From Kandy · about 11.5 hours
Tea country and Nuwara Eliya from Kandy
Ramboda Falls, a tea factory and the lake, over the Ramboda Pass
$49
per person for two, from Kandy, tickets included
Sigiriya Rock and Dambulla from Kandy
Sigiriya Rock and Dambulla from Kandy is Majeste's private day tour. It takes about 13.5 hours door to door and costs $89 per person for two, including your own car with an English-speaking driver and entrance tickets. Prices checked 7 Nov 2026. Nothing to pay now.
An early start puts you on the rock before the queues.
At a glance
About this tour
Leaving Kandy at 05:00 gets you to Sigiriya soon after the ticket counter opens, before the heat and the 09:00 queues. After the climb and the museum you have lunch, then the Dambulla cave temple on the way back. It is five to six hours of driving, which is workable in a day.
- Sigiriya Rock at opening time: frescoes, mirror wall and the summit
- Dambulla cave temple on the way home
- Both tickets included; optional elephant safari at Minneriya
Your day
Planning times from Kandy, not promises.
Pickup in Kandy; A9 via Matale and Dambulla.
Sigiriya Rock: climb while it is still cool, 2.5 to 3 hours.
Sigiriya Museum (included in the ticket) and a cold drink.
Lunch near Sigiriya, paid directly.
Dambulla cave temple, about 1.5 hours.
A spice garden at Matale if you want one: free to visit, but it comes with a sales pitch.
Start the drive back.
Arrive in Kandy.
What is in the price
Included
- Private air-conditioned car or van with an English-speaking driver for the day
- Fuel, expressway tolls and parking
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Kandy
- Every entrance ticket listed under tickets and fees
Not included
- Lunch is at a local restaurant, paid directly, about USD 5 to 15 a head
- A site guide at Sigiriya (about LKR 6,000, optional, paid directly)
- Tips for the driver and any local guide, at your discretion
- Drinks, snacks and personal spending
Tickets and fees
Sigiriya Rock Fortress
$70
USD 35 per adult, USD 20 for children 6 to 12 and for SAARC passport holders, paid in rupees at the gate. The Sigiriya Museum is included.
Source
- Central Cultural Fund price list, checked 7 Nov 2026
- Central Cultural Fund, heritage site tickets, checked 7 Nov 2026
Dambulla Cave Temple
$18.05
LKR 3,000 per adult (SAARC LKR 2,500). Children are reported free, but no official price list exists. Shoe storage at the top is a small extra, LKR 20 to 200.
Source
- TravelTriangle, Dambulla entry fees, checked 7 Nov 2026
- TukTuk Rental entrance fee list, checked 7 Nov 2026
- MySLTravel entrance fee list 2025-2026, checked 7 Nov 2026
Amounts are for two adults. Entrance fees for Sri Lankan residents differ. Message us and we price them for you.
Entrance fees last checked 7 November 2026. Activity prices last checked 7 November 2026. Rupee fees converted at LKR 332.5 to USD 1 (XE mid-market rate, 6 Nov 2026).
Good to know
- Adding the Minneriya or Kaudulla safari (15:00 to 18:00) brings you back to Kandy at about 21:00.
- Wasps sometimes close the top section of the rock for an hour or more.
- October and November bring heavy afternoon storms.
- The Dambulla fee could not be verified officially; sources give LKR 2,000 or 3,000. We budget the higher figure.
Good months: January, February, March, April, June, July, August, September.
Harder months: October, November.
Optional extras
Not in the price. Add them in the price box.
- Minneriya or Kaudulla elephant safari (private jeep)
+$146.86 for two
USD 75 per jeep (up to 6) plus park tickets: about USD 72 for two adults. Minneriya and Kaudulla are both Category I parks.
Read more
- Sigiriya day trip from Colombo: times and cost
Yes, Sigiriya and Dambulla fit one day from Colombo: about 15 hours, 9 in the car. About USD 249 for two with Majeste, car and tickets in, 7 Nov 2026.
- Sri Lanka entrance fees 2026: Sigiriya and parks
Sigiriya is USD 35, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura USD 30, the Temple of the Tooth LKR 3,000; a park ticket for two is USD 71.86. Checked 7 November 2026.
- Best time to visit Sri Lanka: month by month
January to March is driest on the west and south coasts, in the hills and the Cultural Triangle; May to September suits the east. Checked 7 Nov 2026.
Where the figures come from
- Central Cultural Fund price list, checked 7 Nov 2026
- TravelTriangle, Dambulla entry fees, checked 7 Nov 2026
- Majeste rate card, checked 7 Nov 2026
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