Sri Lanka is a paradise which has a lot to offer for those who are looking for a peaceful and relaxing holiday adventure. If you have decided on a one day Adventure, climbing the Pidurangala Rock is one of the best options and surely will be a memorable experience for you! You can find it standing next to his “big brother” the Lion’s Rock Sigiriya. The Sigiriya rock fortress is well known as the eighth wonder of the world which attracts thousands of tourists every year for its archaeological significance. You no need to choose between the two! If you want to experience both, you can start with Pidurangala rock and then climb Sigiriya. So lets take a look at of this mysterious Rock which has a lot more history.
This massive rock formation is located a few kilometers north of Sigiriya, near the town of Dambulla , in the northern Matale District, in the central province, Sri Lanka. If you are in the village of Sigiriya you can reach the entry point of Pidurangala Rock by bicycle which you can rent for a lesser amount. Comers of further areas, public transportation is the cheapest yet convinent option. If you are travelling from Colombo, go to Pettah Bus halt and get into a Anuradhapura , Polonnaruwa or Trinco bus (Either of these long distance buses ) and get off in Dambulla. From Dambulla, you can get into a sigiriya bus, get off from Sigiriya and then hire a Tuk which will cost around Rs.250 to Rs.300 and you will be at the Starting point!
The best times to climb the rock are early morning to witness the sunrise and late afternoon for the sunset. We began our walk early morning because it was said that the sunrise view from top of Pidurangala Rock is simply amazing! At the main entrance, you will see a white temple which will be the Pidurangala Sigiri Rajamaha viharaya. Onto your right there will be the path for the hike and here you will find a huge row of stairs. The stairs won’t last long so afterwards the path will be much easier except few boulders you meet through your way. But that’s not hard at all!
Reclining Buddha
Twenty to thirty minutes of climbing bought us through a series of caves and then we reached the large reclining Buddha. This graceful statue is about 12.5 meters in length, was built with bricks and is survived only by a few remains of the original structure. From this point onwards there will be just a Ten minutes trek remaining and this was my favorite part of the whole hike since it made us to scramble over few boulders to the summit!
At the Peak!
Once you finally hit the top of Pidurangala Rock you will witness the best panoramic view of the ancient Rock Fortress, Sigiriya. Not only that! If you reach the top before sunrise you will be cherished with the peaceful atmosphere up there while enjoying the sun light up the valley. I must say this hike is worth making. So do plan your next one day adventure to the captivating Pidurangala Rock!
It’s the 2nd Highest and Highest hiking destination in Sri Lanka [2,388 m (7,835 ft.)]. Since Piduruthalagala (Highest Mountain in Sri Lanka) can be reached only by vehicle (with Prier Permission) Kirigalpotta has become the highest hiking destination in Sri Lanka.
Kirigalpotta Trekking trail starts from the Horton Plains National Park and the Entrance point of the Horton Plains national Park can be reached via two different ways.
1st by train
- If you are travelling from Colombo, you can take the Badulla train from Fort railway station and you have to get off from the Pattipola railway station. Horton plains ticketing counter has located 5.5km away from the Pattipola Railway station. From ticketing counter to Starting point of the trek there will be another 4.7 km. Total distance from Pattipola station to starting point of the trek will be around 10 km. It’s possible to pic a three wheeler or a van to cover this distance from Pattipola station also possible to do it by foot on your preference but 1st option is recommended since the 2nd option consumes your valuable time. Spare the time to enjoy the amazing hike.
- Also you can get off from ohiya and follow the same procedure since the distances almost the same. Below map shows the distance guide from the both stations (Pattipola and ohiya.)
2nd By Bus
- You can take the Nuwara eliya Bus from pettah bus station and get off from Nuwara eliya. There are few busses operating from Nuwara eliya to pattipola and Nuwara eliya to Ambewela. Then the Rest of the journey would be same as the 1st But I recommend the 1st Option (Travel by Train) since the above mentioned two bus services are not reliable. Better go there by Train. It will save your time and money.
Fort to Pattipola Train schedule I have mentioned below with reaching time to pattipola for you convenience when you are planning your hike to kirigalpotta.
Once you reach Hortain Plains Park you have to start the trek from the Park bungalow side. From there it’s exactly 7km trek up to the peak. But it will take only 3-4 hours if there’s supportive weather condition. Story will be different with bad weather or Mist. So be prepared for any kind of situation in this amazing trek. Don’t carry plastic and polythene. I have mentioned below few land marks with my photos. Make sure you pass all of those, and then you won’t miss your target even in a mist or bad weather situation. Enjoy the journey. Save this amazing and beautiful location for future trekkers as well. Be a responsible traveller while you are enjoying the nature. Thanks for reading.
Sri Lanka has been recognized as a beach destination between the travelers because of the turquoise blue beaches surrounded the island. And the other reason is this small island provides year around beach destinations for the travelers. No matter its North East Monsoon- (November to February) or South West Monsoon- (May to August) There are more than enough stunning beaches to serve you in Sri Lanka.
Between all those numerous beaches I’m going to bring you another astonishing beautiful beach in Sri Lanka. No doubt when it comes to Beach destinations this tropical island southern coast plays a vital role with the ever welcoming blue paradise beaches. Without any argument Mirissa is one of the top 10 beaches in Sri Lanka. But here I’m revealing few unique and hidden areas in this famous mirissa destination.
According to the stats and figures Mirissa is a small town on the south coast of Sri Lanka, located in the Matara District of the Southern Province. It is approximately 150 kilometers south of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of 4 meters above sea level.
Mirissa can be reached via two ways. Those are southern highway sri Lanka and Galle road (A2). Via Highway it will take around 1 and half hour to reach matara and you need to come back another 13 km back on Galle road to reach mirissa. if you going to use this option, you can easily get into a Colombo- Matara Highway bus from Pettah bus stand(Gunasinghepura Bus stand) After Getting off from Matara you just have to get into any bus which is going towards galle. Then you can get off from mirissa within 2 hours.
If you are going to use the second option better take a Matara bus and get off from mirissa beach. But it will take 4-5 Hours on Galle road to reach mirissa.
Welcome to Mirissa, one of the most amazing beach destinations located in southern province, Sri Lanka.
This small fishing town is getting popular among tourists and youngsters for its uncountable fun facts! Let me drive you to few of the “Must Visit’ places I visited during my last vacation so you get a better insight in planning your tour to Mirissa.
- Secret Beach
It’s a little hidden beach just in the corner from Mirissa beach, where you will get to enjoy a lazy swim without the disturbance of huge crashing waves and enjoy snorkeling too. Though it’s named as secret beach, now it’s no more a secret among the locals as well as tourists! But still the view is worth a visit. So do enjoy the beautiful surrounding by spending couple of hours! This is located exactly 1.8 km away from the Mirissa beach and 2.1 Km away from the Mirissa bus halt. Better use Google map navigation. it’s situated in walking distance from the main road
- Coconut Tree Dome
Insta Famous Coconut tree Hill located in 1.5Km away from the Mirissa beach.
Aside from Mirissa beach a 15 to 20 minutes breezy walk through the water, passing a couple of bays is the coconut tree dome. Or you can reach it via a restaurant nearby. Slip into a hammock and discover the breathtaking sunset while sipping fresh coconut water. Must say this is definitely an ideal spot for a stunning instagram pic!
- Whale watching
My beach vacation included whale watching simply because it is one of the largest blue whale colonies in the world! This can be best experienced during the months of November and April. You can get into a whale watching boat which will depart from mirissa harbor and start discovering. You can spot the whales and dolphins swimming, spinning and diving in their own home. Its amazing to witness these animals playing around the waves beyond shipping lines passing by!
- Dondra Head Light house
Dondra Head Light house is the tallest lighthouse in Sri Lanka operated and maintained by Sri Lanka ports authority. It is located in Dondra head also known as Devundara thuduwa, the Southernmost point of Sri Lanka. The view is great so once you have visited all spots around mirissa beach this would be the next ideal to visit!