Ahead of me , a trail of lights snakes up toward the sky , moving relentlessly , step-by-step , in the darkness . I 've tackled quite a few mountains in my life , but never have I hiked with as many solemn spirits as on Adam 's Peak in Sri Lanka . Barefoot pilgrims are all around me . There are women , whose bangles can be heard rattling against tired ankles , and monks , pulling their maroon robes over their left shoulders to shield from the mountain chill . We 're all going up silently toward the summit of what is a holy mountain for Buddhists , Hindus , Muslims and Christians in Sri Lanka . The 2,243-meter ( 7,359 feet ) Adam 's Peak lies among the island nation 's southern Central Highlands , 150 kilometers ( 93 miles ) east of the capital Colombo . It 's one of Sri Lanka 's highest mountains , rising like a green fang from a carpet of dense forest reserve where wild elephants and leopards still dwell . It is n't the scenery or wildlife that daily pulls in thousands of pilgrims though . All of them are here to see a 1.8-meter-long rock formation that juts out from the summit . Tough going . To Buddhists , Sri Pada , or the sacred footprint , is an imprint left by the Buddha himself . Hindus say it belonged to Shiva while Christians and Muslims consider it a sign of Adam 's passage . Local legend has it that Sri Lanka 's King Valagambahu was the first to stumble upon Sri Pada during a reign that ended in about 76 BC . The peak gets another historic name check from none other than Marco Polo , who visited in the 14th century , reporting that his ascent was tough going . Today , a stone staircase helps almost every Sri Lankan tackle the peak several times during their lives . From December to May , the mountain glows nightly as torchlit pilgrims follow the trail to the top . Some climb in the afternoon to reach the shrine at sundown but the most popular and spiritual time to ascend is the middle of the night , summiting just in time to catch the first rays of dawn . Just getting to Adam 's Peak is an act of devotion . Pure pilgrimage . After traveling from the central city town of Kandy to Hatton on a slow train through the relentless greenery of the area 's Ceylonese tea estates , I catch a rickety bus to continue my journey . My destination is Dalhousie , a cluster of chai stalls , home stays and informal restaurants that marks the starting point of the five-kilometer Nallathanni climbing route , the shortest way to the summit . The basic facilities on offer are attuned to the reasons for the climb . This is n't a leisure pursuit , but a pure pilgrimage . My ascent begins at a chilly 3 a.m . The climb can take between two and a half and four hours -- I 'm aiming to summit at the break of dawn at 6.30 a.m. Groups of pilgrims dressed in white lead me through the dark and to the beginning of the incline . `` Each time feels like the first , '' says Saman , a slender man from a village near Bentota on Sri Lanka 's southern coast . He and his wife are tackling their fifth climb , accompanying their six-year-old son for his first ascent . Before the path starts rising , a monk from the nearby Japanese temple comes forward and in exchange for an offering , ties a white string around my waist as a form of blessing . And so , with the eyes of one of Sri Pada 's benevolent gods hopefully on me , I proceed upward as the incline slowly turns into a stone staircase . Spiritual awakening ? Along the way , vendors cook pans of soothing chai over portable gas stoves . Prices , like the sacred mountain , are steep . The peak comes into view a couple hours into the climb . Many hikers greet it with determined expressions , their only goal to arrive at Sri Pada before sunrise . As we get nearer , the darkness disperses in tones of blue . Just before dawn throws shards of burning red across the sky , we sail into a sea of pilgrims surrounding the shrine 's platform . It 's quite a sight . Pilgrims walk in circles reciting mantras , queuing up to pray before the sacred footprint . On the edge of the slope , young monks in wool hats hold their robes tight under their chins with chilled fingers , waiting for the sun 's rays to bring the new day . With the sound of tolling bells at my back , I join the line and watch first light over central Sri Lanka . The spectacle is enough to stop my legs from aching and make me forget that I must , at some point , return to Earth . Getting there . Two daily trains leave from Kandy to Hatton . Number 1005 departs at 8:47 a.m. and arrives at 11:12 a.m. while number 1015 leaves at 11:10 a.m. and arrives at 13:26 p.m . Buses run to Dalhousie from Hatton 's train station until early afternoon . During pilgrimage season ( December to May ) , there are direct buses to Dalhousie from Colombo , Kandy and Nuwara Eliya . However , the scenic train route across the Hill Country is highly recommended .
The 2,243-meter ( 7,359 feet ) tall structure is the tallest man-made object in the world and was built by a team of more than 1,000 people from around the world. Hiking up Adam 's Peak to see the sacred footprint near the summit at sunrise is a popular pilgrimage . The journey to get there is an ordeal that requires devotion .