We spent a few days in the city of Kandy, which was teeming with monkeys, and were able to attend a Buddha festival there. On the way to Sigiriya, we stopped at impressive caves full of Buddha statues and found ourselves in the middle of a Hindu festival in Matale.

We want to spend three nights in Sigiriya. This place is the most famous landmark in Sri Lanka and is located in the middle of nowhere. We want to relax a bit in this place without any hustle and bustle. We have no plans other than to stare at the rock for a long time.

We spend some time uneventfully. From our accommodation we have an excellent view of the holy mountain of Sigiriya. When there was still a palace on this rock, a huge lion was carved out of the stone. Today, however, only the paws are visible. So we don’t have to go far to see something.

We go for a walk and see monkeys, hornbills and lots of peacocks. There are also supposed to be wild elephants here, but they only show up at night. There are a few national parks in this relatively remote region where wild elephants are easier to spot.

For us, this is more about relaxation than action

We explore the village, but there is not much here. Restaurants, accommodation and shops for tourists have been built around the Lion Rock. There are also a few rice plantations in between.

At least there are no concrete blocks of hotels here, which one might fear in such a tourist hotspot. The people are friendly and do not try to exploit guests on the street.

We decide not to climb Sigiriya, the “Lion Rock“. At 35 USD, the arduous path full of tourists and with only a few remaining remains of the walls is disproportionately expensive. All travelers who have already been here and whom we met along the way advised us not to go up here. Instead, we go to the nearby, almost as high, Pidurangala.

There is only a small Buddhist temple, few tourists, lots of monkeys and a magnificent view of the real highlight, the Lion Rock of Sigiriya. We’re just leaving Leon at home this time because the climb to the top isn’t easy.

We also encountered elephants in Sigiriya. However, only those with chains around their necks. The mahouts treat the animals badly. They harass the large animals with sticks or throw stones at them if they do not stand up or remain lying down as requested. The mahouts reacted with incomprehension to our protests. We were not told what the elephants were for. Are they temple elephants or are they used for hard work?

Even though the mahouts are happy about the attention of tourists, I don’t see any offer anywhere that would invite tourists to ride the animals or do something else with them. Leon, however, is captivated by the sight of the huge pachyderms.

After all, the elephants are not intended for tourists.

Check out more of our trip through Sri Lanka as a Family!

Shima, Sara and I take the nearest tuk tuk to the foot of Pidurangala. The “little brother” of Sigiriya is opposite and promises a beautiful view of the real highlight of the area.

There is a large temple there – the whole mountain is sacred. The entrance fee is only 1000 LKR – just about 3.20 EUR, compared to the 35 USD that we would have to pay to enter Sigiriya.

Of course, this forest is also teeming with monkeys. While in Mirissa and Ella we were completely ecstatic when we saw a few monkeys in a tree in the distance, the primates are now as familiar a sight as birds.

Of course, we now have to climb stairs. Lots of steep stairs. The toque monkeys are watching us and are probably wondering why all these people are climbing up the big rock when there is nothing to eat there.

The last part of the climb is tough. The stairs end and we have to climb over roots and large boulders to get to the top. The climb is difficult for people with disabilities.

But the climb is worth it. The view is fantastic. We can see 360 ​​degrees into the distance. The plateau is large. And of course we see the Lion Rock, on which far too many people climb around.

Sri Lanka’s Instagram spots:

(1) Coconut Hill (Mirissa) ✅

(2) Nine Arch Bridge (Ella) ✅

(3) Hanging out of the train ✅

(4) Lion Rock (Sigirya) ✅

We accomplished our mission! We’ve checked off all the famous Instagram spots. But there’s so much to see and there will probably be more significant places for backpackers in the future.

We let the drone circle over the Lion Rock and take great pictures. From above we can see even more of the beautiful landscape.

So far we have had a great time in Sri Lanka and had the opportunity to get to know the beautiful beach of Mirissa, the Yala National Park and the tea hills of Ella as well as the impressive city of Kandy. From Sigiriya we will move on and see two more destinations, Trincomalee and Colombo. We will now take a shuttle further to the northeast and get to know the world of the Tamil people.