My big trip this year was to Sri Lanka — country number 50 for me. I loved spending two weeks exploring the teardrop-shaped island in the Indian Ocean. First stop? The central Sri Lankan region known as the Cultural Triangle. Centred around Sigiriya, Habarana and Dambulla, the Cultural Triangle is home to an impressive number of UNESCO World Heritage sites and other big-ticket items.
I based myself in Habarana, which is a central and well-connected base for visiting everywhere else. I had two-and-a-half days in the area, which was enough time to visit the main attractions, but didn't leave a lot of down time. The ancient city of Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Pidurangula Rock, Dambulla Cave Temples and Minneriya National Park all need at least half a day each.
So, I'd recommend budgeting three full days in the region to explore the main sights at a more relaxed pace. I'll cover more tips for planning your perfect itinerary in the Two Weeks in Sri Lanka guide I'll be publishing soon.
THINGS TO DO
I organised most of my own transport in and around Habarana, with the help of my guesthouse. But if you're short on time or prefer to have everything organised for you, there are lots of combo tours available, like this one that combines Polonnaruwa with a Minneriya elephant safari. It's also possible to visit some of these sites on a day trip from Colombo or Kandy, but this will be a very long day for you and your drive and it's best to stay at least one night — and ideally two or three — in the Cultural Triangle.
Sunset on Sigiriya Rock
As I soon discovered, Sri Lanka has a fair number of big rocks, many of which are climbable. Sigiriya, also known as Lion Rock, is perhaps the most famous. King Kashyapa built a palace on top of the 200-metre gneiss rock during the 5th century and the ancient city briefly served as Sri Lanka's capital, before eventually being abandoned around 1155 for many centuries. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982 and is now one of Sri Lanka's most popular destinations for both tourists and locals.
The site is huge and you'll need several hours to explore it properly. You can enter the site from 5 am to 5 pm every day, but as the climb to the top involves a lot of steps and doesn't have much shade, it's best to visit either in the early morning for sunrise or in the late afternoon to catch the sunset. I opted for the latter and arrived around 2:30 pm.
As it was still pretty hot, I took a one-hour tuk tuk ride around the outside of Sigiriya, where we stopped at various viewpoints for the Lion Rock and the nearby Pidurangula Rock (the left-hand rock in the photo below). This cost about 3,000 LKR (about £7.75) and was quite enjoyable, but you could skip it if you are short on time.
At the time of writing (October 2024), tickets for foreigners cost US $30; I was able to pay by credit card but it's best to have cash with you in case the machines aren't working. I also happened to visit on the Sunday before a public holiday, which meant the site was particularly busy with many Sri Lankans taking advantage of the long weekend. I entered the site around 4 pm and then spent a little while exploring the small museum and the water gardens at the foot of the site before starting the climb.
It took me about 40 minutes to reach the top, with a few photo stops along the way. When you reach the paws of the lion carved into the top section — which gives Sigiriya its nickname — it's single-file up the remaining steps but as it was so busy, there were a lot of bottlenecks. Near the top there's also a spot to fill up your bottle with drinking water, which was a nice bonus!
Having reached the top around 4:45 pm, I stayed until sunset, just over an hour later. The large, tiered platform offers stunning panoramic views over the surrounding countryside, including of Pidurangala Rock. You can see some of the remains of the ancient fortress or just find the perfect west-facing spot to take in the sunset.
Although it was busy, it was a really magical experience — check out my Instagram for some more photos and videos. Climbing down, as darkness descended, was cooler and faster. It may be worth bringing a small torch if you are arriving early or leaving late.
Sunrise on Pidurangala Rock
The 'other' rock in the Cultural Triangle, Pidurangala, doesn't have quite the same cultural or archaeological significance as its more famous neighbour Sigiriya, the 200-metre volcanic hill is still well worth a visit — and the short, but steep, climb. Pidurangala's entry fee is only 1,000 LKR (£2.60), so if you're on a budget, it's a much more affordable option than Sigiriya.
The other benefit of climbing Pidurangala is that you get the stunning views of Sigiriya itself. As with Sigiriya, starting the climb early in the morning for sunrise or in the late afternoon for sunset is best — but consider bringing a head torch.
My driver dropped me off at the Pidurangala entrance at around 5 am, when the site opens. I paid my feed, donned my sarong (you will need to cover your legs and shoulders as you pass through a temple during the first few minutes) and started the climb. It only took me about 15 minutes to reach the top. There are a lot of quite steep steps, but the final five minutes involves some boulder scrambling — a little challenging if you have short legs, like me, but manageable.
This gave me plenty of time to pick my spot to sit and watch the sunrise — facing east and with a view of Sigiriya. At one point a couple of guys brought round flasks of coffee and tea — objectively, the coffee (500 LKR, or £1.30) was probably not great but when it's 5:45 am and you're tired and waiting for sunrise on top of a massive rock, it will taste like the best coffee you've ever drunk! The sunrise itself was beautiful and I stayed for a while afterwards, enjoying the views and seeing Sigiriya resplendent in the golden hour light.
Exploring Polonnaruwa
The ancient city of Polonnaruwa is Sri Lanka's second-oldest ancient city, after the older but more distant city of Anuradhapura, which it replaced as the royal capital and which I didn't have time to visit on this trip. Polonnaruwa's well-preserved remains date back to the 11th century and the vast site half a day to explore the main highlights.
To travel between the different locations, you can rent a bike but bear in mind that it will probably be very hot. There are also usually tuk tuks around, whose drivers will be delighted to drive you between the key points of interest. I came by taxi as part of a full-day tour from Habarana to Polonnaruwa and then to Sigiriya, which I booked through my guesthouse.
Tickets for foreigners cost US $30 at the time of writing (October 2024) and it was possible to pay by credit card. There's a small museum at the ticket office but almost no information in English and the exhibits mostly consist of the places you'll visit in person, so I didn't spend much time there. My driver first took me to the royal palace, where I walked through the archaeological remains, trying to avoid having my tripod stolen by the resident cheeky monkeys!
Next, I visited the Sacred Quadrangle, which has dozens of ancient temples, tombs, stupas and statues, including the Vatadoge circular relic house. The Uttararama rock temple with its reclining Buddha is also impressive.
Two cultural notes. First, in some places you will need to cover your arms and legs, remove hats (painful in the hot sun!) and take off your shoes — if you're wearing sandals, bring a pair of socks that you don't mind getting dirty to protect your feet from the hot ground. Second, it is disrespectful to take selfies or other photos featuring people with their backs to images or statues of the Buddha.
Elephants galore in Minneriya National Park
In general, safari guides never guarantee the sighting of any animal on any given safari excursion. Natural parks aren't zoos and animals are free to roam wherever they like. But you'd have to be exceptionally unfortunate not to see any elephants in Minneriya National Park during the months of July and September.
During these months, hundreds of elephants come to drink at the Minneriya Tank reservoir in what is the biggest gathering of Asian elephants in the world. Sometimes, the nearby Kaudulla National Park is the elephants' preferred congregation site so check with your hotel or guesthouse closer to the time of your visit.
Minneriya National Park is a short drive from Habarana and you may spot elephants when driving around the area. The entry fee can vary — it's pegged to the US dollar — but it's usually around 13,000 LKR (£33) per person. You'll also need to arrange and pay for a safari jeep and driver/guide. I booked with Habarana Jeep Safari for about 10,000 LKR (about £26), including pick-up from and drop-off in Habarana. You can have up to six people per jeep but I couldn't find anyone to share the cost with me and Sri Lanka has hardly any small group tours. On the plus side, I was in control of when we stopped, how long for and when to move on to the next location.
We spent about 2.5 hours driving around the site. In total, I saw over 120 elephants, mostly in groups of 30–40. My driver said that this was actually at the lower end of the numbers for this time of year — I was there on a public holiday, which meant there were a lot of local visitors too. When the park is busy, they make all jeeps stay on the main routes to help protect the animals — but this makes it harder to get off the beaten track to the more secluded locations.
Nonetheless, I was in heaven seeing so many elephants gathering together to drink, eat, socialise and cool off. I could have spent all day watching them, although it was a very hot day, so I was glad when the sun finally started to sink in the sky. We also saw many other creatures, including monkeys, deer, lizards, peacocks, kingfishers, pelicans, hornbills and the odd mongoose. It was a really special afternoon and my Habarana Jeep Safari guide was great.
Awesome cave art in Dambulla
Carved into a rock at 160 metres above sea level, Dambulla Cave Temple has been a sacred pilgrimage site for more than 22 centuries. Dambulla town is a short drive from Sigiriya or Habarana — if you're taking a taxi on to Kandy, I'd recommend stopping off in Dambulla en route as it's on the way. That morning, I'd already climbed Pidurangala Rock for sunrise and by the time we got to Dambulla, it was still only 7:30 am. This is what it must be like for morning people most of the time!
I first paid a quick visit to the beautiful and colourful Golden Temple; it was a festival day and many local people were coming to present lotus flowers and other offerings. We then drove on to the entrance to the cave temple site, which opens at 7 am. I donned my sarong and paid 2,000 LKR (£5.20) for my ticket and then began climbing up the stairs to the top. As usual, it's best to avoid the super-hot middle of the day, when planning your visit.
At the top, you'll need to take off your shoes (bring socks to wear) — you can leave them in a storage area for a small tip or just leave them outside. There were hardly any other visitors when I was there, although plenty of monkeys who knew it was a festival and who were raiding the edible offerings. There are five temples in total and it's best to go to the far end first, so you end up in the most impressive cave. In all honesty, all five of the caves are incredibly stunning with the intricate wall art, carvings and Buddha sculptures. But cave 2, with its gorgeous murals, is particularly breathtaking.
Lakeside strolls in Habarana
I had one free morning in Habarana and after spending a couple of hours chilling out at my guesthouse pool, I decided to explore the village. Most of the eateries are located on the main road, but you can also head out to Habarana Lake. There are boat trips available, but it was pretty windy when I was there, so I just ended up walking around the lake, looking out for birds and checking out the view of the distant Sigiriya and Habarana. Because Sri Lanka loves big rocks, Habarana also has its own rock that you can climb next to the lake, but I gave that one a miss.
FOOD & DRINK
All of the above activities didn't leave me with a lot of time to explore the different food and drink options in the area, but I did eat at a few particularly nice places.
Jaga Food (Polonnaruwa). My driver took me here after I visited the ancient city and I was initially skeptical but it turned out to be a lovely spot for lunch — it's also one of only two eateries in Polonnaruwa that make the 2024 edition of the Rough Guide to Sri Lanka. The buffet-style restaurant had more than 30 types of curry, cooked in clay pots and heated over tea lights. It cost 2,500 LKR (£6.50) for all-you-can-eat and the food is locally grown and tasted delicious. I mainly stuck to the veggie options, but there was a lot of meat and fish too and some spicier dishes. We arrived early — just before noon — but it can get really busy when bigger groups arrive a little later on.
Lake House Kitchen (Habarana). I spotted the Lake Hostel when I was walking round Habarana Lake and thought what a nice place the adjacent restaurant would be to go for sunset. I was correct! It's about a ten-minute stroll from the main road in Habarana (you can cut through the path towards the Habarana Village by Cinnamon Hotel) and the beautiful garden offers delightful views across the lake.
I watched the sunset and then the blue hour as hundreds of birds and bats flew overhead on their evening journeys. Appropriately, then, I had the Flying Fox cocktail with arrack (distilled coconut alcohol), mango, lime and ginger ale, followed by tilapia from the lake. The food was delicious, the owner and wait staff super-friendly and there was a great vibe, with chilled-out music.
Magic Food (Habarana). Located on Habarana's main road, Magic Food was another pick from the Rough Guide to Sri Lanka. I wanted a cheap and cheerful lunch one day and Magic Food definitely delivered. The menu is broad, including both international and Sri Lankan dishes. I had my first ever kottu roti, a Sri Lankan dish with chopped up roti, stir fried with vegetables and egg and served with coffee. It was delicious and the restaurant staff were lovely too.
WHERE TO STAY
I stayed in Habarana for this part of my trip mainly because of its central and well-connected location within the Cultural Triangle. But the other reason was that once I'd come across Levona Garden Resort, I really wanted to stay at this small, family-run guesthouse in Habarana. They have amazing reviews (5.0 score on Tripadvisor and 9.5 on Booking.com), many of which note how wonderfully welcoming the family that run the guesthouse are. Having spent three wonderful nights there, I wholeheartedly agree!
From helping me to plan my itinerary and organise transportation, to answering all of my questions about Sri Lanka and the area and providing a delicious breakfast every morning (including a packed breakfast on the morning I left at 4:30 am), Dulshan and his family really go above and beyond. I paid about £28 per night for a superior double with a garden view — exceptional value, especially given the hospitality of the hosts.
My room was simple but attractive and comfortable, with good air con and a private porch. It was quiet at night and I slept very well! The tree house rooms look even nicer. There's a small, well-maintained pool and various swings and other seating options in the attractive gardens. It's a five- to ten-minute walk to Habarana's main road.
Other properties I considered staying at were the Habarana Village by Cinnamon, whose grounds I walked through to get to the lakefront, its more upscale sister/neighbour Cinnamon Lodge and Sigiriya Village Hotel. A friend of mine was full of praise for the Amaya Lake Hotel in Dambulla, which looks beautiful and peaceful, but I wanted to be closer to Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa.
GETTING THERE & AROUND
The Cultural Triangle is about 3.5 to 4 hours by car from Colombo and Bandaranaike International Airport. There are trains (about 4 hours) from Colombo to Habarana but my flight arrived too late in the afternoon, so I knew I'd need to travel by taxi.
After getting several quotes of £65 to £80 for the transfer, I checked out Less Taxi, which is very highly rated on TripAdvisor. They are also super-responsive via WhatsApp and offer the option to pay for your journeys using a secure online portal. They also offer cheaper prices, mainly because intercity taxi fares in Sri Lanka tend to factor in a return journey for the driver even if you're travelling only one way. Less Taxi's fares are closer to the one-way fare because they can often find a return or onward journey for the driver.
My journey to Habarana cost £45, including a free 30 GB eSiM card. Their communication was great — we were WhatsApping as I was moving through the airport — and my driver was friendly and drove safely. He also took me to a fab local eatery en route for a bite to eat. I used Less Taxi a couple of other times on my trip and it was easy to book with them via WhatsApp one or two days in advance.
If you're coming from Kandy, it's about 2.5 hours by car to Habarana, although you'll probably want to allow time to stop off at some of the temples and Nalanda Gedige (middle point of Sri Lanka) on the way. I took a private car arranged by my driver, which was about 15,000 LKR (£38), but this also included a 4:30 am pick-up and visits to Pidurangala Rock at sunrise and the Dambulla Cave complex, as well as various other sites between Dambulla and Kandy. There are also public buses — but the journey is long and involves transfers — and 'luxury' express buses with air con.
As the main sights in the Cultural Triangle are relatively spread out, you'll need to use taxis or tuk tuks to get around, if you don't have your own driver for your trip. My guesthouse organised a driver to take me to Polonnaruwa and then Sigiriya Rock one day; the same driver also drove me to Kandy. It's very easy to find a tuk tuk in Habarana, Sigiriya and Dambulla, and you can also travel by bus between these three places, which is very cheap.
NEED TO KNOW
If you're looking for Sri Lanka packing tips, check out my packing guide or my recommendations of tried-and-tested products for travel.
Electricity. Sri Lanka uses two main plug socket types: type D (with three round pins) and type G (with three rectangular pins, also used in the UK). All but one of the hotels I stayed in on this trip had sockets that supported type G plugs, but I brought a type D adapter with me just in case.
Weather. Sri Lanka has many micro-climates across the small but diverse island and there's not one single best time to visit the whole country. There are two main monsoon seasons: during the main southwest monsoon, the southwest coast and hill country experience rain from April/May to September, while the less severe northeast monsoon impacts the east coast from November to March. With climate change, weather in Sri Lanka — as in most other countries — is becoming less predictable and you may well experience rain during the dry season or perfect sunshine in the wet season. I chose to visit in September as it's one of the times of year that offers the best chance of good weather all over the island. Indeed, it was hot (30–32C) and sunny throughout my time in the Cultural Triangle.
Wifi & mobile data. I got a free 30Gb Mobitel eSIM card with my airport transfer booking, which was great. I had good 4G coverage throughout my trip and the download speeds were often better than the hotel wifi. If I hadn't got this free SIM, I would have used my favourite eSIM provider, Airalo. I've used their eSIMs in various countries across three continents and always appreciate the combination of convenience and reasonable pricing that they offer. Want to try Airalo on your next trip? Sign up using my referral code — REBECC3024 — and we both get $3 credit.
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