Sigiriya is an archeological site in Central Sri Lanka. It is essetntially the ruins of an ancient palace / fortress complex, built during the reign of King Kasyapa (477 – 495 AD). It is one of the seven World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka and is one of its most popular tourist destinations. The climb to the top - via the famed cave paintings is not for the faint hearted as the second part of the ascent is up narrow metal stairs (a bit like a fire escape) that are bolted to the rock face.Whilst I reccomend this attraction to anybody visiting the Island I sound a note of caution to those with any degree of vertigo as my travelling companion does as she was very dissapointed to find how narrow / exposed etc the steps are and sadly could not tackle the climb beyond half way. The section to the paintings is a spiral stair and the section beyond the lions paws is particulaly exposed. The climb is quite breath- taking and well worth the nerves and excitment. For those who go part way and wait for companions to come back be aware its the same way up and down so dont be concerned with the "informal guides" who may try and tell you that your waiting in the wrong place as people descend a different route, thats just nonsense !Make sure you take water and dark coloured clothes as there is a lot of rust on the stairs and rails and if you wear white you will end up covered in yellow stains. Aside from these pointers I would say its one of the most interesting / baffling / stunning views and experiences of the whole island.
No comments:
Post a Comment