Sigiriya is a rock that looks like a fortress built by giants: a column of red granite rising some two hundred metres above the jungle of central Sri Lanka. In the late fifth century, King Kashyapa, who had seized the throne after killing his father, built a palace on its summit, with gardens, pools and fortifications around its base. The entrance was through the paws of a giant lion carved in the rock, of which only the paws remain. After Kashyapa's death, the palace was abandoned and became a Buddhist monastery. The Ancient City of Sigiriya was inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1982.
The climb up the rock is steep, with stairs, iron walkways and narrow ledges. Halfway up, a sheltered gallery holds the famous frescoes of women, the Sigiriya maidens, painted with vivid colours, and the Mirror Wall, once polished so highly that the king could see his reflection, carries graffiti left by visitors over a thousand years ago. From the top, the view over the forest, lakes and hills is immense. Start early in the morning, before the heat and the crowds, and bring water.
Around the rock, the water gardens and terraced gardens are among the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. The area is also home to wild elephants, monkeys and many birds, and the nearby Minneriya and Kaudulla national parks are famous for the gathering of hundreds of elephants in the dry season.
Riding in Sri Lanka is an adventure. Traffic drives on the left, buses and tuk-tuks are aggressive, and dogs, cows and pedestrians wander onto the roads. Foreign riders need a local permit for their licence. Fuel is available in towns such as Dambulla, fifteen kilometres away, home to the Golden Temple cave complex, another UNESCO site. The Cultural Triangle, with Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandy, offers a wealth of history within a few hours' ride.