Adam's Peak is a 2,243 m (7,359 ft) tall conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka. It is well known as Sri Pada (sacred footprint), a 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) rock formation near the summit, which in Buddhist tradition is held to be the footprint of the Buddha, in Hindu tradition that of Shiva and in Islamic and Christian tradition that of Adam, or that of St. Thomas.
The pilgrimage season runs from Unduwap poya (December) to Wesak poya Festival (May), reaching its peak mid-season at Medin poya. At this time, there is a constant stream of pilgrims & the top can get very crowded. The busiest period is during January to February.
The climb (approx 5500 steps) is still quite possible in the off season too. However since the path is not lit in the off season you will need a torch at night. It often rains here in the afternoon, especially in the off-season.
Access to the mountain is possible by 6 trails: Ratnapura-Palabaddala, Hatton-Nallathanni, Kuruwita-Erathna, Murraywatte, Mookuwatte and Malimboda. The Nallathanni & Palabaddala routes are most favored by those undertaking the climb, while the Kuruwita-Erathna trail is used less often; these trails are linked to major cities or town by bus, accounting for their popular use. The Murraywatte, Mookuwatte and Malimboda routes are hardly used, but do intersect with the Palabaddala road midway through the ascent. The usual route taken by most pilgrims is ascent via Hatton and descent via Ratnapura; although the Hatton trail is the steepest, it is also shorter than any of the other trails by approximately five kilometers.
Guidelines for Pilgrims :
1) Eat a hearty, but not heavy, meal and sleep a while before starting the climb.
2) A method to make the climb easier is to go up (or down) the steps side ways, walking across the steps following an alternative diagonal pattern.
3) Don't climb up too fast, or you just might run out on all the energy that you need to come down.
4) Get ample rest while you are at the top before you start the return journey.
5) Finally, be extra careful that you don't fall backwards during the climb down, due to the unsteadiness in your knee joints.
