mentioned when we booked the tour) we didn't get back until 8pm which ruined our evening plans as we were meant to meet friends for dinner. We decided to tip both the guide and the driver when we were finally dropped off to our hotel, but the guide didn't look very impressed with how much money we gave him. Truthfully, if he hadn't taken us to all of these places that we had not requested he probably would have got more money! But as we felt obliged to tip people throughout the day, there was only so much money we had left to give him. Sigiriya Rock itself is incredible though. It's quite a long climb but there are lots of sections where you can stop, catch your breath and take in the view. Part of the climb includes very steep steps at the edge of the rock, which are slightly daunting but well worth the experience! We would definitely recommend it, despite the steep entry fee of 30 USD, it's well worth it. The Dambulla Caves are also a must see. There are endless amounts of monkeys during your walk up so keep an eye on your belongings - be prepared for the many steps you need to climb to get there. You must leave your shoes at reception and there's a small fee of 25 rupees for this.

<p>Excellent trip , well managed tour , perfect timing , great suggestions and fantastic explanations , guide Shiny - Riyaz is great , very knowledgable , warm hearted , and extremely helpful , Vionics never fails to deliver . I recommend Vionics , tour and Shiney - Riyaz very strongly</p>

<p>Really good tour and helpful guide. Couple of extra stops - to a hindu temple, spice gardens and woodcrafts centre. Lunch with a cooking demonstration was nice although shame we had to share this with a large french tour group - also price was quite high and an unexpected cost.<br/> Also entrance fees to Dambulla and Sigiriya are not included and must be paid in cash - would be helpful to know before booking how much these are. <br/> Lunch plus entrance fees plus a couple of other extras add quite a bit to this tour but well worth it.</p>

<p>Our guide was Riyaz and he was wonderful. He spoke about the mix of Sri Lankan culture, climbed the top of Sigiriya with us even though he had cold and took us to a private lunch off the beaten path - which was amazing. It was a long day but didn't feel like it.</p>

<p>We thought the caves at Dambulla were the highlight. We had no intention of climbing the rock and were horrified that it was 4,500LKR entry fee AUD45 just to get in! Our guide took us to all the vantage points for photos and was very obliging.</p>