Things to Do in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka

5Christina P 5:00 PM Feb 27, 2020

A different way- not all about the top! A cultural experience
When we arrived in Dalhousie at the foot of the mountain (from Hatton train station there are regular buses which cost the equivalent of about 50p), we had just completed a big trek the previous day in Knuckles. The plan was to get up at 2am and meet a guide to walk up to the top for sunrise. We ended up cancelling this because we were still shattered from the previous day but seeing the lights in a trail up the mountain, curiosity got the better of us. We decided to do it differently and instead started at 5am while it was still dark and just walked up as far as we wanted (until after sunrise- we stopped about two thirds of the way up which took us a bit over an hour) and I’m so glad we did it. Most of the reviews just talk about the view and the sunrise and how cold it is waiting at the top, but it’s such a brilliant opportunity to be immersed in a cultural experience and religious pilgrimage which is additional to all of these things. You don’t need a guide, just follow the path lined with stalls, follow the lights and the Sri Lankan people. Going up at 5am and then coming back down part way meant we shared the walk with other people but we were the only tourists and we didn’t get held up or stuck in queues by the sheer number of people. I have no doubt the view at the top is beautiful, but for me the experience of Adam’s Peak was about the incredible views and sunrise on the way up, the silhouettes of the monkeys jumping in the trees against the pink sky, trying the sweets from the stalls, the scent of citronella and incense everywhere, the shrines and the lights, someone playing a plastic container as a drum, fresh hoppers for breakfast, the soundtrack of chanting and waterfalls, seeing the families from babies to elderly grandmothers helping each other up and down the steps and feeling the religious significance of this day for so many people walking. We almost didn’t go because we have lots of walks with beautiful views planned but it’s so much more than that. Is it worth it? Yes definitely, but walk it your way and as an experience rather than just a hike.

4Jirka Kotek 5:00 PM Feb 13, 2022

Hard but worth it
We didn't go for the sunrise and instead started our climb around 11am. We would be able to get to the top in 90minutes, but traffic jam in last section slowed us a lot. The climb is quite hard. 5200 steps and over 1km of elevation. You really walk on concrete steps all the way, with railings and plenty of kiosks where you can rest, buy refreshments or use toilet. Views are magnificent although in our day it rained a lot and valley was often not visible. At the top you must remove your shoes, so count with it.