A 5th-century royal palace and fortress built on the sheer face of a 200-metre volcanic rock, Sigiriya is the single most dramatic human achievement in Sri Lanka’s long history. Ancient hydraulic water gardens, vivid frescoes painted halfway up the rock face, and a summit plateau with palace ruins and 360-degree views across the flat forest plain combine to create a site that no photograph adequately prepares a first-time visitor for. Gap Ceylon Travelers schedules Sigiriya visits at first light, before the heat and the crowds arrive.