Transfer to Nallathanniya
You are collected from your hotel in the afternoon and driven to Nallathanniya, the village at the foot of the Hatton route, for an early night close to the trailhead.
The climb
A start in the early hours on the Hatton route, the shortest and steepest way up: about 5 km each way and around 1,000 m of climbing, almost all of it on stone and concrete steps with handrails. In pilgrimage season the path is lit all night and lined with tea shops and rest stops. Your guide sets the pace so you reach the top before dawn.
The summit and the shadow
At the summit shrine, the Sri Pada, you wait in the cold for sunrise, when the peak casts its triangular shadow across the western plains. After the descent you are driven back to your base.
Read more in our Adam’s Peak trail guide. Near the Hatton route: St. Clair’s Falls and Devon Falls.
On every trip
- Private: just your group and your guide, at your pace.
- Led by an SLTDA-licensed guide, who knows the route and the conditions on the day.
- Pickup and drop-off in Ella, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya or Hatton; ask us about elsewhere.
- A warm layer and a head torch are on the kit list: the summit is very cold before dawn.
Bring walking shoes with good grip, a rain jacket, water and sun protection. If weather makes a trail unsafe, we’ll move your day. See the packing list.
When to go
Pilgrimage season runs from the December full moon (Unduvap Poya) to the May full moon (Vesak), and December to May is the time to climb: the path is lit and the shops are open. Poya days and weekends are extremely crowded, so we plan around them where your dates allow. Outside the season the lights are off and the weather is monsoonal; we will tell you honestly whether it is worth it.
