Climbing Sri Pada (Adam's Peak): season, start time and respect

Climb Sri Pada (Adam's Peak), 2,243 metres high, in the pilgrimage season from the December full moon to Vesak in May; the next season is due to start on 23 December 2026. Leave Nallathanni by about 2 a.m. to reach the top for sunrise; the climb takes about 4 to 6 hours. Dress for a temple, and bring warm clothes.

This is a pilgrimage first and a hike second. This guide explains what the mountain means, when to go, how the climb works, and how to behave at the top.

Why is Adam's Peak sacred?

The mark on the summit is sacred to four faiths. Buddhists believe it is the Buddha's footprint. Hindus believe it was left by Shiva. Muslims believe it is Adam's, and the mountain's English name comes from that tradition. Many Christians also say Adam; since the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century, some have said St Thomas.

Tamil Hindus call the mountain Sivanolipatha Malai, the mountain of Shiva's footprint.

The footprint is inside a small shrine at the very top. Pilgrims see a large foot-shaped hollow, about 1.7 metres long, set in stone and framed. It has been covered and protected for centuries, and tradition says the original mark lies beneath the stone you see.

Sri Pada is one of the great pilgrimages of Asia. In the 2010 World Heritage evaluation, Sri Lanka put the number of climbers at about two million a year, most of them pilgrims, nearly all in the six-month season.

Adam's Peak is not Sri Lanka's highest mountain; Pidurutalagala is higher. Nor is it Little Adam's Peak, a short walk near Ella that borrowed the name.

When is the Adam's Peak season?

The pilgrimage season on Adam's Peak, Sri Pada, runs from the full moon in December, Unduvap Poya, to the full moon of Vesak in May. In 2025 to 2026 it ran from 4 December 2025 to 30 May 2026. The next season is due to start on 23 December 2026.

Can you climb Adam's Peak outside the season?

You can climb outside the season, from June to November, but it is a different trip. The hill gets very heavy rain, strong wind and thick mist in those months. The path lights and most tea stalls are a season thing, so carry a good torch, water and rain gear, and do not go alone. Landslides can block the path after heavy rain.

Which nights are most crowded?

Avoid Poya full-moon days, long weekends and the April New Year holidays if you can. On those nights the path near the top can stop completely, and people queue for hours in the cold.

Which route up Adam's Peak is best?

The usual route starts at Nallathanni, also called Dalhousie. It is the shortest and steepest path, roughly 5 to 7 km each way depending on who measured it, and almost all of it is steps: the temple says more than 5,500. Allow about 4 hours up at a steady pace, and longer when it is crowded. The temple itself suggests 4 to 6 hours.

From the Ratnapura side, the Palabaddala path is much longer and starts far lower, through rainforest. The temple gives it about 12 km and 8 to 10 hours. A third path, Kuruwita–Erathna, is about 10 km. Most visitors use the Nallathanni path.

What time should you start the climb?

Most people climb through the night to be on top for sunrise. Allow about 4 hours at a steady pace and leave Nallathanni by about 2 a.m.; the temple suggests 4 to 6 hours, so if you climb slowly, start earlier. Leave earlier at weekends and on Poya days too, when the last stretch can jam.

On a clear morning, just after sunrise, the mountain throws a sharp triangular shadow across the land and clouds to the west. It lasts only a few minutes, and cloud often hides it.

It is cold and windy on top before dawn, even when the climb has made you sweat. Bring a warm layer, a hat and dry socks, and put them on as soon as you stop.

How should you behave at the summit?

What should you wear?

The top of the mountain is a working temple, so dress as you would for any Buddhist temple: cover your shoulders and knees. Many Sri Lankan pilgrims climb in white.

Take off your shoes and hat at the summit temple, as at any Buddhist temple. Where exactly they come off varies; watch what the pilgrims do. The stone is freezing before dawn, and many people keep socks on.

Can you take photos at the top?

Be careful with your camera at the top. Do not pose with your back to a Buddha image, ask before photographing people at prayer, and follow any no-photo sign at the footprint shrine. Our guide to temple etiquette in Sri Lanka explains why.

Why do pilgrims ring the bell?

At the top hangs a large bell. By tradition, pilgrims ring it once for every time they have made the pilgrimage, so on your first climb you ring it once.

Can you take plastic bottles up Adam's Peak?

Sri Pada is run as a plastic-free zone in the season. For 2025 to 2026, small plastic water bottles under one litre, single-use polythene and plastic items and sachets were banned, and police barred carrying plastic water bottles and alcohol on the path from Nallathanni. Bring a refillable bottle and carry all rubbish back down.

Do not carry alcohol up the mountain. Police ban it on the path in the season, and in 2025 to 2026 they arrested more than 300 people for bringing drugs into the Sri Pada area.

What is the Peak Wilderness?

The forest around the peak, the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, is one of three parts of the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010. It is listed for its nature, its rainforest and rare wildlife, not for the pilgrimage.

How do you get to Adam's Peak in 2026?

Hatton is the railway town for Adam's Peak, but as of 3 October 2026 you cannot reach it by train from Colombo or Kandy. Cyclone Ditwah damaged the hill-country line in November 2025, and the sections from Gampola to Nawalapitiya and from Hatton to Nanu Oya are still being repaired. For now, go to Hatton by road. Check railway.gov.lk before you travel.

From Hatton it is about 30 km by road to Nallathanni, through Maskeliya. Local buses run, usually with a change at Maskeliya, and in the season there are some direct buses from bigger towns. A tuk-tuk or taxi is quicker.

Is the path open after Cyclone Ditwah?

The 2025 to 2026 season opened on time on 4 December 2025, a week after Cyclone Ditwah. A landslip had damaged the Mahagiri Damba section near the top of the Nallathanni (Hatton) path, and it stayed restricted until the Army finished repairs and a new safety fence in early January 2026. In August 2026 another landslide blocked the Nallathanni path for a time. Check the path's condition before you go.

What most visitors miss on Adam's Peak

• It is a pilgrimage. Most people on the path are pilgrims, not hikers.
• Four faiths share the summit.
• The shadow of the peak appears for only a few minutes after sunrise.
• The bell has a rule: once for each pilgrimage you have made.
• The busiest nights are Poya days, long weekends and the April holidays.
• There is no train to Hatton as of October 2026.

Before you climb Adam's Peak

• A night in the season, avoiding Poya days and holidays (next season due from 23 December 2026).
• A start from Nallathanni by about 2 a.m.
• Clothes that cover shoulders and knees, plus a warm layer, hat and dry socks.
• A torch, and a refillable bottle (no plastic water bottles on the Nallathanni path).
• No alcohol.
• Road transport to Hatton planned; rail status checked.
• A quiet, respectful manner at the summit, and no posing with your back to a Buddha image.

Questions people ask

When is the best time to climb Adam's Peak?

In the pilgrimage season, from the December full moon (Unduvap Poya) to Vesak in May. The next season is due to start on 23 December 2026. Avoid Poya days, long weekends and the April New Year holidays if you can.

How long does it take to climb Adam's Peak?

From Nallathanni, allow about 4 hours up at a steady pace; the temple suggests 4 to 6 hours. The path is roughly 5 to 7 km each way, almost all of it steps.

What time should I start climbing Adam's Peak?

Leave Nallathanni by about 2 a.m. to reach the top for sunrise, allowing about 4 hours at a steady pace. Start earlier if you climb slowly, and at weekends and on Poya days.

How many steps are there on Adam's Peak?

The temple says more than 5,500 on the Nallathanni path. Published figures vary.

Can you get to Adam's Peak by train?

Not as of 3 October 2026. Hatton is the railway town, but the line to it is still being repaired after Cyclone Ditwah. Go to Hatton by road, then about 30 km on to Nallathanni.

---

Coming soon: Sri Lanka Before You Land, our pre-trip ebook, explains the faiths and customs behind every sacred place on your route. A free guide, Your First Week in Sri Lanka, will cover the first days on the ground.