Explore two of Sri Lanka’s UNESCO-listed highlights on a privately guided day trip to Dambulla and the Sigiriya Rock from Hikka.
You start your tour at 06.00 hrs from your hotel in Hikka, where your chauffeur choices you up. Ensure that you bring a packed breakfast with you if you are unable to have your meal at the hotel.
The first stop is climbing the 5th-century AD rock fortress, Sigiriya, where King Kasyapa ruled (Entrance Fee Per Person USD 30). Walk through the entrance framed by the paws of a lion that is quite appropriate for its name, 'the Lion Rock'. View the beautiful unfading murals that bring Sigiriya its fame. Climb the steep staircase to see the terraced gardens and still-working cisterns. Walk through the tunnels leading to the palace as you get a feel for times long past.
Your itinerary includes the Sigirya Rock, which you will reach by approximately 10.00 hrs. (Travel Time 3 to 3 ½ hrs) After viewing Sigiriya, at approximately 12.30 hrs, you will have lunch at a place of your choice (At your own expense) or take a village tour (entrance Fee Per Person USD 20, adding four village activities & Lunch). Then, you will reach Dambulla Cave Temple by 14.00 hrs and visit the Cave Temple. (Travel Time 35 to 45 mins)
Near-vertical walls soar to a flat-topped summit that contains the ruins of an ancient civilisation, thought to be once the epicentre of the short-lived kingdom of Kassapa. View Sri Lanka’s countryside and villages as you journey to the atmospheric Dambulla Cave Temple, a Cliffside cave complex packed with Buddha images and frescoes. Enter the historic caves of the Golden Temple of Dambulla, dating back to the 1st century BC. View the ancient murals depicting the life storey of Lord Gautama Buddha. Look at the hundreds of figurines of Buddha and other deities scattered throughout the five main caves. Visit the Cave of the Divine King, Cave of the Great King, and the Great New Monastery. See the giant golden Buddha Statue just a little distance outside the cave complex.
You will finish the tour at 16.00 hrs and return to your hotel in Hikka by approximately 21.00 hrs. En-route, you may stop at a restaurant of your choice and have dinner.
