Getting to the Pidurangala Rock Temple – Sri Lanka Day 5

This post includes getting to the Pidurangala Rock Temple, getting to Sigiriya from Dambulla, getting to Sigiriya from Kandy and also provides directions, daily cost summary, other useful information, and perhaps also some not so useful personal observations and opinions.

Going to Sigiriya is a great day trip from Dambulla and if you don’t like paying extortionate entry fees for the Sigiriya Ancient Ruins, there is a cheaper option i.e. the nearby Pidurangala Rock Temple

I set out this morning with the intention of seeing the Sigiriya Ancient Ruins as a day trip, but once I got there I decided not to go in for three main reasons:

1. I seen lots of ruins in Anuradhapura

2. I think 30usd is a bit extortionate

3. The Pidurangala Rock Temple is next to it, much cheaper (500LKR) and you get a good birds eye view of the Ruins

Getting to Sigiriya from Dambulla

Getting to Sigiriya from Dambulla is a single bus ride from the Dambulla bus station. Mine took a while (about an hour) because it stopped and waited to get filled up. You can catch it from town but it is best to get it from the actual bus station to ensure a seat. The bus cost 45LRK.

On the way back a nice worker gave me a lift to the ‘town’ where I caught the bus back to Dambulla. It was a bigger bus and only cost 35LKR.

Alternatively a tuk tuk driver offered to take me there for 800LKR.

Getting to Sigiriya from Kandy

I met some French guys there who had come from Kandy as a day trip. They said it took 5 hours to get to Sigiriya from Kandy , and the bus only left once a day at 0700. I think they took a bus back to Dambulla and from there took a bus back to Kandy.

Getting to the Pidurangala Rock Temple

The map below shows where to get off the bus (the driver will tell you to get off), how to get to the Sigiriya Ancient Ruins and also getting to the Pidurangala Rock Temple.

Map of Sigiriya

The walk up when getting to the Pidurangala Rock Temple is easy to navigate at the start, but towards the end it’s a bit hard to figure out which way to go. I met 2 other climbers (pairs of climbers) up there, and all of us got up a different way. Just keep going, you’ll figure it out.

Unfortunately the day was a bit rainy so I didn’t get an awesome view, but from the top of Pidurangala Rock Temple, once it cleared up a bit, I could see the ruins site.

I am sure actually going into the ruins is also very worthwhile, and if I hadn’t just been to Anuradhapura I probably would have paid the $30.

When I got back to Dambulla I tried out some Hoppers. It set me back 100LKR i.e. 20LKR per hopper but they come in 5. You can also get an egg hopper for 45LKR per hopper, which is basically a plain hopper with a fried egg in the middle of it.

As far as I can tell, this is made from a pancake type mix. It is thin and crispy, and towards the bottom/center it gets more like a pancake.

I think they are usually eaten them for breakfast and afternoon tea. You can have it with chili… pancakes and chili.. ha! Only in Sri Lanka (maybe).

These are plain Hoppers, but they come in other varieties also.

On the walk back from town to my accommodation (Blue Sky Guest House) I got some Peanut Brittle from the market.. a good amount for only 100LKR.

I had a little rest then went for dinner across the road where I got a massive amount of fried rice for 250LKR …

Fried Rice with curry sauce

… and Elephant Drink (Sri Lanka branded pop) which was 50LKR or a 200ml bottle, and was pretty good.

Elephant soft drinks. Same great taste for a fraction of the price.

Costs Summary for Getting to the Pidurangala Rock Temple – Sri Lanka Day 5Food

Plain Hoppers and egg roll. 130LKR (5 plain Hoppers for 100LKR)
Peanut brittle 100LKR
Fried Rice. 250LKR
Elephant Drink, 200ml. 50LKR
Food Costs Total: 680LKR

Transport

Tuktuk to bus stop. 150LKR
Bus to Sigiriya 1hr. 45LKR
Bus back to Dambulla. 35LKR
Transport Costs Total: 195LKR

Sightseeing

Pidurangala cave and rock temple. 500LKR
Sightseeing Costs Total: 500LKR

Other

Scissors. 65LKR
Dental floss. 275LKR
Other Costs Total: 340LKR

Grand Total for Day 5: 1715LKR
Grand Total in USD (Approx): $12.90

Has anyone done Sigiriya Ancient Ruins?

We’d love to hear about it in the comments… or anything else you want to say

Going to Sigiriya was a good day trip from Dambulla, and although the whether was a bit rainy and I didn’t get the best views, I feel that getting to Pidurangala Rock Temple instead of going into the Sigiriya Ancient Ruins was a good choice.

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