SIGIRIYA AND SAFARI IN MINNERIYA

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Day 14: SIGIRIYA - MINNERIYA - POLONNARUWA

Thursday, July 04, 2013

Today we start the day early, just before 6 in the morning the alarm sounds, reminding us that at 7 in the morning they open the Sigiriya ticket offices and that today we have a most complete day, visiting Sigiriya and making a Safari in Minneriya.
Today we will "touch" one of the sour cherries that is for us the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka.
Before meeting Chami again, we took the opportunity to go to breakfast at the very comfortable room of the Sigiriya Hideout and we are lucky to see a sunrise of those who will stay forever in our retinas.

Dawn at the Sigiriya Hideout

Having breakfast at the Sigiriya Hideout

Shortly after 6.30 in the morning, we met Chami, we left the Sigiriya Hideout and we set off towards Sigiriya's rock.

We arrived a few minutes after they opened the enclosure of Sigiriya and the first thing we do, after leaving Chami in the parking lot "guarding" the car that takes us through the Cultural Triangle, is to get the access tickets to Sigiriya's rock for 3750 rupees per person.
Here we check again the honesty of the people of Sri Lanka, since we give him 8000 rupees and we run away, with the desire to start the visit and at the moment the girl runs out behind us, to bring us the 500 rupees left over!
Sigiriya It is another UNESCO World Heritage site in Sri Lanka and receives thousands of tourists every year that ascend its 370 meters to contemplate one of the biggest claims of the Sigiriya's rock: the fabulous frescoes embodied by great artists on a mountain slope and showing nymphs with bare chest.
Archaeological excavations show that the area was inhabited for 5000 years, but it was not until the 13th century BC, when the first Buddhist monastic communities were installed here, which they did on the grounds located north and west of the rock .
It was in these years that several caves were excavated in the mountain walls to create cave monasteries or simply shelters.
The visit to Sigiriya We start it with the Royal Gardens, which are just past the entrance to the enclosure and surround the base of the mountain and are bordered by a wall and a wide water pit.
As soon as we reach this area of the enclosure, we begin to become aware of what we really have before our eyes and what it will really mean Sigiriya's rock for us.

Entering Sigiriya through the Royal Gardens

The Royal Gardens of Sigiriya They are divided into three sections, the Water Gardens that occupy a rectangle located on the road between the west entrance and the stairs to the ascent.

Sigiriya Water Gardens

These Gardens are among the oldest in the world and are arranged symmetrically forming small ponds and islets attached to the trails.
There are three gardens, the closest to the Sigiriya rock It is at a level slightly higher than the previous two and we see a small pool or octagonal pond.

Sigiriya Water Gardens

Details of the Sigiriya Water Gardens

Before arriving at the following Gardens, we cannot avoid taking hundreds of photos, from all possible angles, taking advantage of the loneliness that the early morning we have given ourselves ...

Sigiriya

Before starting the ascent to Sigiriya We find the Rocky Gardens, which contain several rocks, in various ways surrounded by trails.
It is believed that these rocks were foundations of buildings that rose here.

Rocky Gardens in Sigiriya

We also find the Landscaped Terraces, which are located at the same base of the Sigiriya rock and they are a series of terraces connected by passageways with the Rocky Gardens and with the stairs where the ascent begins.

We begin the ascent to Sigiriya?

Well, we started !!!

When we reach the first stairs that announce that the ascent to the Sigiriya rock, we are already clear that we are going to take it easy and more after the many comments we have read that it is an exhausting climb.
But as we ascend, we see that we do it very easily, so that makes us accelerate the step a bit and take the ascent with less tranquility.
It is very clear that yesterday's visit to Dambulla and Pidurangala has put us in shape in a few hours.

We continue ascending in Sigiriya!

About to reach the famous Sigiriya frescoes ...

It does not take more than 15 minutes on the flight of stairs that take us to the spiral stairs that will give us entrance to one of the most important and famous points of the Sigiriya, its frescoes of the Ladies of Sigiriya.
To access this section of the wall, a spiral staircase, completely enclosed, has been embedded in the rock, that way and everything if the gaze is directed to the outside and it has vertigo, it causes a rather unpleasant sensation. This can be overcome if the gaze remains fixed on the steps.

Spiral staircase that takes us to the famous Sigiriya frescoes ...

As soon as we pass through the entrance that leaves us in the cave, our eyes meet, with a special shine ... or with all the photos we had seen of these paintings, we could imagine them like this ... They are impressive!

The Ladies of Sigiriya ...

The beautiful Buddhist paintings depicted in a half-height cliff of the Sigiriya rock They are one of the best memories you can have of a visit to Sigiriya and even of a trip to Sri Lanka and Maldives.
The multicolored frescoes represent almost a dozen beautiful women, with a tight waist and bare breasts, concubines of King Kassapa for those who insist that Sigiriya it was a military fortress, or apsaras, celestial nymphs, according to the defenders of the most modern theory that ensures that the Sigiriya rock It has always been the seat of Buddhist monastic orders.

Celestial nymphs or concubines ...?

Beautiful Buddhist paintings ... The Ladies of Sigiriya

The layout of this west-facing cliff and its upper ledge have protected these frescoes from which the exact date of their realization is unknown, but the fifth century is noted.

Sigiriya Fresco Details

The Ladies of Sigiriya

The Ladies of Sigiriya are some of the best Buddhist paintings in the world, similar in invoice and style to the famous Ajanta Caves in India.

Photographing The Ladies of Sigiriya

Photographed next to Las Damas de Sigiriya

After a good while admiring the impressive frescoes and taking advantage of the fact that there are not too many people and the security that we have left us staying longer than usual, we come back to take a last look and take some last photos.
We return to the spiral staircase, which we now have to go down to reach the Graffiti Wall of Sigiriya.

Sigiriya Graffiti Wall

In the section of the Sigiriya rock At the foot of the spiral staircase that ascends or descends to the Sigiriya Frescoes, the Graffiti Wall extends.
A long wall made of a type of porcelain and where visitors from times as far away as the s. VI wrote their admiration for the beauty of the Ladies of Sigiriya and the talent of the artists who painted them.
Unfortunately, the thugs of the 20th century have also painted their graffiti, although today it is punishable and fined, so today, it is quite difficult to distinguish the old from the modern ones, although these are usually small and in pali writing.
After passing through the Graffiti Wall, we find other stairs that will take us to another of the strong points of the Sigiriya rock, from where we have incredible views of the surrounding landscapes Sigiriya.

Views from the Sigiriya Graffiti Wall

We pass the Sigiriya Graffiti Wall to ascend to ... The Lion's Claws !!

The next stopover in the ascent is the esplanade where, on the west side, the remains of a huge stone and red brick lion that presided over the last section to the top from the S.V.

Stunning views from Sigiriya

The Claws of the Lion

The size of the claws, the only thing left, gives an idea of the dimensions that the cat had.
Between the claws they leave the metallic stairs that lead in a short ascent to the top of the Sigiriya Rock.

Stairs between the Claws of the Lion that will take us to the top

At this point of the visit to Sigiriya and after the ascent and the visit to the famous Sigiriya Frescoes, we decided that it was time to take the visit with more tranquility before reaching the top and “assimilating” a little everything we have seen so far.

Facing the Lion's Claws

In this area of Sigiriya we realize that yesterday, from Pidurangala, it was precisely this area that we had in our sight, so just by turning around and facing Las Garras del León, there we see it ... Pidurangala.

Pidurangala in front of Las Garras del León

Nobody pays attention to that “mountain” that is in front of the spectacular Sigiriya rock, nobody knows what Pidurangala hides ... but we can't stop looking at her and remember that yesterday, we were there, observing the point where we are now.

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We hope Pidurangala continues like this. Pidurangala and Sigiriya they deserve that this corner is away from mass tourism ...
After a while "lost" between the area of the Claws of the Lion, we remember that they had explained to us and we had read that in this area of Sigiriya On many occasions the wasps forced visitors to wear special suits to climb to the top without suffering bites.
At the moment we are commenting, we see the signs that announce the wasps and give advice on what to do in case of being attacked and when looking towards the top ... there we see them!

Wasps in Las Garras del León

We are lucky and today they do not seem to be upset, so we will not need the costumes for the last part of the ascent.
So we do not think much, we take a last picture ...

The Claws of the Lion

... and we continue with the ascent, this time towards the top of Sigiriya.

Ascending to the top of Sigiriya

This last part of the ascent is not at all tired, although it is the toughest in terms of vertigo, so I do not take it too calmly and try to do it as quickly as possible, to pass the bad drink.

About to reach the top of Sigiriya with Pidurangala in the background!

The summit of the Sigiriya rock It is flat and has an area of 1.6 hectares in which the remains and foundations of various buildings and ponds that once stood here abound.

Enjoying the top of Sigiriya

Sigiriya summit

Among the remains of the ponds stands out a rectangular one 27 meters long by 21 wide, for use, with total security, religious.

Posing at the top of Sigiriya

Stunning views from the Sigiriya Summit

We are in this area of Sigiriya almost an hour, going from top to bottom all the areas that we can access.

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Images of the Sigiriya Summit

It does not stop surprising us in the place where we are and we cannot fail to find a certain resemblance to Masada, in Israel ...
We are very lucky that today, although the day is hot, it runs a lot of air, especially at the top and allows us to enjoy the visit with a pleasant temperature.
We are at the top a little over 45 minutes, when we look at the time and it is 10 in the morning ... We have been 3 hours in Sigiriya and we still have to go back down !!

Sigiriya summit

Throne at the Top of Sigiriya

We look at the clock again and without any excuse that can keep us here longer and knowing the day that still lies ahead, we decided that the time has come to start saying goodbye to Sigiriya.

Descending from the Top of Sigiriya

Again in the Claws of the Lion!

It takes us about 30 minutes to descend and we return to be in the area of the Royal Gardens, where many more tourists are already seen, but still being early, we allow ourselves to take some more photos alone ...

Sigiriya ... Awesome !!

We go back up ???

To return to the parking lot where Chami awaits us we do not have to return to the entrance, but take a shortcut, crossing the Royal Gardens and we arrive at the area where we find our car with Chami waiting for us.
We return to our hotel in Sigiriya, to take a shower and eat before getting back on track to continue touring the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka.
In the Sigiriya Hideout we spend the rest of the morning, resting and cooling off having a drink on its pleasant terrace, where we can also take the opportunity to connect and catch up with the family.

Enjoying the Sigiriya Hideout

After eating and saying goodbye to all the staff that has treated us as if we were family, we check-out and head to the next stop today: Minneriya.
It's 2 in the afternoon and we commented with Chami that today we thought he would be much more tired, but so far we are getting along very well, we are not tired at all. Could it be that we are excited? We are going to live the experience of Safari in Minneriya!!
The journey to Minneriya, leads us to see again the profile of Sigiriya and the surroundings, which have electric fences, so that the elephants do not pass from that area, as Chami explains.
The road is all along a good road and runs all the time through the jungle.
As we have said many times, Sri Lanka It's green and right now, so much more!
Each country has a color and you don't have to think hard to associate green with Sri Lanka.
We arrived to Minneriya in little more than 45 minutes and the first thing that Chami explains to us is that we have to go to the box office, to pay the tickets to the park and then hire the 4 × 4 that will take us to do the Safari in Minneriya.
If you arrive with nothing contracted to the park, this is the way to do it, first you pay the entrance at the ticket offices and then, outside the park, you negotiate with the different 4 × 4 that are at the entrance to the safari.
We have read in different blogs and websites, that the Safari in Minneriya It usually goes together for about $ 40 per person, so counting that we have paid 5890 entry, more or less we get an idea of the bargaining we have to have to hire the 4 × 4.
Another good option is to book the tour of the Minneriya National Park from Sigiriya or east from Kandy in advance.
We go to the entrance accompanied by Chami and negotiate with one for a while, until we reach an agreement of 5500 rupees for 3 hours of safari.
Chami asks us permission to join us in the 4 × 4, because he has never been in Minneriya And of course we tell you that we will be happy to come with us. So it will be us two, Chami, a guide who will also accompany us and that is mandatory, plus the driver.
Before leaving, the driver assures us that we will see more than 45 elephants. We hope it's true!

We start the Safari in Minneriya

Safari in Minneriya

We start on Safari in Minneriya and until 15 minutes pass, we do not enter the area where the guide already tells us, we have possibilities to start seeing the wild elephants of Minneriya.

Safari in Minneriya

And I just need to say it ... so they appear!

We see the first elephants in the Safari in Minneriya

First one appears, then another ... and then a group!
This moment has arrived and only 30 minutes have passed since we started the Safari in Minneriya We are already satisfied with what we are seeing!

Elephants in the Safari in Minneriya

Group of elephants in the Safari in Minneriya

Elephants in the Safari in Minneriya

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Elephants in Minneriya

We go along the lake of Minneriya, to see different groups of wild elephants from Sri Lanka we continue to enjoy as children!

Elephant in the Safari in Minneriya

Elephants in the Safari in Minneriya

It is clear that this Safari in Minneriya It is not the same as an African safari like the ones we did a few years ago, but it is undoubtedly an experience that you should have if you have the necessary time in any Travel to Sri Lanka and Maldives

Elephants in the Safari in Minneriya

Access to Minneriya It is not economical at all, but we repeat that it is a worthwhile experience.

Safari in Minneriya

Enjoying the Safari in Minneriya

In the time that we are in the Safari in Minneriya we walk through a small space in the park, but we see a lot of wild elephants from Sri Lanka.

Elephants in the Safari in Minneriya

When we took a couple of hours, we stopped in a space, where there is a tower next to a river, to stretch our legs and take a walk.

First stop at the Safari in Minneriya

Safari in Minneriya

Here we have a good time, while our driver makes some calls within 4 × 4 ...
After this break, we resume the Safari in Minneriya and we see large groups of wild elephants again.

Elephants in the Safari in Minneriya

An elephant bath at the Safari in Minneriya

Near the Elephants in the Safari in Minneriya

Enjoying !! Safari in Minneriya

When we have been more than 3 hours in Minneriya We make our way to the exit of the park and after giving a tip to the driver and the guide, we return with Chami to our car, to continue the tour of the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka.
We take away from Minneriya A great memory, although it is not like an African safari, our retinas and our cameras have not been disappointed.

Safari in Minneriya

Enjoying the Safari in Minneriya

Now it's time to return to the road, this time on the way to Polonnaruwa, to Clay Hut Village, which will be our base for tonight.
Since Minneriya We have a 50-kilometer road that we travel in almost 1 hour and shortly after 6 pm and almost after dark we arrive at our hotel in Polonnaruwa.
Here we will make a small paragraph and it is to say that the Polonnaruwa hotel, the Clay Hut Village, has been the only one in everything our trip to Sri Lanka and Maldives That has disappointed us.
We look at opinions on several websites and although Polonnaruwa does not stand out for having a low cost and quality hotel infrastructure, we choose one of those with the best opinions on the internet.
Well it has been that we have not had luck!
The enclosure leaves much to be desired, throughout the whole.
The rooms are quite left ... and apart from charging us for dinner, when it was supposedly included in the price ... they serve us late because at that time they are attending a group and there is no space in the dining room.
We will not deny that this last detail, in other accommodation, would have remained as a simple anecdote, but here, it has bothered us.
Of course, we go to bed to rest, with a stomach full of a curry that was not exactly spectacular but with a great day behind us ... Sigiriya and Minneriya will sleep with us today ...