This morning we got a tuk tuk to the bus station, and boarded the Sigariya bus which the driver had trouble starting! He then opened the cover next to the gear stick and poured water on what we think was the engine, causing a great deal of smoke to fill the bus! Needless to say we got off pretty sharpish!! We waited and waited and waited for a replacement and were finally on our way!! It was a very full bus which took about an hour, not 2 1/2 like mr rickshaw driver was trying to tell us earlier! We were kept entertained for most of the journey by a beautiful little girl behind us who thrived on our attention!
We walked around to get our tickets which cost about £20 each (but of course locals pay 1/2!). We approached the steps at the bottom of Sigariya Rock to find the world’s longest queue (that’s what you get for relying on public transport!) and couldn’t help but wonder if it would be worth the wait! 1200 rather dodgey looking steps and a fair few buckets of sweat later, we reached the summit which admittedly, was pretty incredible!!
Sigariya, meaning lion rock, is a monolith of red stone that stands 600ft tall! The last part of the dodgey climb up to the summit is reached between the paws of a lion.
On the summit of the rock, which ranges to approx 3.5 acres, was the citadel in the 5th century AD in which a pool and small ponds were built. The layout of the palace and gardens can still be seen as the foundations are still intact.
Our descent was much quicker as it was now lovely and quiet at 2.30pm! We had a gander around the gardens and had some samosas at the cafe, then made our way back to the bus stop with the locals! All the other tourists got on their comfy a/c coaches and left… but we reckon it’s over rated 😉 We didn’t wait long and got the bus back to Dambulla bus station and walked back, as it turned out to be a lot closer than we thought! This evening we chilled out, played cards, Lee had a beer and ate where we were staying. I risked chicken noodles and Lee chicken curry, but we have now learnt our lesson… Lee’s was on the tough side and my chicken bits… well I’m not even sure it was chicken! So I saved them for the dog who enjoyed it far more than I did 🙂
Welcome to Liv and Lee's little trip around the world!! 
So glad you made it to Sigariya Rock – your photos certainly bring back very happy memories, alhtough I seem to remember we arrived at about 9.am before the crowds and to avoid coming back down in the heat. Also, I notice there seem to be steps of a kind now with railings – when we went the steps were literally just cut out/ scooped out holes in the rock – no railings and yes 1200 of them – very dangerous no health and safety worries there! The scariest bit was when some of the visitors where coming back down – you had to hang on as best you could, to the side of the rock and let them get up close and personal. However, the view at the top was incredible and so worth all heart palpitations!! Wondeful pictures – thank you and the little girl on the bus looks adorable. x