Sri Lanka Pekoe Trail Trek

Begin in the lakeside city of Kandy, embraced by verdant hills and widely regarded as Sri Lanka’s cultural capital – the ideal launch point for our Pekoe Trail journey.Around 6pm, we meet our tour leader and fellow travellers at the hotel to get to know one another and hear about the days ahead. We then take a short orientation stroll through the city before our tour leader arranges a generous Sri Lankan dinner to welcome us.If you wish to explore Colombo before the trip, you can secure pre tour hotel nights through your sales representative. You can also upgrade to a balcony room – speak to your sales representative for details.

We visit the Ceylon Tea Museum inside the old Hanthana Tea Factory, about a 15 minute drive from the hotel, to set the scene for the days ahead. The four floors chart the story of tea production in the central highlands.The museum marks the start of the Pekoe Trail, so we set off on Stage 1 – a gentle warm up across tea estates and forest patches with wide views over Kandy Valley. Reaching Galaha at the end of the stage, we transfer for about 1 hour 15 minutes back to the hotel to relax.You can upgrade to a balcony room – speak to your sales representative for details.

We return by road to Galaha to resume our trek with Stage 2. The first section leads through Deltota Estate to the hill country town of Deltota with its lively market and striking green mosque.The second section continues through an old pine forest and another tea estate to an abandoned village. After roughly 6mi (10km), we reach the Loolecondera Estate and the cottage of Scottish tea planter James Taylor, who introduced tea farming to Sri Lanka.Finishing in Loolkandura, we transfer for about 1 hour 30 minutes back to Kandy for a late lunch. Afterwards, we visit the Temple of the Tooth, home to the most important Buddhist relic in Sri Lanka – the Tooth of Buddha was taken from the funeral pyre in 543 BCE and brought to Sri Lanka in the fourth century CE.You can upgrade to a balcony room – speak to your sales representative for details.

We experience one of Sri Lanka’s celebrated rail journeys with about three hours on the train from Kandy to Watagoda – if schedules change or there are major delays, we may drive instead to protect our walking time.Stage 6 begins at Watagoda railway station, so we set off straight away, passing highland lakes, classic tea trails and the Holyrood Estate, and crossing small villages and railway lines as we head towards Talawakelle, hub of the Dimbula tea planting district. We stop for lunch en route. We finish the day in Kotagala and take a short 15 minute transfer to our next hotel in Hatton.

We return to Kotagala to pick up Stage 7, hiking deep into tea country past the colonial era Chrystler’s Farm Tea Factory. We climb a hill for grand views over Hatton, pause at Singamalai Lake that supplies drinking water to the region, and gaze across Castlereagh Reservoir, a serene expanse often described as one of Sri Lanka’s best kept secrets.After reaching Norwood, you have the rest of the day to relax. From the full moon of December to the full moon of May, you can join pilgrims on a night ascent of Sri Pada – pick up is around midnight, followed by a transfer of about 1 hour 30 minutes to the base. The climb takes around four hours, rising 3,208ft/978m to reach the summit for sunrise. The outing is roughly 6mi (10km) in total and you will miss a full night’s sleep, so you may prefer to opt out of tomorrow’s walk.

After breakfast, we transfer for about 1 hour 30 minutes to Dayagama to tackle Stage 10. Set at the end of the Agarapatana Valley, this remote village offers a rare window onto a little visited corner of tea country.We follow broad tea trails into dense foliage, pause for a picnic lunch, and finish amid the cloud forest of Horton Plains before transferring for about 1 hour 30 minutes to our next hotel.

Today we trade the Pekoe Trail for an adventurous ascent of Kirigalpotta. We begin with a scenic 30 minute train ride to Ohiya, then a short road transfer to the trailhead before setting off on foot.Our route threads through mystical cloud forest to a windy summit – on clear days the views are panoramic, while mist often lends an ethereal beauty. A delightful picnic awaits at the base, and with luck we may spot sambar deer grazing nearby. We transfer for about 1 hour 30 minutes back to the hotel – you can unwind and prepare for tomorrow.

We rejoin the Pekoe Trail, driving about 30 minutes to Haputale to walk Stage 13 to St Catherine’s. The path leads through a cool, humid forest reserve, then climbs along tea trails onto vantage points with far reaching valley views.From the tea workers’ village of St Catherine’s, we continue with Stage 14 for an intimate look at local life, often seeing tea pickers at work. We pass vegetable plots, eucalyptus stands and the edge of a plateau, wandering by village homes before arriving in Makulella. We then transfer about 30 minutes to our hotel in Ella.

We tackle two more stages, starting Stage 15 at a Buddhist temple in Ella. The trail threads through eucalyptus, tea bushes and pockets of jungle as we climb to Ella Rock for superb views over Ella Gap, Little Adam’s Peak and the town.We descend steeply and complete the stage with a scenic stretch along the railway into Ella. After lunch, we continue with Stage 16 to Demodara through tea plantations, pausing to admire the Nine Arches Bridge – also known as the Bridge in the Sky – from several viewpoints. We return to Ella by road in about 15 minutes; if time allows, you could take the scenic train instead (ticket not included, 2,000 rupees/US$6.70, subject to the schedule).

We bid farewell to Ella and transfer for about 2 hours 30 minutes to the small yet lively town of Udapusellawa near Nuwara Eliya, taking a packed breakfast with us.Here we begin Stage 21, the penultimate stage of the Pekoe Trail, following tea trails through an area that also cultivates carrots and leeks. Expect lovely valley views and a stop for lunch in a village on the route. We end in Kandapola and transfer about 30 minutes to Nuwara Eliya, where you have the rest of the day to relax.

We return to Kandapola for the final stage of the Pekoe Trail – our last hike of the journey. The route loops around Court Lodge Tea Factory, one of the oldest estates in the area, along scenic tea trails through estates and villages, a fitting close to our time in Sri Lanka’s tea heartlands.We finish at the Pedro Tea Estate and drive for about five hours to Colombo, ready for flights home tomorrow.

Our adventure concludes today as we begin our journeys home. If you would like more time to explore, you can speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.