Why Honeymoon in Sigiriya
The appeal is how much fits into a small area. You can stand on the summit of Lion Rock at 7:30 in the morning, eat a village lunch at noon and be watching elephants wade into a reservoir by four. Few places in Asia pair a UNESCO site of this caliber with wildlife viewing that reliable.
The setting helps too. The dry zone here is flat, green and dotted with rocky outcrops, so many lodges have open views of the rock from a pool or a veranda. Rooms tend to be villas or chalets spread across gardens and rice fields rather than big hotel blocks. That gives couples privacy without the isolation of a remote lodge.
It also makes a smart first stop after the long flight from the US. The drive from the airport is manageable, the pace is gentle and the early mornings suit jet-lagged bodies that wake at 4 a.m. anyway.
When to Go
Sigiriya sits in Sri Lanka's dry zone, so it escapes the worst of the southwest monsoon that soaks Galle and the south coast in summer. The wettest stretch here comes with the northeast monsoon, roughly from late October into December, when heavy afternoon storms are common.
February and March are a sweet spot, with dry weather and temperatures that are hot but bearable on the climb. April and May bring the most intense heat. June to September is dry and dusty. It is also the best time for elephants. The so-called gathering at Minneriya, when herds congregate on the grassland around the shrinking reservoir, usually peaks around August and September.
Whatever the month, plan the rock for the first hour after opening. By mid-morning the sun on the western face is fierce and tour buses from Colombo have arrived.
Where to Stay
Most couples base themselves in or around Sigiriya village rather than in Dambulla town. Lodging ranges from family guesthouses with treehouse rooms to design-led resorts. A few places stand out for a honeymoon.
- Water Garden Sigiriya has spacious villas with private plunge pools set around ponds and paddy fields. Several look straight at the rock.
- Jetwing Vil Uyana built its dwellings on stilts and in reed beds around an artificial wetland, so birds and the odd monitor lizard are your neighbors.
- Heritance Kandalama, near Dambulla, is Geoffrey Bawa's long building hidden in the jungle on a cliff above Kandalama reservoir. Monkeys roam the corridors and the infinity pool looks out toward Sigiriya.
For a simpler stay, small guesthouses in the village serve home-cooked rice and curry and can arrange a driver for safaris. Book peak-season villas well ahead.
Romantic Things to Do
Start with Lion Rock itself. The climb takes about 90 minutes round trip and passes the frescoes of painted women on the western face, then the Mirror Wall, where visitors scratched verses into the polished plaster from roughly the eighth century onward. The summit is a maze of foundations, cisterns and a throne terrace with views across the plains.
For sunrise, climb Pidurangala, the rock about half a mile north. It takes around 20 minutes plus a short scramble over boulders at the end. You pass a reclining Buddha on the way up. The view across to Lion Rock as the mist lifts is the photograph everyone wants.
Spend an afternoon on a jeep safari at Minneriya, Kaudulla or Hurulu Eco Park, depending on where the herds are that week. Drivers share information daily, so let your lodge decide.
Getting There and Around
International flights land at Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) north of Colombo. From there it is roughly four hours by car to Sigiriya, depending on traffic around Kurunegala. Most couples hire a car with a driver for the whole island loop. Sigiriya is usually the first or second stop.
Cinnamon Air has offered scheduled light-aircraft flights from the airport to Sigiriya of about 30 minutes, which can be worth it if you land tired. Schedules and fares change, so check before planning around them.
Locally, the village is spread out. Tuk-tuks wait near the rock entrance and can be hired for short hops to Pidurangala or restaurants. Agree on the fare first. Dambulla is about 15 miles away, Polonnaruwa roughly an hour's drive and Kandy around two and a half hours south.
Food and Drink
Food here is rice and curry country. A proper lunch means a mound of red rice with five or six small dishes: dhal, a jackfruit or pumpkin curry, a sambol of coconut and chili, maybe a fish or chicken curry. Village lunches served on lotus leaves are a common add-on to tours around Sigiriya and Habarana. They are more fun than they sound.
Try curd and treacle for dessert. It is thick buffalo curd poured over with kithul palm syrup. This region is known for it. Breakfast often brings hoppers, the bowl-shaped rice flour pancakes with crisp edges, sometimes with an egg cooked in the middle.
Resort restaurants handle Western food fine, but the best meals are usually the Sri Lankan menus. Ask your hotel for a cooking demonstration or a private dinner set up beside the pool.
Honeymoon Tips
- Go up Lion Rock at opening time, usually 7 a.m. Bring water, since there is nothing to buy once you are inside the complex.
- Keep quiet near the wasp nests on the upper stairs. Signs ask for silence. Attacks have closed the path before.
- Dress modestly for Pidurangala and Dambulla. Cover shoulders and knees. You will also remove shoes at temples.
- Never walk along unlit roads at night. Wild elephants do cross the roads around Sigiriya and Habarana after dark.
- Foreigners pay a ticket priced in dollars at the rock and at the parks, so carry cash or a card for each.
- Two nights is the minimum. Three lets you add Polonnaruwa without rushing.
