The final stop on our trip to Sri Lanka was basically in the center of the country, Sigiriya. At this point we had been to Colombo, Unawatuna and Galle Fort, Yala National Park, Ella and Kandy. Sigiriya was where we would spend four days and three nights before heading back to the United States through Dubai. I was SO excited to get to Sigiriya for two reasons: the opportunity to climb Sigiriya Rock and the chance to stay at Elephant Corridor. I had been daydreaming about both of these things for several months and I am very happy to report that both were totally worth it and exceeded my expectations.

We left Kandy after a fantastic visit and journeyed about two hours further into the interior of the country headed for Dambulla. The detour through Dambulla was high on our list of places to visit because of the Dambulla cave temples. The cave temple is also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla and in 1991 became a protected UNESCO World Heritage site. There are apparently roughly 80 caves in the area around the Golden Temple but the actual World Heritage site contains five temples. Each temple within its cave contains rich paintings covering the walls and ceilings of the cave which are SPECTACULAR as well as many many statues of Buddha in various positions of meditation and repose. There are actually a total of 153 Buddha statues!

It was SO hot outside and the cool dark caves brought a little respite. These caves are absolutely amazing. One of the cave temples has a ceiling that is completely painted and it looks like fabric. Sam actually thought it was fabric tacked to the top of the cave but in fact it is a giant mural. We were blown away.

It was really hot at these temples and honestly, I faded pretty quickly once back in the sun. We finished up at the complex, purchased a few souvenirs for friends and family and then headed the rest of the way to Sigiriya.

We were thrilled to stay with Elephant Corridor Hotel in Sigiriya, located just ten minutes away from the famed Sigiriya Rock. Elephant Corridor is an ultra luxurious boutique hotel with just 21 villas scattered across sweeping bush and marshland. Each villa has a private plunge pool and contains generous living, sleeping and bathroom spaces. I was SO excited to stay here and specifically saved this location for the end of the trip so that we could really relax and feel pampered. The location is truly wild; you are surrounded by peacocks, monkeys, iguanas, spotted deer and elephants frequently walk through the grounds of the property

That bed pictured above is one of the most if not THE most comfortable beds we have EVER slept on ANYWHERE. Seriously amazing. From mattress to bedding to the sheer size of it (it felt larger than a California King) we LOVED it.

The property is so vast that it is necessary to ride bikes to access all of it. Bike rentals are free and we loved riding back and forth from the main part of the hotel where the living areas and restaurant are out to the large pool on the far edge of the property. At one point we were the ONLY guests at the hotel (sadly, hotel occupancy was way down due to the Easter Sunday bombings two weeks prior) so this was truly our second private pool and we luxuriated in it. The water was the PERFECT temperature and with the fountains going it was so much fun. At one point I had a bottle of Coke in my hand while floating around the pool in the middle of the bush/jungle/marshland and was blissfully happy.

I’m not usually a pool person but Sri Lanka and Elephant Corridor in particular really turned me into one on this trip. I miss this pool so so so much. Getting out of the pool and feeling cooled off and refreshed, then hopping back on our bikes became our daily routine.

At Elephant Corridor we dined like royalty; what a spread of food each meal and what incredible, attentive service! Honestly, we were made to feel so special and loved visiting with the head chef after multiple delicious meals.

The above photo is a traditional “Curry and Rice” Sri Lankan style. Have you ever seen such a spread for just two people?! Red and white rice, various curries and sombol and veggies and crispy toppings and a bunch of stuff I can’t even identify and WOW. I hope there is Sri Lankan curry and rice in heaven because it was so incredible. This whole spread was just for two people.

This photo is a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast. String hoppers (my favorite takeaway from Sri Lankan cuisine), roti, milkrice and a wide assortment of curries and sombol. OH MY GOSH. Is there anything better than a savory Sri Lankan breakfast? The restaurant knocked it out of the park with this breakfast and we left completely stuffed with goodness.

We woke up early one morning to make the trek up Sigiriya Rock, probably the most famous and heavily visited attraction in all of Sri Lanka. We knew it was important to go early in the day before it got too hot because the entire hike is exposed.

A bit about Sigiriya Rock: it is a huge 200m (almost 660 foot) rock that was chosen by then King Kashyapa way back in 447 AD as the location for his extensive palace and capital on the very top. At the top were terraced gardens, pools, canals, various buildings and of course the King’s palace itself. The king also had a gateway constructed half way up the rock in the shape of a lion (today only the giant paws of the lion remain). From the top of the rock he was able to survey all of his kingdom below and keep careful watch for enemies; it really is an ideal location.

We made sure to begin our hike early, also thinking we would need to beat huge crowds. But again and sadly due to the bombings, crowds were thin at best and we practically had the entire rock to ourselves. This is unheard of. On the one hand it was fantastic for us because we did not have to wait in extensive lines or contend with slow climbers up the side of the rock. On the other, it was a stark reminder that tourists had left Sri Lanka and no one was coming to the most famous site in the country. We had mixed emotions about the whole thing.

I was worried about the hike being hard but it was fine. It was more than just an easy climb (SO many stairs) and not as difficult as other hikes or climbs I have done. The only thing that was unexpected was as we got close to the top we were on a cantilevered set of low stairs/ramps along the side of the rock and my fear of heights took over, wreaking havoc in my mind. I had to really fight to control my fears and do a little mental self talk to get myself up to the top. I hadn’t expected that reaction. Coming down was fine but going up really messed with my head. Has that ever happened to you on a hike or climb??

Once we made it to the top (which took about 15-20 minutes) we were treated to some spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. The palace and gardens/pools were abandoned shortly after the Kings death in 495 AD, where it was then used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. The top was then rediscovered in 1831 by Major Jonathan Forbes of the 78th Highlanders of the British army. He had been traveling out in Pollonnuruwa and apparently discovered the now bush covered summit.

The wind blows hard and fast at the top and you can see that in the hot and exposed countryside of Sigiriya this would have been the ideal place for natural air conditioning at the top of the rock. The pools were very large and several are still filled with water that collects from rain storms and monsoon season. The gardens up on the top are some of the oldest landscaped gardens in the world.

We met these two dogs who appear to live at the top of the rock. Watching them forage and explore the ruins alongside us was pretty cool.

We really took our time at the top and didn’t rush because we didn’t need to. Usually there are so many tourists that people are limited with how many can come up to the top at a time (after all, this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and how long they can stay but I counted 12 people at the top with us. TWELVE. We joked that we can never go back to Sigiriya Rock because we will never have such an easy, quiet, uninterrupted experience up there again.

While based at Elephant Corridor we also made a side trip to Pollonnuruwa which we both found to be moderately interesting but ultimately underwhelming. If you have been to Angkor Wat everything else kind of pales in comparison. Here are a few photos from that day trip:

We loved ending our trip in Sigiriya and LOVED staying with Elephant Corridor! I hope that tourists eventually make their way back to Sri Lanka and Sigiriya in particular to soak up the beauty that is there.

*Thank you to Elephant Corridor Hotel for hosting us and kindly upgrading our stay. It was easy to leave a great review for this beautiful oasis.

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