Adam´s Peak (Sri Lanka)

Advantages: Breathtaking scenery, wonderful sense of achievement, fun time with friends
Disadvantages: Can be a strain if you don't like stairs, and the leeches are unpleasant. Accommodation at the top is unwelcoming

I'm from Sri Lanka, so I'd obviously have good things to say about Adam's Peak, right? Well, yes, but it was such an experience, and the second time was better than the first. Adam's Peak is Sri Lanka's second (or was it third?) highest peak. It stands tall at over 7000 feet, which is quite impressive when you consider that the island is smaller than Ireland, but has peaks much taller than Ben Nevis! Don't let this deter you, though - we drove to ...
...or so already, so the climb itself is only about 3500 feet more. My first climb was with my brothers and a Hungarian friend. We had picked a day in the off-season (sometime in June if I recall - the season is between December and April and is too crowded to be fun). We started climbing at about 3pm, and got up just in time for the 6.30 sunset. The feeling of achievement, coupled with watching the sun set into the clouds as they rushed below us was ... Read review

Advantages: breathtaking scenery, one of the highlights of Sri lanka
Disadvantages: can be crowded during the season, tiring climb

I climbed Adam's Peak last December and what an experience it was! I got to the Green House guesthouse at Dalhousie at around 9:00pm, had dinner, went to bed, woke up at 2:30am and climbed the mountain getting to the summit at 6:00am in time to see a wonderful sunrise. It is probably better to climb the mountain just before the pilgrimage season which starts towards the end of December and finishes in April. If you go during the Pilgrimage season, ...
...crushed by the thousands of people who climb then. When I went up there were only about 12 people climbing and the mountain seemed to exude the air of holiness and sanctity that apparently eludes it during the pilgrimage season. During the season, it is supposed to be the Sri Lankan equivalent of Blackpool with lots of tacky stalls and money hungry con merchants. Secondly, stay at the Greenhouse. This guesthouse is painted green and is situated ... Read review