Sigiriya (Lion's Rock) | 1500 year old rock fortress, Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

Описание: #Sigiriya #LionsRock #SriLanka

One of my final stops on my trip inland in Sri Lanka was Sigiriya. Famed for the ancient rock fortress, also known as Lion's Rock, is built upon a 180m (600m) rock monolith by King Kashyapa in the 5th Century.

Considered by some to be the 8th Wonder of the Ancient World (it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site), it was left to be claimed by the jungle for hundreds of years, only to be found by a British Archeologist in the 1800s.

Alongside the national parks in the area, Lion's Rock is the primary attraction. You only need to go onto Trip Advisor to see that the reviews are mixed, no doubt due to the $30 entry fee. Whilst that might not sound a lot compared with other places in the world, but compared with most other tourist attractions in Sri Lanka, the entry fee is definitely a pricey one!

As such, many people choose to climb the rock adjacent to Lion's rock called Pidurangala Rock which offers views of the Rock Fortress (popular at sunrise and sunset). Not only was I happy to pay the $30 entry fee (as I had travelled for hours to visit this place!), but also wanted to compare climbing Lion's Rock to the viewpoint at Pidurangala.

The most popular times for Lion's Rock are for sunrise and sunset, so naturally I headed to the ticket office for 6.50am ready to enter at 7am when the doors open. To my surprise there was already a queue, but I managed to race through the palace gardens and up the stairs to be the first one to the top. I would recommend doing the same because getting the 15-20 minutes at the top by yourself is great.

The palace complex on the top of Sigiriya is extensive, amazing swimming pools which presumably were used by the royalty back the in the 5th Century BCE. On top of the ruins, there are truly incredible views of the surrounding landscape as well as the palace gardens below. It sucks that it was cloudy and rainy when I was there, I can only imagine how good it would be if it was a clear day! Honestly, even without the palace gardens, I would say that the $30 entry fee is worth it.

You can also see the well known lion's paw gates as you climb up, as well as the rock paintings on your way down. On top of this the palace gardens are really big and offer sights such as the Cobra Hood Cave as well as the moats and various ponds.

It is my opinion that if you're going to travel all the way North to Sigiriya then you should stomach the pricey entry fee and experience the Ancient Fortress at Sigiriya!

0:00 - Sigiriya Lion's Rock by Drone
3:19 - Entry fee and palace gardens
5:39 - Lion's Paws
6:31 - Ancient Rock Fortress (top of Lion's Rock)
13:46 - Rock Paintings
16:10 - Cobra Hood Cave