Sri Pada

The Sacred Mountain

Sri Pada Mountain

Located about 122 km due east from Colombo is the Sri Pada Mountain.It is situated in the southern reaches of the central highlands, and adjacent to extensive wildlife reserves. With no other comparable mountains nearby,Sri Pada rises prominently above the surrounding area,soaring to a height of 2,243 meters above sea-level.

At top of the mountain is a slap of of rock with l large indentation believed to be the Buddha's Footprint,which he left during his legendary third visit to the island.

The climbing season is between December and may,as the heavy rains and strong winds during the other parts of the year make the ascent difficult and very risky.climbers usually set off in the night to take advantage of the cool temperatures,and time their ascent to reach the summit before daybreak.The trek starts off in a gradual fashion but becomes more and more strenuous as the climb becomes an almost continuous journey of going up steep,but usually board steps.

Along the way are dozens of small but colorful and bright lit tea houses and stop which break the monotony of the climb,and actually make it quite interesting.these are useful places to take a rest sip a hot drink.on reaching the peak,there will usually be a huge crowed queuing up to pay respects at the shrine housing the footprint.After witnessing the magical sunrise on Sri Pada,the crowd disperses and makes its way down.the whole trek may take about five to six hours for the fit,but many people opt for a more leisurely walk of about eight to ten hours.