2008 News Archive - Holidays - Peak Practice

05 12 2007

For visitors to Sri Lanka who feel a bit energetic, leaving the beach behind brings a truly mountainous experience.

Adam's peak is so named after the man himself, whose foot was said to be responsible for the apparent footprint at the top of the mountain, some 7,300 feet up.

Others have claimed it is the footprint of the Buddha, with a temple on the top, or the Hindu deity Shiva.

As a result, the mountain attracts pilgrimages from those of different faiths and none, with the ascent traditionally made at night to avoid the heat, following a huge and very steep stone staircase all the way to the top, the whole way being lit up by lights and served by numerous tea shops serving refreshments.

The spellbinding reward for this climb is a spectacular sunrise, with the panorama unfolding below and the wonderful sight of the triangular shadow of the mountain projecting itself on the morning mist below.

Adam's Peak is set among the hill country of Sri Lanka and is surrounded by tea plantations, whose colonial origins are borne out by the Scottish names they bear.