The best time
to visit Sigiriya.

Best time: January to September.

Weather: Warm 25–34°C dry zone; brief afternoon showers in the inter-monsoon.

Sigiriya is Sri Lanka's most iconic site — a 200-metre rock fortress crowned with the ruins of a royal palace, surrounded by water gardens and dry-zone jungle. The luxury way is at first light, before the crowds, with a private historian.

• · Start the climb by 6am — the rock is brutal in midday heat.
• · Pair Sigiriya with a Minneriya elephant safari at dusk.
• · Pidurangala gives the best photo of Sigiriya itself.