Things to do
Climbing Adam’s Peak
Five and a half thousand steps, in the dark, for a sunrise
Climbing Adam’s Peak at a glance
- How long
- A night and a morning
- Usual start
- 2am
- Season
- December to May
- Effort
- Demanding
- Minimum age
- Around 10, and fit
Sri Pada is a 2,243-metre cone in the south-west hill country, held sacred by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians, and climbed by pilgrims for more than a thousand years. It is one of the few places on earth revered by four religions at once.
You climb it at night, arriving at the summit before dawn. That is not for effect — it is so you are not doing 5,500 steps in the sun.
The climb
Most people start from Dalhousie between 2am and 2.30am. It takes two to four hours up depending on fitness and how busy the path is. The first third is gentle, the middle is steady, and the last third is steep and relentless.
In pilgrimage season the entire route is lit and lined with tea stalls, which makes it far more manageable than it sounds. You are never alone and you can stop for tea every twenty minutes. Out of season the lights are off and the stalls are shut, and it becomes a serious unsupported night hike.
Going down is harder on the knees than going up is on the lungs. Buy a stick at the bottom.
The shadow
About twenty minutes after sunrise, if the air is clear, the peak throws a perfect triangular shadow onto the cloud to the west. It is a real optical phenomenon, it lasts a short while, and it is the thing most people remember longer than the summit.
What to take
It is cold at the top — single figures with wind, after you have been sweating on the way up. A fleece, a hat, gloves and more water than you think. Shoes come off at the summit shrine, so socks matter. A head torch even in season, because the lit sections are not continuous.
The season
December full moon to May full moon. January to April gives the best odds of a clear sunrise.
How the day runs
-
7pm–1am
Sleep early, badly
Most guesthouses in Dalhousie expect it and will wake you. Nobody sleeps well.
-
2am
Start climbing
Lit and lined with tea stalls in season. The first third is the easy third.
-
Last hour
The steep section
Relentless steps, and where the queue builds on weekends and poya days.
-
6.15am
Sunrise, then the shadow
The summit, the shrine, and twenty minutes later the peak's triangular shadow on the cloud.
Questions we get asked about Climbing Adam’s Peak
From the December full moon to the May full moon. In that window the path is lit and the tea stalls are open, which makes it manageable for most reasonably fit people. January to April gives the best chance of a clear sunrise. Outside the season it becomes a serious unsupported night hike.
Two to four hours up from Dalhousie over about 5,500 steps, and a little less coming down — though the descent is far harder on the knees. Start at 2am to be at the summit before sunrise around 6.15.
For fit children of about ten and up who are used to walking, yes, and plenty of Sri Lankan families climb it with children younger than that. But it is a whole night without sleep followed by 5,500 steps, and there is no way to stop halfway.
A fleece, hat and gloves — it is single figures at the summit with wind. More water than you think. A head torch, because the lit sections are not continuous. Socks, since shoes come off at the shrine. And a walking stick from one of the stalls at the bottom, which you will be grateful for coming down.
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