Sigiriya Rock and Village Tour from Colombo

Colombo, Sri Lanka

12 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Gain a better understating for Sri Lanka, the island nation in the Indian Ocean, on this full-day day trip to Sigiriya and Hiriwadunna from Colombo. From riding a bullock cart to exploring a village town, get a feel for what everyday life is like for the people who live there. See the ancient Buddhist ruins, the Sigiriya rock fortress, in Dambulla, and take a boat cruise on a nearby lake.

Take a bullock cart ride, and see how villagers typically get around
Go on a scenic cruise of the nearby lake on a canoe-like boat
Stop for a traditional buffet-style lunch made by Hiriwadunnan women (own expense)
Hotel pickup and drop-off are included

What's Included

Hotel pickup and drop off from Colombo.
Transport throughout the tour with an air-conditioned vehicle.
Service of an English-speaking chauffeur guide.
Village tour with village lunch.
Water bottle (Per person).

Food and drinks where not specified.
Gratuities (optional).

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Your Hotel in Colombo

Operating hours
.6:00 am

Itinerary

This full-day tour of Sigiriya and Hiriwadunna starts with an early morning pickup from your Colombo hotel. Be ready for early morning pickup, and then hop into your air-conditioned vehicle for the day. For this private experience, you can choose a group size from one to eight people. You’ll want to either eat breakfast before your pickup time or bring something with you.

Your first stop is in Dambulla at the Sigiriya rock fortress. You can climb to the top of the fortress or further explore the ruins of this ancient civilization.

After your time here, continue on to the village of Hiriwadunna. Walk along the reservoir before taking a bullock ride around to see views of the village. Then, your guide takes you on a short boat cruise on a nearby lake.

Rest up, and enjoy a buffet-style lunch made by the women of the village (own expense). Follow your guide, and journey by rickshaw back the original starting point of your tour where you’ll get escorted back to your hotel in Colombo. Arrive in Colombo in late evening.

Colombo (Pass By)

Sigiriya The Ancient Rock Fortress

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Sigiriya Craft Village

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Habarana Lake

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems

Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

3.8

based on 4 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Terrible experience waste of money

Ananya, Sep 2020

We booked this tour for my mom and her friend based on the reviews that were stated. It looked like an overall exciting tour with the village tour and bullock cart rides. We completely understand the pandemic situation which has impacted the tourism in Sri Lanka, but we double checked with the tour operator and they confirmed till the last day that it’s all fully organised and set. The tour guide who was driving them from colombo to Sigiriya was extremely friendly and helpful. The travel was comfortable. They were taken to the Sigiriya rock which they enjoyed. Then comes the most disappointing part. The village tour was cancelled as non of the carts were available and the person who had confirmed was not picking the phone. The tour guide tried so hard to reach out to the company (tour operator Lakpura) absolutely no luck. He went out of the way to try Habaran safari which was also of no luck. Very disappointing for the money that we paid (£126) all what we got was a ride to Sigiriya from colombo and a complimentary lunch as an alternative for the village tour! Lunch had just friend rice and Chop suey! We reached out to Lakpura tours requesting for a refund of what was not provided or at least to issue a voucher to be used later. Unfortunately they did not respond! We are highly disappointed as we did check with them many times. We gave them enough time to have the trip prepared and organised and all eventually to be very disappointed for the money paid! A terrible experience!

We enjoyed the trip, but the...

William_G, Jan 2017

We enjoyed the trip, but the harrowing drive with a new tour guide was a minus. He knew the route but had never been on this trip. He had limited English. When booking the trip, and for the price of a private tour, we had anticipated that he would be the guide through out the day but we were handed to other guides along the way. With that you have to factor in the expected gratuities of 500-1000 Rupies for each guide 5. Overall, the trip was good hence four stars. Hiriwaduna was better than Sigiriya, which is on par with experiencing Chitzen Itza in Yucatan- fascinating and valuable experience but cheapened by the tourist trap feel due to all the poor hawkers of inexpensive souvenirs and guides for hire. Hiriwaduna is a good experience, but it is not an authentic village but an accurate recreation of a traditional village. It was still worth the trip.