Pidurangala Viewpoint - better than Lion's Rock? Sigiriya, Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

#Pidurangala #Sigiriya #Lionsrock

Sigiriya is known for the ancient rock fortress, a.k.a Lion's Rock. However, with an 8am opening time, 7pm closing time and a pricey $30 entrance fee, many choose to visit Pidurangala instead.

Pidurangala is a rock monolith a few kilometres north of Lion's rock. At pretty much the same height, Pidurangala is a popular viewpoint to watch sunrise or sunset over Lion's rock. At 1000 rupees entry fee, it's certainly more affordable and I wanted to compare it to actually climbing Lion's rock.

The climb up to the top is relatively easy, taking around 20 to 30 minutes. We got caught in a traffic jam towards the top because people hadn't brought torches (flashlights) or weren't using their phones. As such, it was pitch black whilst people were trying to scramble up to the top of the rock.

As per the video, it's hard to compare the two. It's especially hard because for the two days I was in Sigiriya, it was rainy and cloudy. As such, we didn't get a good sunrise at Pidurangala and only got glimpses of Lion's rock for about 10 minutes total. However, from my experience, they are two very different attractions.

Lion's rock allows you to get up close and personal with the history of the rock fortress, including the palace ruins at the top, the palace gardens and rock graffiti. Pidurangala on the other hand is just a viewpoint, albeit offering incredible views of Lion's rock.

When I went to Pidurangala, it was significantly busier than the previous day at Lion's rock.....I counted nearly 100 people. Perhaps it was the lack of a nice sunrise but it wasn't as peaceful as I had imagine, with groups of people talking/laughing loudly whilst others were doing yoga or meditating. Again, that's probably anecdotal evidence.

If I had to choose, Lion's rock is the better experience but that's to be expected. The question I really wanted to answer was whether Pidurangala was better......taking into account the considerable price difference. My opinion is that if you are going to visit Sigiriya, it makes sense to pay the entry fee to Lion's rock as well as climbing Pidurangala. I would do both. If you wanted to do one, I would visit Lion's rock.

Shot on:

- GoPro Hero 9 Black (with media mod)
- Sony RX10 IV

Видео Pidurangala Viewpoint - better than Lion's Rock? Sigiriya, Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 канала With the Sparrows