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Little Adam’s Peak is one of the best hikes and activities in Ella, Sri Lanka, where layered mountain views in every shade of green dominate the landscape.
Not to be confused with Adam’s Peak, which is a considerably longer and more strenuous hike in the Nuwara Eliya region of the country, Little Adam’s Peak is suited to hikers of all abilities as there is an easy, well-sign posted ascent that’s popular across the board. At an elevation of 1141 metres above sea level, Little Adam’s Peak provides a superb panoramic view over the Ella landscape and can be completed in about 2-3 hours including picture taking time and rest at the summit.
This is a quick guide on how you can hike Little Adam’s Peak, including photography from my visit and essential information like when to go, how to get there and what to expect along the way!
- Country: Sri Lanka
- Population: 50,000
- Language: Sinhala, Tamil, English
- Currency: Sri Lankan Rupees (LKR): £1/$1 = 390/313 LKR
- SIM cards: I highly recommend getting a SIM card for your travels in Sri Lanka. This means you can use apps like Uber or Grab for cheaper taxi fares and means you never need to rely on WiFi. Mobitel offer great deals or alternatively get an affordable E-SIM here: Sri Lanka: eSIM Roaming Mobile Data Plan
- Visa info: Tourists are required to have a visa before arriving in Sri Lanka, called an ETA, for which the cost is $30 USD. Apply for an ETA online here.
Where is it
Little Adam’s Peak is found in the beautiful mountain town of Ella in central Sri Lanka. Ella is located about 90km from Sigiriya, 140km from Kandy and 300km from Colombo by road.
The exact location of the start of the hike to Little Adam’s Peak is here on Google Maps, at the 98 Acres Resort and Spa about 2km from the centre of town.
Check it out on the interactive map below.
How to get around Ella
- Scooter or tuk-tuk
Finding the start point for the hike is easy as the trail starts on the main road as mentioned above, however you may want to rent a scooter for the day and tie in a visit to 9 Arch Bridge after the hike.
Alternatively a very popular and budget friendly way to get to the start of the trail is to pay a tuk-tuk driver for a lift from town. Upon finishing the hike there will be plenty of drivers willing to take you back, or you could always walk!
- Tour
There are some great tours in the area that offer a small group experiences with a local guide. These types of experiences are great if you’re strapped for time as you will see many locations in the area and meet some likeminded people while you travel!
The best reviewed tour in Ella is the Ella 5 Icons Day Tour which is a 7 hour tour that includes a stop at Little Adam’s Peak. Alternatively, browse the other awesome tours in Ella below.
When to visit
You’ll want to start the hike early in the morning to avoid the heat and increased crowds of the afternoon. Being so close to town, it’s a super popular location for sunrise and far less busy at that time of day too. To visit at sunrise, allow 90 minutes to get up from downtown in the dark and find a suitable place at the top.
Entrance fees
Little Adam’s Peak is completely free!
How long to allow
In total is recommend allowing 1.5 – 2.5 hours. That allows for 1 hour up, 45 minutes at the summit and 45-60 minutes on descent.
If you wanted to, you could also tie this in with a visit to Nine Arch Bridge with an additional 2-3 hours of hiking, but personally I would suggest visiting the bridge by road either before or after you’ve completed the hike.
What to expect on the hike to Little Adam's Peak
Taking roughly 1 hour, the ascent of Little Adam’s Peak is well-marked and easy to follow along a paved path for the most part.
After following a dirt-cut track around the mountainside in the beginning, passing tea plantations where hardworking women harvest away, the path then begins to rise with a set of stairs leading up the hillside to the summit.
You’ll find it incredibly hard to get lost here as this is one of the most popular activities in Ella and there’s almost always a group of other hikers nearby. If you somehow stray off the path and need help though, the locals will be happy to point you in the right direction.
When you arrive at the summit you’ll be rewarded with sweeping mountain views for as far as the eye can see.
There are multiple rocky platforms that are perfect for snapping some photos while your legs take a well deserved rest and dangle over the drop below, but the steep drop-offs are pretty massive here so obviously apply caution on the edge.
Keep an eye out for the subtle and camouflaged wildlife hiding nearby too – you never know what you’ll find!
This hike would be especially amazing at sunrise or sunset, but as you can maybe see from my photos, I visited on a hazy afternoon.
If you plan to watch an epic sunrise at the top, aim to start the hike around 90 minutes before the advertised sunrise time to give yourself enough time to find a cool spot!
My experience hiking Little Adam's Peak
I visited Ella for 4 days during a 2 week trip to Sri Lanka in 2020, and hiking Little Adam’s Peak was easily one of my favourite things and most memorable activities in the region.
The hike isn’t very challenging, there’s just a lot of leg burning stairs and the humidity will be your biggest enemy. It was fairly busy though, and at one point there was even a small human traffic jam as we approached the summit. This is perhaps a reason to visit either early in the morning or later in the afternoon rather than around midday.
Overall, this is a quick hike that offers a great reward for your efforts, and at the top there are plenty of places you can go to avoid others and make it feel like you’re the only one up there. Bottom line – it’s something you simply must do while in Ella and will only eat up a few hours from your day!
Where to stay in Ella
Ella has loads of amazing budget homestay, hostels and guesthouse options for backpackers. People travelling on the other end of the scale may have to sacrifice one or two things in a place like this, but there are still a few ‘fancier’ place as well.
The best budget hostel for backpackers is Hangover Hostel which includes breakfast on all bookings and has the option for dorm or private reservations.
Browse Booking.com or Hostelworld to find the best deals in Ella.
Best tours in Ella
Thank you for reading this travel guide – I hope you found it helpful! Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible 
Happy travelling!
HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR PLANNING YOUR TRIP
Accommodation: Booking.com, Hostelworld
Tours: GetYourGuide, Viator, Klook, TripAdvisor
Transport: 12Go, Omio, Trip.com, Rome2Rio
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