Taxi from Sigiriya to Kandy
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South into the hills through Matale. The spice gardens are on this road, which is why the drive often takes longer than it needs to.
What it costs
| Vehicle | Seats | Typically | Prices from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini / Small Car | 3–4 | Alto, Wagon R | Rs 17,970 |
| Economy / Medium Car | 3–4 | Aqua, Fit | Rs 20,120 |
| Sedan | 3–4 | Axio, Premio | Rs 21,510 |
| Mini Van | 5–7 | Every, Noah, Voxy | Rs 23,260 |
| SUV | 4–5 | Vezel, CR-V | Rs 23,610 |
| Van | 8–14 | Toyota KDH | Rs 24,660 |
| Luxury Car | 3–4 | Camry, Mercedes, Audi | Rs 30,960 |
| Mini Bus | 15–30 | Coaster, Rosa | Rs 32,010 |
| Bus | 30–50 | Passenger Bus | Rs 43,200 |
Drivers and fleets set their own rates, so these are typical prices from our system, not a guarantee — your actual quote can differ. Quoted by the same engine that prices your booking, for the distance shown; your exact pickup and drop-off, the time of day and any waiting time all affect it too. Last priced on 27-10-2026.
89.7 kilometres and about two and a quarter hours south through Dambulla and Matale, climbing gently into the hills for the last part.
After the climb
A dawn climb and then this drive makes a good day: off the rock by eight, into Kandy by midday, with the afternoon free for the temple. The evening ceremony at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth is worth timing the arrival around.
The spice gardens
The Matale road is lined with them and the drive often takes longer than it needs to as a result. That is fine if you want the stop and worth saying if you do not.
Arriving
Kandy's centre is narrow and busy. Hotel name when you book, and expect the last fifteen minutes to be slower than the previous two hours.
What the drive from Sigiriya to Kandy is actually like
Leaving Sigiriya
This is the dry zone, and the roads show it: flat, straight and considerably faster than anything in the hills. The run up from Colombo is long but easy, and the section through the Cultural Triangle between Dambulla, Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa is some of the most comfortable driving on the island. Elephants cross the roads around the reservoirs at dusk, which is a genuine reason not to plan a late arrival.
Arriving in Kandy
The road up from Colombo climbs the whole way and spends its last stretch winding through the Kadugannawa pass, where a line of lorries sets the pace for everyone behind them. This is why the journey takes so much longer than the distance suggests, and why leaving later rarely makes up the difference. Coming from the Cultural Triangle in the north the roads are flatter and faster; coming from tea country to the south they are slower still.
Where the driver meets you in Sigiriya
The hotels are scattered across a wide area of scrub rather than gathered in a town, and several are a long way down unsealed side tracks, so the name of the property matters more here than anywhere else on the island. Most people visit the rock at first light and want a driver waiting afterwards rather than a fresh booking.
Arriving in Kandy
The town sits in a bowl around the lake and the streets on the lake side are narrow and one-way in places, so a driver will often suggest meeting on a main road rather than at a doorway. If you are going on to Nuwara Eliya or Ella afterwards, a car with reasonable ground clearance is worth having — the hill roads are surfaced but not smooth.
Worth stopping for on the way
- Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic — Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist shrine, beside the lake in the middle of Kandy. It holds the relic believed to be a tooth of the Buddha, and the inner shrine opens only during the daily pujas. Allow 1–2 hours, and an entry ticket is required. Cover your shoulders and knees, and take your shoes and hat off at the door. Come for a puja (05:30, 09:30 or 18:30), when the inner shrine opens. Wear socks: the stone gets hot by mid-morning.
- Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage — A state-run herd of orphaned and injured elephants, on the Colombo–Kandy road. Most visitors stop on the way up. Allow 2 hours, and an entry ticket is required. Go for the river bathing — late morning and mid-afternoon. Outside those hours there is much less to see.
- Knuckles Range — A mountain range of cloud forest, grassland and villages that keeps its own weather. Riverston gives the view without a serious hike. Allow a full day, and an entry ticket is required. The road is narrow, high and often in cloud. It is a drive to enjoy rather than hurry, and it is not one to do after dark.
- Ambuluwawa Tower — A narrow spiral tower on a hilltop near Gampola, climbed for a 360-degree view over the central hills. The last few metres are not for anyone uneasy with heights. Allow a couple of hours, and an entry ticket is required. The staircase narrows to a handrail near the top and there is two-way traffic on it. Go early, before the queue makes that worse.
- Sigiriya Rock Fortress — A fifth-century rock citadel that rises straight out of the plain, with painted frescoes on the way up and a staircase through the paws of a stone lion. One of the most visited sites on the island. Allow 3–4 hours, and an entry ticket is required. Start the climb before 08:00. By 11:00 the rock face is in full sun and the steps are crowded both ways.
- Polonnaruwa Ancient City — The island’s medieval capital — a compact, walkable ruin field with the Gal Vihara rock Buddhas at its far end. Allow 3–4 hours, and an entry ticket is required. Hire a bicycle at the gate. The site is too spread out to walk comfortably and too compact to drive.
Where people go next from Kandy
The journeys most often booked onward from Kandy:
- Kandy to Ella — about 131.2 km, around 4 hours 26 minutes.
- Kandy to Nuwara Eliya — about 76.2 km, around 2 hours 38 minutes.
- Kandy to Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) — about 114.6 km, around 2 hours 53 minutes.
- Kandy to Dambulla — about 72.4 km, around 2 hours 7 minutes.
- Kandy to Colombo — about 121.3 km, around 3 hours 28 minutes.
- Kandy to Negombo — about 115.5 km, around 2 hours 56 minutes.
See every fare, distance and route in and out of Kandy on its own page.
Where the driver meets you
Give the pickup address in Sigiriya when you book — a hotel name, a street address or a landmark all work. The driver calls or messages shortly before arriving, and waits 15 minutes at no charge.
How a private transfer works
Choosing a vehicle
The choice is about luggage and legroom, not speed — no class arrives sooner, because the road decides that. Two adults with two large cases fit a sedan, but they will be sitting with a bag between them. Four people or more, or anyone carrying sports or camera equipment, wants a van.
Taxi, train or bus?
The bus is cheapest and runs often, but it stops constantly, luggage is what you can hold, and the timetable is a suggestion. The train is the most comfortable public option and on the hill lines it is a reason people come to Sri Lanka at all — but it goes where the rails go, seats sell out ahead in season, and it will not take you to a hotel door. A private car carries luggage, leaves when you decide, stops where you ask, and ends at an address.
Luggage
Book by the bags rather than by the people. Four passengers with hand luggage and four at the end of a long trip are different vehicles. Surfboards, golf clubs, tripods and pushchairs need saying in advance, because they change the class rather than merely filling it.
Travelling with children
A long drive is best broken rather than hurried, and a private car lets you stop when a child needs to rather than when a timetable allows. Child seats are requested when you book — ask in advance and confirm it, because an unconfirmed request is not a seat.
Addresses
Give the full property name and the road it stands on. Sri Lankan addresses are often descriptive rather than numbered, several main roads change name along their length, and guesthouses on one lane can share most of a name. A precise drop-off is worth more than a precise pickup: a wrong turn at the end costs everybody the most patience.
Booking and the price
The quote above is what you pay. It is fixed at booking rather than metered, so traffic on the day is the driver's problem rather than yours — which on a journey through towns is the difference that matters most. The same route in reverse is the same distance but not the same day: traffic peaks in opposite directions.
Questions about this route
How much is a taxi from Sigiriya to Kandy?
Rs 17,970 in a Mini / Small Car, up to Rs 43,200 for the largest vehicle. The price is fixed before you book — there is no meter and no surcharge on arrival.
How long does the drive from Sigiriya to Kandy take?
About 2 hr 38 min for the 89.7 km. South into the hills through Matale. The spice gardens are on this road, which is why the drive often takes longer than it needs to.
Is the price fixed, or does it change during the journey?
Fixed. You are quoted before you book and that is what you pay. Waiting time and any tolls are shown separately in the quote.
Coming back
Kandy → Sigiriya — 89.6 km · 2 hr 33 min