The Adam’s Peak, the "Sri Pada" (Mountain of Sacred Footprint) located in the southern reaches of the Central Highlands, in the Ratnapura district of the Sabaragamuwa Province - lying about 40 km northeast of the city of Ratnapura. The peak is crowned by the impression of a gigantic footprint, which is venerated by pilgrims of all religions. Buddhists pay homage to it as that of Lord Buddha, made during his third visit to the island; Hindus believe it was made by the Creative Dance of Siva; while Muslims and Christians believe it to be that of Adam, with Roman Catholics sometimes attributing it to St. Thomas.

The Adam’s Peak is on the edge of the central massif but its surrounding group of mountains called the Wilderness of the Peak, is so extensive in comparison to the bulk of the other mountain groups that it appears to form a nucleus of its own, separate from the others. It is 2,243 meters high and, though it is the fifth highest peak in the land, its position in relation to the topography is so dominant that it stands out above all others.

The pilgrim season for the Adam’s Peak starts with the full moon day of the month of December and lasts till the full moon day of the month of May. During this season the pilgrims are ascending the holy mountain in the nights and witness the glorious sun rise from the top of the peak before they descend. There are several trails which the pilgrims acceding this holy mountain. The most of the visitors climb the mountain from the Maskeliya side as it is the shortest trails and Rathnapura and Kuruvita Routes are also popular among the visitors. During the weekends and full moon days, the number of visitors are high and sometimes you may have to stay approximately half an hour without any movement due to the crowded routes.

Even during the off season (from full moon day of May to full moon day of December) the visitors can climb the mountain, but only during the day times as the routes will not illuminated during the off season. The visitors can climb the mountain in the day time, spend the night at the peak and descend after witnessing the glorious sun rise. However since it is the rainy period, you have to be prepared for the rains and you may even not be able to see the sunrise properly due to the cloudy sky during the off season.