Sri Lanka entrance fees 2026: Sigiriya and parks

How the fees work

Three authorities set most of the prices. The Central Cultural Fund (CCF) runs the heritage sites and sets fees in US dollars, paid in rupees at its own posted rate (LKR 336 per dollar, stamped 14 October 2026, about 1% above the market rate). Children aged 6 to 12 and SAARC passport holders get a reduced ticket; e-tickets exist for Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura, valid 90 days and exchanged at the counter. The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) sets national park fees by a formula: a per-person fee, plus USD 10 service charge per vehicle and a vehicle fee of LKR 300 per jeep or van (LKR 150 for a car or boat), all plus 18% VAT. Temples set their own rupee prices and rarely publish them, which is why some figures below carry a lower confidence. We add no fee of our own to an entrance fee, and it is its own line on your receipt. The one booking charge we add to a ticket is on the hill train seat, and the Trip planning and support line on your receipt says so.

Heritage sites and temples

Foreign adult price, then the child or SAARC price where one exists. USD equivalents of rupee fees use LKR 332.5 to the dollar.

National parks

Category I parks are Yala, Udawalawe, Wilpattu, Minneriya, Kaudulla, Horton Plains, Lunugamvehera and Pigeon Island: USD 25 per adult and USD 15 per child aged 6 to 12 (SAARC passports USD 20 and 10). Category II parks are Bundala, Kumana, Wasgamuwa and Gal Oya: USD 12 per adult and USD 6 per child (SAARC 10 and 5). Add the USD 10 service charge per vehicle and a vehicle fee of LKR 300 per jeep or van (LKR 150 for a car or boat), then 18% VAT on the lot. The gazette allows a lower regular-season rate, but every 2026 source quotes the full rate all year. Yala Block 2 adds LKR 5,000 per group. Jeep hire is separate: Yala USD 89, Udawalawe USD 79, Minneriya USD 75, Wilpattu USD 86, Kumana USD 95, Bundala USD 79 for a private jeep of up to six.

Typical ticket bills

Per foreign adult, tickets only, with two adults sharing any jeep.

• Sigiriya and Dambulla day: USD 44.
• Sigiriya, Dambulla and Pidurangala: USD 47.
• Sigiriya plus a Minneriya or Kaudulla safari: USD 71 in tickets, plus the jeep.
• Full Cultural Triangle (Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Dambulla, Mihintale): about USD 110.
• Kandy day (Temple of the Tooth, Peradeniya, dance show at LKR 2,000): about USD 26.
• Any Category I safari: USD 36 in park fees; Horton Plains the same with your own car.

Recent changes and what to expect

CCF prices rose from USD 30 (Sigiriya) and USD 25 (Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura) to today's levels between September 2024 and mid-2025. The Temple of the Tooth now charges LKR 3,000, up from LKR 2,000; the temple has not published when the change took effect, and many travel sites still show the old price. Dambulla went from LKR 2,000 to 3,000 by August 2025; the botanic gardens added 18% VAT to reach LKR 3,540. National park entry fees have not changed since Gazette 2292/11 of August 2022, but VAT on them rose to 18% in 2024, and a March 2025 policy report recommended park-specific pricing starting with Yala, so parks are the item most likely to move next. We found no announced fee change for 2027. The CCF site still describes a Cultural Triangle 'round ticket' but publishes no price for it and we could not confirm it is sold; some tourism pages still advertise it at USD 50, which is out of date, so we price each site separately.

What we could not verify

Whether the Lotus Tower adds VAT at the counter; the Mihintale fee (LKR 1,000 or 2,000); the Sinharaja fee, where sources range from LKR 2,700 including the compulsory guide to USD 35 (we budget USD 15 plus a LKR 2,500 guide per group); the Hikkaduwa marine park fee, if any; and the Dambulla fee and child policy, because no official page exists. Fees last checked 7 November 2026.