OUR DESTINATIONS
Let us help you find your perfect holiday by phoning us on
We offer holidays to the four corners of the globe. If you want specialist advise please phone our travel team and we will be happy to help.
Alternatively, check out some of our holiday offers below.
- Destinations
- Asia
- Sri Lanka
- Colombo
- Sigiriya
Sigiriya
Sigiriya is an important Buddhist site in central Sri Lanka,
about 100 miles (161km) northeast of Colombo. The remains of an
ancient royal fortress and city dating from 477 AD stand on a vast
rock, which rises 600ft (180m) above the surrounding plain. King
Kasyapa built it to safeguard against attack from his brother,
Mogallana from whom he had stolen the throne after having killed
their father. The only way into the city is through the massive
carved jaws of a lion - the name Sigiriya is taken from 'giriya',
meaning 'jaws and throat' and 'sinha' meaning 'lion'. The site is
one of the best-preserved first-millennium city centres in Asia and
is also renowned for its 5th-century rock paintings and its
magnificent, symmetrical water gardens.
Information & Facts
Language
Most people speak Sinhala, which is the national and
official language. Tamil is also spoken, and English is spoken at
most tourist establishments.
Money
The unit of currency is the Sri Lanka Rupee (LKR), which is
divided into 100 cents. Major credit cards are widely accepted, and
travellers cheques in US Dollars are recommended. ATMs are becoming
more common, but outside the main cities they are unlikely to
accept international cards. Credit cards should be used with
caution due to the potential for fraud. Foreign currency can be
exchanged at bureaux de change, banks and hotels, but exchanging
cash is more expensive than exchanging travellers cheques. Banks
are closed on Sundays.
Opening Times
Time