Climbing Sigiriya Rock
Sigiriya Rock is one of Sri Lanka’s most famous sights and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. A huge, 200m rock soaring above the landscape, surrounded by beautiful gardens and ruins. However, the best is saved for the top of the rock – the remains of a 1500+ year old Palace. The site was supposedly selected by King Kasyapa for his new capital, with the majority of the city at the base of the rock and the palace on top, providing excellent views of surrounding areas as well as protection from attackers. The full history is not yet understood, with some archaeologists arguing it was primarily a monastery and not a Palace – although most agree that it was used as a monastery at some point. This can be visited as park of a full Sri Lanka holiday
Entry fee is around $25 and includes access to the archaeological museum, the gardens and ruins at the bottom of the rock, and the option to climb the rock.
The Climb
To start the climb you need to make your way through the complex at the bottom of the rock. The area is considered one of the best ancient examples of city planning, and demonstrates a number of very advanced features including a hydraulic system.
Once you have made your way to the bottom of the rock it is time to start climbing. In total the climb can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on fitness levels, but also how busy it is – a lot of the sections are not wide enough to get past people moving slowly. Whilst the climb can be challenging you can take your time and there are lots of opportunities to rest, so don’t let that put you off. Make sure you bring a bottle of water as it can get very hot.
The first section if up relatively wide, stone steps to the Mirror Wall. This part of the climb is relatively easy and not as steep as sections to come.
After the first section you will reach the Mirror Wall, but before walking behind the wall you have option to see some extremely well preserved frescoes. To view these you will need to climb a spiral stair case to a small landing where the paintings can be seen. You can then descend another spiral staircase back to the Mirror Wall.
The Mirror Wall was supposedly so well polished that the King was able to see his reflection in it as he walked past. This section of the climb is relatively flat as you make your way round the rock to a short staircase the takes you up to the Lion’s Paw section.
The Lion’s Paw is a wonderful piece of sculpture that guards the final section of the climb up to the top. It is a good place to rest and sit down if you are feeling tired of just want to enjoy the views and the monkeys that are usually found here.
The final stretch is up a set of relatively steep and narrow stair cases, some of which also have people coming down. This can be quite slow when it is busy, and is probably the toughest section of the climb.
The Top
After that final stretch you will be rewarded with absolutely stunning views from the top of the rock, as well as the opportunity to marvel at the remains at the top. The climb up is challenging, but probably nothing compared to the challenge of hauling all the building materials up the rock before the steps were built!
The Descent
The first part of the descent can be fairly slow as the narrow steps can get busy, but once past the Lion’s Paw the steps widen up and there is a separate way for people descending and ascending.
When To Go
You can climb Sigiriya anytime of year, and Sri Lanka in general can be visited any time of year as different areas have different climates, so you will always be able to find somewhere with good weather. There is a good tool here that shows you where to go on holiday in different months.