Dambulla

About Dambulla

Dambulla is famous for its Royal Cave Temple, Sri Lanka's largest and best-preserved cave temple complex and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The bustling market town also serves as the wholesale vegetable hub of the country and a strategic base for the Cultural Triangle.

Top experiences

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  Dambulla Cave Temple

  Five vast caves painted with 2,000-year-old murals and lined with 150 Buddha statues.

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  Kandalama Tank

  A serene ancient reservoir framed by jungle and the iconic Heritance Kandalama hotel.

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  Dambulla wholesale market

  Sri Lanka's largest vegetable market — a pre-dawn theatre of trucks, traders and tropical produce.

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  Hot air balloon over the Cultural Triangle

  Sunrise balloon flights drifting silently over Sigiriya, Dambulla and jungle-fringed tanks.

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  Ritigala forest monastery

  Atmospheric jungle ruins of a 1st-century ascetic monastery on a sacred mountain.

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  Kaudulla National Park safari

  A quieter alternative to Minneriya where elephants and endemic birds gather at the tank.

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  Sunrise climb of Pidurangala

  Beat the crowds and watch dawn break over Sigiriya Rock.

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  Village bullock-cart & catamaran tour

  Rural life, lotus lakes and a home-cooked Sri Lankan lunch.

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  Guided cave-temple visit

  Explore Dambulla's painted caves with a cultural historian.

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  Cycling through paddy fields

  Easy back-road ride between tanks, temples and villages.

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  Sigiriya Rock Fortress

  5th-century UNESCO-listed sky palace atop a 200 m monolith.

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  Dambulla Cave Temple

  Five painted caves with 150+ Buddha statues, a UNESCO site.

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  Polonnaruwa ancient city

  12th-century royal capital of temples, palaces and colossal Buddhas.

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  Minneriya National Park

  Home to the annual 'Elephant Gathering' at the reservoir.