Kandy to Sigiriya taxi: private transfer at a fixed price

From Kandy the road runs north over the Mahaweli at Katugastota, through Akurana and down to Matale, then along the A9 through Nalanda and Naula to Dambulla, and east via Inamaluwa to Sigiriya. We have driven and timed it at about two and a quarter hours without stops. As you come down out of the hills the country changes quickly: by Dambulla you are in the dry zone, flatter and hotter, with paddy fields, tanks and bare rock outcrops. Stops along the way include a spice garden around Matale, Aluvihare rock temple, and Nalanda Gedige, an old stone temple a short detour off the A9 that mixes Hindu and Buddhist styles. The Dambulla cave temple is also on the route, but if you are heading for the rock that morning it fits better into the afternoon.

Getting out of Kandy is the only real hold-up. The one-way system around the lake funnels traffic through a few junctions, and from about 07:30 on weekdays the roads towards Katugastota fill with school and office traffic. Before 06:30 the town is empty and the A9 is clear. Beyond Matale the road is straighter and quicker, through small towns and long stretches of countryside. After Dambulla, the Sigiriya road passes through forest where elephants cross, mostly at dusk. Sigiriya hotels are scattered along side roads around the village, Kimbissa and the tanks, and some are reached on gravel tracks. Drivers know most of them by name, but a location pin sent on WhatsApp saves time.

Short and mostly downhill, this is an easy transfer and the economy sedan is fine for two or three people. The comfort sedan is worth it if you carry luggage for a long trip or want more room. Families starting a week in the cultural triangle often choose the 6-seat van for the space, and groups of seven or eight need the 8-seat van. If you are going straight to the rock with your bags, most Sigiriya hotels will hold luggage before check-in; if you would rather go to the rock first with the car, arrange it on WhatsApp when you book. For several days of touring after this, with Polonnaruwa, Minneriya or Anuradhapura, car hire with driver by the day keeps the same car and driver.

There is no train from Kandy to Sigiriya. Buses run from Kandy to Dambulla along the A9, cheap and frequent, and a local bus or tuk-tuk covers the last stretch to Sigiriya. It works well for light travellers with time. It does not work for an early climb: reaching the rock at opening by bus from Kandy is not realistic, and with suitcases the changes are hard work. The taxi gives you a door-to-door start at whatever hour suits the rock, and stops wherever you want them.

For the rock the same morning, leave Kandy soon after 05:00. You reach Sigiriya around 07:30, soon after opening, climb in the cooler hours and are down before midday. Pickups between 22:00 and 05:00 carry a 15% night surcharge, so a start just after 05:00 keeps the normal price. For Pidurangala at sunrise the next day, leave Kandy mid-morning and arrive for lunch. During the Esala Perahera, in July or August, central Kandy closes to traffic in the evenings, which does not affect a morning departure. The cultural triangle is hot and dry from May to September; the north-east monsoon, roughly October to January, brings afternoon rain, another reason to climb early.