Full-Day Private Tour to Sigiriya and Dambulla: Exploring UNESCO World Heritage Sites by A/C Vehicle
4.6
30 Ratings
Sigiriya

Take a day to sightsee the Sigiriya Rock Fortress and Dambulla Cave Temples, both UNESCO World Heritage sites, on a climate-controlled vehicle tour. Benefit from having an English-speaking driver/guide for your exploration. Pickup and drop off service at your hotel is provided.

Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Sigiriya The Ancient Rock Fortress - Visit Sigiriya lion rock fortress and admire the marvels of ancient architecture
  • Dambulla Cave Temple - Complex of cave temples with Buddha images and statues
  • Ibbankatuwa Megalithic Tombs - Ibbankatuwa Megalithic Necropolis
What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • English-speaking driver/guide
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Entrance tickets to sites
Additional Information
  • Minimum age is 8 years
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Please provide hotel name, address, and phone number at the time of booking
  • Comfortable shoes are recommended
  • Dress code is casual (no cutoffs, sleeveless tops, or sandals)
  • You are welcome to bring your own food and drinks or purchase food during your lunch break
  • The duration of transfers are approximate, the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions
  • As a sign of respect and customary, don’t turn your back to any of the statues of Buddha
Location
Sigiriya The Ancient Rock Fortress
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(30 Ratings)
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Tracy-richx
Feb 11, 2024
Another perfect day spent in Sri Lanka. - Our guide Kenneth arrived as stated and picked us up earlier at our request from outside our hotel the Granbell in Columbo as we wanted to miss the rush hour traffic and mid morning sun, right from the start he was very friendly, polite, knowledgeable and informative about the places/towns we were driving through. We arrived at Sigiriya in good time and were shown by Kenneth where to get our tickets, it was $36 for an adult ticket which I feel is rather expensive, they didn't take cards just cash, rupees or dollars, the steps up are quite steep at the beginning and by the time I got to the paws i and many others were already out of breath, the climb is not as hard as I thought it would be but it is quite scary in places as most of the 1,200+ steps are metal and see though with gaps in between, the handrail is thin and the staircase narrow, people are walking both up and down the stairs but were very patient and polite, I did start feeling unwell and dizzy but after a rest at the top, water and lots of photos we were ready to come down, we were back in the car in less than 2 hours. The tombs at Dambulla were interesting but there were a lot of people around and photographs had to be taken quickly, after walking up the steps in Sigiriya the 350+ steps were definitely not leg friendly in places, before going home we went to the Cemetery, it was $3 to get in and quite honestly there was not much to see there, it took less than 10 minutes to walk round but it was clean and tidy and the staff there were friendly. If you choose to go on this tour we highly recommend asking if Kenneth can take you, lots of happy memories, very tired legs but anther perfect day spent in Sri Lanka.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Emilymoir90
Jan 9, 2024
Great day exploring Sigiriya and Dambulla Cave Temple - We booked a tour through Viator for a full day tour from Colombo to visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress and Dambulla Cave Temples. Our guide, Kenneth, was great! He made sure we knew exactly where to go and helped us buy entry tickets at each place. We were picked up at 6am and arrived back in Colombo about 6.30pm. We thoroughly enjoyed our day exploring some of Sri Lanka's beauty and culture.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
437franzih
Jun 8, 2023
Great tour - We took the day tour to Dambulla and Sigirya rock with Diyath. He picked us up at our hotel. Everything went as planned. On the way Diyath taught us many things concerning culture and life in Sri Lanka. He was a perfect guide and a good driver. We can only recommend the tour with him!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
401lynleym
Jan 18, 2020
Dambulla and Sigiriya - A long day due to the distance and traffic but well worth it to view these fascinating sites. Excellent Driver and Guide - Ayela from whom I learned a great deal about Sri Lanka.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dipitlow
Jan 10, 2020
Great Tour - This is a "must do" tour! Our tour guide Tharaka was amazing and very knowledgeable. He was very accommodating and didn't complain about the very long day we had. I recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Cruiser34343104978
Apr 18, 2019
Perfect: Two major attractions in one day - We started in Colombo at 6am in the morning and had a good breakfast in a very nice restaurant on our way. Both Sigiriya Rock and the cave temples were absolutely stunning and in my eyes the most beautiful and important places to see in Sri Lanka. Return at the hotel was at 9pm. All in all a perfect day which we will remember forever. Highly recommend!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Measha
Jun 7, 2018
Lal is an incredible tour guide! 100% recommended to any solo travellers visiting Kandy with limited time. - The tour was absolutely fantastic. Really, incredible. Lal went above and beyond to pass on a part of his vast knowledge about Kandy and Sri Lanka. He was inquisitive and attentive about what I wanted to learn/ see and never rushed the tour once; instead making sure I was comfortable, happy and well informed. He walked to the top of both Temples with me, giving me his detailed guidance along the way. The tour wasn’t limited only to the Temples: Lal took me to a local Sri Lankan restaurant for vegan food (as I needed) on the way home and even taught me about all of the forestry and wildlife along the way. A truly incredible experience, I would highly recommend Lal to anybody wanting to learn about Sri Lanka from a knowledgeable, kind and generous Sri Lankan local. Thank you so much Lal, you have really made my holiday worthwhile.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ckf
Jan 8, 2020
A perfect arrangement! - We were in need of a one-way transport from Kandy to Sigiriya, with stops at the Dambulla Caves and Sigiriya Rock. Kanishka from Sri Lanka by Car responded to our email inquiries and was able to arrange this private transfer for us. Our driver, Nihal, arrived at our Kandy hotel ahead of time. NIhal speaks very good English and is quite knowledgeable about Sri Lanka. He brought us to some local places for food, which we appreciated, as the food was reasonable and delicious. At the caves, Nihal provided commentary so we could understand the history of the caves and how they came to have so many Buddhas. After that, Nihal helped us find a wood carving store so we could purchase a piece we were interested in. When we arrived at Sigiriya, we decided to wait until morning to climb on our own, when it would be a bit cooler. So we missed out on Nihal's expert information, but that was our choice due to arriving near the rock fortress late in the afternoon. I can recommend Sri Lanka by Car, and especially our driver, Nihal. The price was reasonable and the service provided quite good.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
686anandi
Dec 20, 2019
Excellent trip to Sigiriya and Dambulla from Colombo - I visited Sigiriya and Dambulla from Colombo...Mr Harsha had accompanied us and gave us wonderful insights on Sigiriya rock and Dambulla Caves history...He has lot of knowledge about Buddhism and history which is important especially if you are visiting a world heritage site ...Our journey was smooth with a nice car...We left at 7 in morning and came back by 9pm to Colombo...
Review provided by Tripadvisor
William
Dec 30, 2018
Not what we booked - We were really disappointed by our experience. We booked a trip with an English speaking guide, and being told that tickets for the two attractions (Sigiriya and Dambullah) were included in our booking. We then had to pay for every ticket (including taking money out of an ATM that charged me 400 lkr and exchange rate fees, if we had known we could have brought more cash) and our driver while pleasant was not a tour guide and could not speak English well, offered no explanation of Dambulla, and he even asked us if we wanted to book a separate guide when we got to Sigiriya. We also did not follow the itinerary listed on the booking, visiting Dambulla first , meaning we ended up climbing Sigiriya in the hottest part of the day, nor did we receive the water listed in the inclusions section (we had to ask the driver to stop somewhere so we could purchase some). The company refunded us the face value of the tickets for the attractions, not covering atm fees or the water. They made it clear that the incorrect representation of services was not their fault, and that we should seek compensation with TripAdvisor.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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