In the middle of Sri Lanka stands a holy mountain: Adam’s Peak. On this mountain all religions seem to come together: according to Christians and Muslims this is the place where Adam took his first step on earth, the Buddhists believe Buddha’s first footstep was set here and for the Hindus, it was Shiva who stepped via this peak on earth. All in all a very holy place. In this travel guide, I will tell you everything you need to know about climbing Adam’s Peak and of course how you get here!
Hiking to Adam’s Peak in the middle of the night
It is two o’clock in the morning and still a bit sleepy we climb the first of 5,500 steps. Yes, you read it correctly. All the way up to the top of Adam’s Peak are long staircases. Together with Canadians Dez and Emmy, we are doing this physical challenge. At first sight, it seems as we are the only ones hiking this trail, but after half an hour of walking, we also meet some other tourists. It’s a bit weird, walking with our torches in the middle of the night while all the temples are abandoned, shops closed and lights are out.
The first hour is easy peasy, then it gets more challenging.
The start of the hike is easy. We walk on flat parts and us ascent gradually on the stairs. But the further we go, the steeper the stairs become. Occasionally, we take a break to catch our breath. Along the way, we see poles that count down to the top. Pole 21 was the start and from pole 9 we only see steep stairs going up.
The group we are walking with has grown in the meantime. We walk among 20 people of all different nationalities. It looks like a pilgrimage, but it really isn’t, the real pilgrimages only start in a week, at the first full moon of December.
