A half-day village tour near Habarana involving a catamaran-style raft ride across Hiriwadunna Lake, a walk through rice paddies and a rural village, and often a traditional lunch cooked and served on banana leaves. It's a built-for-tourists experience, but still gives a genuine look at rural irrigation farming life around Sigiriya. It sits below the headline sights but earns its place on a longer visit to Sigiriya.
What It Is
You're paddled across a shallow lake on a simple log raft, walk narrow paths between rice paddies to a cluster of mud-and-thatch houses, and sit on the ground for a meal of curries served on a banana leaf.
Why Visit
It's a low-key, slower half-day that balances out the more strenuous rock climbs, with direct contact with rural Sri Lankan farming life. It is not the first thing you should see in Sigiriya, but with two or more days it fills a gap the major sights leave. Mornings are quieter if you want to take your time.
More on Sigiriya
It is one entry in our list of things to do in Sigiriya.
We plan trips to Sigiriya and the rest of Sri Lanka. Tell us your dates and we will put a route together. Our routes are on the tours page.