Sri Lanka: Private Sigiriya & Dambulla Unforgettable Day Trip

Overall a great tour with Mr Dinesh, extremely knowledgeable and helpful throughout the day. Sigiriya is a must see!

I toured Sri Lanka with the very delightful Dhamita in 2018 and it still remains one of the best experiences of my life! (So much so, that I am leaving this very positive review in 2022...apologies for the massive delay, Dhamita!) Dhamita communicated very well via text, picked me up on time in his luxurious Air Conditioned (!) car and we set off on a 5-hour drive to glorious Sigiriya. Although Sigiriya was my destination, what made this trip absolutely remarkable were all the stops on the way there and back...an invaluable experience. With my consent, we stopped at various temples, food stands, metal, wood working, furniture and jewelry shops, I got to meet the most amazing people, and tasted the most delicious authentic local cuisine... a truly genuine experience! When (not if) I return to Sri Lanka, I will be contracting Dhamita and Beyond Escapes as my guide again! Maybe to Kandy next time :) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

One of Srilanka’s outstanding and must visit attractions, The eight wonder of the world - Sigirya Rock Fortress also known as Lion Rock. On day 3, we went to climb the Sigirya Fort, There were around 1,200 steps which took around 2 hours to reach the top of the rock to enjoy awesome breathtaking and panormic views.

We had a private tour from Kandy to Sigyria and Dambulla cave temple, the tour was very good, both guide Hanushka and the driver were kind and knowledgeable, they came on time and the guide gave us s lot of information, we also really liked the lunch, we could choose what to take (buffet) and it was typical Sri Lankan cuisine ;)

We had a wonderful experience with Savi. This is a very long day trip including 2x4h drives from Colombo and back, but worth every minute of it. The temple in Dambulla caves is very inspiring and the climb up to the Sigiriya fortress very impressive. A tough climb but the view from the top is amazing. Our diver, Savi, was extremely helpful and suggested we added a jeep safari to see elephants; a great suggestion. Highly recommended.

Me and my partner had an excellent day on this tour. Our driver Pathum was very knowledgeable on the caves tour and kept us away from pushy locals. The Sigiriya tour was excellent and we were allowed to peruse at our "leisure" (if you can call climbing the rock in 35 degrees and 95% humidity leisure!) He also drove us expertly and safely back to the hotel in the middle of a monsoon, would highly recommend.

It's an experience you wouldn't want to miss when visiting Sri Lanka! The climb is a bit, but with the right people it turns into a really good work out & the best part is the view is great.

We set out early in the morning, to start the climb of 1200 steps, before the sunrise. Better to have an early start as it would be quite tiring to climb, while it is hot. Make sure you carry water. Climb is difficult, but doable, we did it in about two hours climbing ip and coming down.

I booked (via Viator) this private tour (just me and the driver who was also the guide) from Colombo. When I missed a flight and didn't get into Colombo until the next day, I messaged the company and they immediately responded to tell me that we could do the tour the next day, no problems or questions asked. In fact, we had to leave at 4am instead of 6am just so they could immediately take me to the airport to catch my next flight at 7pm. Again, no problem whatsoever. It is so refreshing to deal with people who are so flexible. I'm sure if it was a group tour (or less expensive) than it might not have been as flexible, but I felt very well taken care of. The driver/guide (one person) spoke very good English, had a great sense of humor, was kind to start the tour so early, and did not rush me AT ALL. We did not make any unnecessary souvenir stops either that I'm sure other tours force you to do. The cave and lion rock (Sigiriya) were really interesting places and must be a highlight of Sri Lanka. I probably wouldn't go to Sri Lanka and miss those places. A note of caution, climbing the stairs at Sigiriya was intense, both because at times you are looking down the face of a cliff (perfectly safe but might bother some who are afraid of heights). I'm in just so-so shape and probably have never sweated more in my entire life. But since you're not rushed at all, you can stop and catch your breathe multiple times. If I had friends or family visiting Sri Lanka, I would be sure to get the same guide and company for them.

Interesting museum at start of the tour including toilets! Recommend starting your day very early to avoid the heat and crowds. Walk through the gardens and over the ancient moat as you approach the rock itself - and then you start the assent. The Lion Paws are about half way up , and from there it is mainly metal steps that are very steep. You come down a separate flight of stairs back to the Lion Paws. Exhausting! Fabulous view at the top though.