Sigiriya Ancient Rock Fortress

If you go to Sri Lanka Sigiriya and Pidurangala will be hotspots of tourist attractions. Both are beautiful and as far as I’m concerned, both are worth going to. Here is a brief overview of each and a comparison of prices, difficulty level, and the landscape reflected from the two peaks.

Sigira is a small town with the most famous tourist attraction in Sri Lanka: Lion’s Rock (Sigira was the capital of King Kreispa and he built his palace on the subsequent lion rock).

Buddhist monks: The story of the brothers who quarreled over the royal crown sounds like a fairy tale and I highly recommend reading more about the history of the place. Beyond the fascinating history, from the summit of the rock, you can look down on vast green areas. To reach the top you will have to climb 1200 steps. Sounds a lot I know but you won’t feel it much when you see older people with walking sticks doing it.

The staircase is not continuous and you can stop at several stages. In one of the stages, you can pass through a cave (where you cannot take pictures) where you will see the remains of naked women paintings that the monks tried to erase from the walls of the fort.

At the exit, you will pass through the “mirror wall” as indicated on the sign. This wall actually served as a mirror for King Kashyapa, but over the years it has been vandalized by tourists.

At one of the stops you will reach the remains of the two lion’s paws, one is the original and one is restored. Then at the end of all the stairs you reach the top of the rock you will see brown terraces and you can imagine the king living in this fortress, with a pool and a view that no money can buy.

If you’re lucky, you’ll see a few cups. Be careful when you bring out your food because they will just steal it. As you walk along the flat peak you will descend the stairs but you will actually leave a different path.

At the end of the track, you will be waiting for stalls loaded with frames and more monkeys!

Insider tip for SRI LANKA — the Pidurangala Rock offers a fantastic view of the well-known Sirigaya Rock. So you can admire the famous lion rock in all its glory and still have the perfect motif for Insta ;)

Here are few captured of sublime views of the Lion Rock atop Pidurangala

For your convenience, here is the short comparison between the two attractions

Price: Lion Rock — $ 30.

Difficulty — Lion rock — light climb up 1200 stairs of 45 minutes without stopping, Pidaragondella rock — short climb for half an hour at maximum on rocks. Both are considered lightweight and suitable for most ages.

Landscape: Lion Rock — Landscape of tangled forests — Beautiful but not breathable, Pidaragondella rock — Landscape of Lion Rock rises from the height of the tangled forests — beautiful in my opinion.

Bottom line — do both! Between Sigiriya and Pidurangala, there is not too much to do in Sigiriya so that even if you arrive in one night you can have both arches! We arrived at noon from Negombo, made the climb to Pidorangala before sunset, and then the next morning we made the climb to the lion rock. We returned to the hotel and paddled in the pool and proceeded to the next destination. You can do the vise versa :D