The Pilgrimage to Adam's Peak
After enjoying the 2.5 hour train journey between Kandy and Ella, you can get off in Hatton, near the village of Dalhousie. Dalhousie is a small village located at the foot of Adam's Peak. Climbing Adam's Peak is a challenge for the sports enthusiasts among us. It is a tough climb of 2.5 to 4 hours to the top. The Adam's Peak or Sri Pada (Buddhist name) is a pilgrimage that attracts huge crowds at certain times of the year. You literally walk up in a traffic jam. We only encountered 9 other tourists. According to Buddhism, Buddha set foot on earth on this rock. Christians and Hindus believe that Adam and Shiva respectively set foot here on earth. Get ready for a very tough climb with the most beautiful views!
Climb Adam's Peak
The official pilgrimage starts in Rathnapura. Many pilgrims walk this tiring 11-kilometer route. The other route starts in Dalhousie. The duration of the tour is between 2.5 and 4 hours and depends on your condition and the number of stops. If you want to see the sunrise from Adam's Peak, start the tough climb between 02:00 and 03:00. We didn't start until around 10:00. To reach the top of the 2,243-high holy mountain you will have to climb 5,500 steps. The path is clearly marked, only the starting point of the route requires a little searching. The first part of the climb was still quite easy. Then the climb becomes steeper and narrower. I was often very out of breath. The top didn't seem to get any closer... Moreover, we were unlucky that there were more and more clouds, so the top was in the clouds. Be sure to search Google for photos of the view without clouds (or with sunrise). Even though we didn't have fantastic views, the climb was still worth it. A real sporting challenge! And rest assured, anyone can reach the top with perseverance and enough breaks. We also saw a number of locals over 70 years old climbing all the stairs. You can walk back down in one to two hours.
Tips for a pleasant climb:
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The best time to climb Adam's Peak is from December to May (the climbing season). The busiest periods are January and February. Furthermore, try to avoid holidays and weekends. On these days it is traffic jams and sometimes even impossible to reach the top. However, it is also possible to climb Adam's Peak from June to November. Then take a flashlight with you, because the paths are not lit. Between May and October the summit is often covered in clouds. We also suffered from this during our climb, but we still thought it was very worthwhile! We climbed the holy mountain in early November.
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Bring enough water and food! There are only a few stalls open where you can eat or drink something (especially outside the climbing season). Also make sure you have enough warm clothing. It was 17 degrees in Dalhousie during our visit. It is of course even colder at the top.
How to get to Dalhousie?
Get off at Hatton station after fully enjoying the beautiful train journey from 2.5Kandy towards Ella. From Hatton you can take a bus, taxi or tuktuk to the village of Dalhousie. We were taken to Da by taxilhousie and stopped at a beautiful waterfall along the way.
Stay overnight
Basic: Whitehouse Adam's Peak
Standard: Daddy's Guest Home
Continue your journey
We slept a total of two nights in Dalhousie. You can also choose to stay here for just one night and immediately catch the train after the climbNuwara Eliya orElla.However, this is a very tough day. That's why we decided to take it easier. Take the bus to Hatton and get back on the train for the continuation of a beautiful train journey to HattonElla.
