Sigiriya is Sri Lanka’s cultural heartland, home to the iconic rock fortress, Dambulla Cave temple and numerous wildlife reserves supporting elephants, grey slender loris and fishing and rusty spotted cats.
About Sigiriya
Sri Lanka’s premier historical site, Sigiriya, is a popular tourist attraction and has much to offer from both an ancient history and wildlife perspective. Designated as a World Heritage Site in 1982, the imposing 200-metre-high Lion’s Rock of Sigiriya dominates the landscape and is a marvel of ancient architecture. Nearby Dambulla hosts the largest and most impressive cave temple in the country, another World Heritage Site.
Wildlife of Sigiriya
The surrounding landscape is a beautiful mosaic of dry zone forest, rice paddies and large wetlands which supports an important biodiversity. There's a network of protected areas which supports a large population of Asian elephant that migrate through the area following the rains. The wetlands also support a thriving population of fishing cats, mugger crocodiles and grey-headed fish eagle and white-bellied sea eagles. Hidden among the dry forests, secretive mammals such as grey slender loris, golden palm civet, rusty-spotted cat, Sri Lankan spotted chevrotain and even a few rare Indian pangolins can be found.
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