SUNSET AT PIDURANGALA ROCK, Sigiriya, Sri Lanka, 2019.12.08

Day 4 (3 of 3).

Anyone who has done travel research on Sri Lanka would probably come across the dramatic image of the Sigiriya Rock rising above pristine jungle.  Appearing on many travel literature and tourist promotions, the UNESCO World Heritage hilltop fortress atop Sigiriya Rock is on most tourist’s itinerary.  Climbing the nation’s most popular attraction is best done in early morning or late afternoon to avoid getting stuck with the crowds on the narrow stairways.  We decided to visit the hilltop fortress early in the morning.  In the late afternoon prior, we opted for climbing the lesser known Pidurangala Rock.

Rising in the jungle across from the famous Sigiriya, Pidurangala Rock has been gaining huge popularity in recent years because of the impressive view of Sigiriya it offers from the top.  Some travelers even suggest that climbing Pidurangala is more worthwhile than visiting the actual Sigiriya Rock.  After arriving at the village of Sigiriya from Polonnaruwa and had a quick lunch at Chooti Restaurant, we hopped on a tuk tuk to the trailhead for Pidurangala Rock.

A short tuk tuk ride took us to the trailhead in the midst of thick dense forest.  The trailhead is actually located behind Pidurangala Rajamaha Viharaya, a historical Buddhist monastery at the foot of Pidurangala Rock.

The 20-minute hike up the rock was relatively easy.  Near the top, we reached a large reclining Buddha.  In fact, Pidurangala Rock has been occupied by Buddhist monastery since ancient times.

The tricky part of the hike came at the very top, when we had to scramble up boulders in order to reach the top.

All the sweat of hiking up was more than worthwhile when we saw the scenery of Sigiriya Rock right in front of us.

The top of Pidurangala Rock is an open plateau, a perfect spot to watch the sunset.

We could hardly see the fortress on Sigiriya from Pidurangala Rock.

The colour of Sigiriya gradually changed as the sun set.

Rice paddy fields beyond the dense forest.

Apart from hikers, a few small dogs wandered around the top of Pidurangala Rock.

We picked a spot to sit down among other tourists to watch the sunset.

Watching the sunset on Pidurangala was one of the most calming experiences we have had among other sunset watching locations we have been to around the world.

Like most visitors, we stayed till the sun was gone before descending.

It got pretty dark by the time we returned to Pidurangala Rajamaha Viharaya at the base of the plateau.

We exited the monastery and reunited with our tuk tuk driver, who had been waiting for us at the trailhead.

For dinner at Sigiriya village, we picked Kenoli, a restaurant recommended by quite a few travelers online.

The friendly restaurant owners invited us to check out their kitchen, and showed us their cooking techniques.

We ordered a chicken kottu, a popular Sri Lankan dish with chopped rotti and chicken meat to complete our eventful day.