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View all Kandy toursSigiriya Rock and Dambulla Caves Day Tour from Kandy with Evening Elephant Safari
A full day north from Kandy taking in the Matale Hindu temple, a spice garden, a batik workshop, Sigiriya rock and the Dambulla caves, finishing with an evening jeep safari for elephants.
Highlights
- Two UNESCO sites — Sigiriya rock and the Dambulla cave temples — in one day
- The Matale Hindu temple and its painted gopuram
- Spice garden and batik workshop stops on the way north
- An evening jeep safari when the elephants come down to the water
- Everything driven for you from Kandy and back
Sigiriya Rock and Dambulla Caves Day Tour from Kandy with Evening Elephant Safari: Key Facts
| Price | From $110.5 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 12 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Full description
This is the fullest version of the cultural triangle day: two UNESCO sites, three workshop stops on the way, and a jeep safari to close it. It is twelve hours and it earns them.
The road north from Kandy runs through Matale, where the Sri Muthumariamman temple has a gopuram covered in painted figures, and where the spice gardens grow cinnamon, cardamom, pepper and vanilla in the same plot. A batik workshop nearby shows the wax-resist dyeing that Sri Lanka took from Indonesia and made its own.
Sigiriya is the centrepiece — 1,200 steps up a 200-metre granite plug to a fifth-century royal citadel, past the frescoes and the mirror wall. Dambulla follows, five caves under a rock overhang painted floor to ceiling with around 150 Buddha images.
The safari is the reason for the late finish. Minneriya and the neighbouring parks hold large elephant herds, and in the dry season they gather on the reservoir bed in numbers you will not see anywhere else in Asia. Late afternoon is when they come down to the water, which is why this is the last thing in the day rather than the first.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Pickup in Kandy
An early start for the drive north.
Matale Hindu temple
The Sri Muthumariamman temple and its gopuram.
Spice and herbal garden
A guided walk through the growing plots.
Sigiriya rock
The climb, the frescoes and the summit.
Dambulla cave temples
Five painted caves under an overhang.
Jeep safari
An afternoon drive for elephants at Minneriya or a neighbouring park.
Kandy
Drop-off at your hotel.
Detailed Itinerary
[{"time": "05:00", "title": "Hotel pickup", "description": "Twelve hours door to door. Sleep on the first leg."}, {"time": "06:30", "title": "Matale", "description": "Shoes off, shoulders covered. A short stop."}, {"time": "07:30", "title": "Spice garden and batik workshop", "description": "Around an hour between the two. Shops attached; no obligation."}, {"time": "09:30", "title": "Sigiriya", "description": "Two to three hours. 1,200 steps with handrails and no shade at the top."}, {"time": "13:00", "title": "Dambulla", "description": "A steep approach path, then about an hour in the caves."}, {"time": "15:30", "title": "Safari", "description": "Two to three hours by jeep. Which park is used depends on where the herds are that week."}, {"time": "19:00", "title": "Kandy", "description": "Drop-off at your hotel."}]
Includes
- Air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup and drop-off in Kandy, the jeep for the safari section, all driving between sites.
Excludes
- Entrance fees at Sigiriya and Dambulla and the national park permit, meals and drinks, gratuities, purchases at the workshops.
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Kandy; the exact address and time are confirmed after booking.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts