Sigiriya Rock Fortress

This nearly 700-foot-tall rock column is one of the country’s most iconic and visited sites. The incredible fortress that sat in staggering heights at the very top of the rock was conceived by the illegitimate King Kasyapa in the mid fifth century A.D. Having killed his father for the crown, the paranoid king considered himself safe from attack while ruling from this perch; however, Sigiriya took nearly fourteen years to be completed and he ruled for only four before he committed suicide.

Today, climbing to the remnants of his awesome fortress requires some stamina and a lack of vertigo. (Sigiriya should be visited first thing in the morning in order to avoid heat and also the crowds.) The path begins in beautiful gardens, then turns into stairs that lead through a shaded forest. The higher you climb, the sunnier the setting, until your final ascent traverses a metal staircase attached to the exposed rockface. King Kasyapa had ordered an enormous lion carved into the rock (visitors would climb through the inside of this structure and emerge at the top disoriented by the sunlight). Today only two massive paws frame the entrance.

Another highlight not to miss here are beautifully preserved frescos of the king's harem that decorate one of the caves. Thanks to the fact that they were protected by a cave and that Sigiriya lay abandoned until the 19th century, this group of idealized beauties remains incredibly vivid (they have been likened to the Ajanta caves in India). The top of Sigiriya affords incredible views.