How to Travel Colombo to Sigiriya? Guide by a LOCAL TRAVEL BLOGGER

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Finishing Sri lanka trip without seeing the 8th wonder of the world is definitely not a right decision. So traveling Colombo to Sigiriya is differently a great decision. Sigiriya is one of the most visited tourist place in Sri Lanka. Built over 1,600 years ago, the now sinister-looking 600 ft high black rock and sometime called 8th wonder of the world. Sigiriya is basically a city but because of Sigiriya hills often tourist take it a tourist attraction rather than city. Colombo to Sigiriya distance is about 150 KM and depending on mode of transportation trip duration could be between 4- 5 hours.The nearest railway station to Sigiriya is at Habarana, that is approximately 15 km away. There is only one train that runs back and forth daily. Listed below are options to travel Sigiriya from Colombo.

By Taxi

Sigiriya is significantly far from Colombo. The undesirable thing is no direct bus and train head out to Sigiriya from Colombo, which means that the most effective option to get there from Colombo to Sigiriya by Taxi. Colombo to Sigiriya distance is about 150 km and Colombo to Sigiriya taxi cost could be between 12,500-18,000 (LKR – 60 to 80$) depending on car type. In case you have decided not to stay in Colombo and planning to hire a taxi from Colombo to Sigiriya, DON’T pays more than 12,500 LKR from Colombo airport to Sigiriya by taxi (Off course EXTRA for Van). Even though going Sigiriya from Colombo by taxi is not cheap as compared to public transport, it is a secure, comfortable, effortless and HIGHLY Recommended option for tourists. You can aslo check out this Sri Lanka Taxi Service. .

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Updated: 13 Dec 2019.

By Bus

It is unfortunate that no trip Colombo to Sigiriya by bus not advisable. The reason is no direct bus goes to Sigiriya from Colombo. However, a trip from Colombo to Sigiriya by bus is still manageable. If you are coming to Sri Lanka very first time and on a short trip, I wouldn’t recommend this option especially if you are with your family because of the lack of comfortability. The only negative aspect of carrying out this journey is, it will take around one and a half hours more than a private car. If you’re making the use of a conventional and straightforward route from Colombo to Sigiriya, get on either a No. 15 bus to Anuradhapura or a No. 48 bus to Kaduruwela (for Polonnaruwa).

Although it comes up very rare but In cases you don’t, find a bus No. 06 bus to Kurunegala (Rs. 125, Normal/ Rs. 250, AC) and then swap buses there. There’s yet another No. 549 bus which goes straight from Kurunegala to Dambulla (Rs. 83, Normal). If you choose to consider the expressway, jump on an E03 bus to Katunayake (Rs. 120) and move to a No. 5/245 bus to Kurunegala (Rs. 99, Normal) from there. On the other hand, No. 49 bus to Trinco will be sufficient as long as you leave at Dambulla or Habarana (don’t go up to Trinco!).

Make sure you Get out of your bus at Habarana and grab a tuk-tuk for Sigiriya because you wouldn’t find any bus for Sigiriya. So only saving grace would be Tuk Tuk and should preferably cost you just around Rs. 350 from Habarana to Sigiriya. However, from Dambulla, you can find buses that go consistently between 6:30 AM and 6:00 PM for Rs. 40 (one-way) and take about 45 minutes to get there and tuk-tuk from here can cost you between 800-1,000. By the way, bus ticket cost from Colombo to Dambulla is (Rs. 190, Regular) or Habarana (Rs. 210, Regular).

By Train

As I said in the beginning, no direct train from Colombo to Sigiriya goes. So the best option is to get a train from Colombo fort and leave it at Habarana, 15km away. A reserved 3rd class ticket costs Rs. 480 while a reserved seat in 2nd class costs Rs. 600.

Colombo to Sigiriya Train Schedule

Colombo Fort	Habarana	Travel Time	Frequency
6:10 AM	10:59 AM	4:49	Daily

Sigiriya to Colombo Train Schedule

Habarana	Colombo Fort	Travel Time	Frequency
10:36 AM	3:25 PM	4:49	Daily

By Flight

Cinnamon Air which is a reputable Sri Lankan domestic airline based in Colombo operates daily flights from their domestic terminal in Katunayake (It is a terminal of Bandaranaike International Airport or Colombo Airport) to the airstrip in Sigiriya. By flight it will only 30 minutes to reach there which is a great thing. However, its ticket is too costly and one-way flight will cost you around $225 include all. I forgot to mention that it is a small plane and can accommodate up to 8 persons. So it’s like a private jet. They don’t have a fixed schedule for all days. Here is the schedule.