{"id":22800,"date":"2023-07-20T16:52:57","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T15:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/?p=22800"},"modified":"2025-04-29T13:56:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T12:56:32","slug":"pekoe-trail-ultimate-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/pekoe-trail-ultimate-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Guide to Walking the Pekoe Trail: A Sri Lanka Adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”22843″ img_size=”1800 x 900″ alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Welcome to the Pekoe Trail<\/h2>\n

As the name suggests, the Pekoe Trail<\/a> is a\u00a0300 km\u00a0(approx. 186.5 mi) trail that travels through\u00a0the central hills of Sri Lanka<\/a>, starting from Hanthana, running through the tea plantations that\u00a0adorn the slopes, and ending in Nuwara Eliya. The Pekoe\u00a0Trail is the brainchild of avid explorer,\u00a0Miguel<\/a>\u00a0Cu\u00f1at, who has been traversing these mountains for decades. With the EU and US Aid coming\u00a0on board, under the banner of\u00a0Serendipity Trails, the Pekoe Trail was curated as the first\u00a0continuous point-to-point walking trail in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

The 300 km trail has been sectioned into 22 stages, each averaging about 12 km (\u00a07.46 mi) and of varying levels of difficulty based on\u00a0the elevation gain.\u00a0Most of the Pekoe Trail\u00a0runs through some well-trodden areas such as\u00a0Kandy<\/a>, Hatton, Haputale,\u00a0Ella<\/a>\u00a0and Nuwaraeliya\u00a0while\u00a0introducing\u00a0you to a side of those areas that would otherwise remain hidden. The paths\u00a0vary from short patches of tarred roads, <\/span>near the towns, to overgrown old quarry-laid cart roads,<\/span> built during the\u00a0British\u00a0colonial times to transport tea from the vast estates to\u00a0the factories. Some of the\u00a0routes, however, are less defined and are barely\u00a0visible footpaths that the tea pickers use as shortcuts through the estates and forests.<\/p>\n

Recently, I spoke to EuroNews about How this 300 km walking trail is empowering the women of Sri Lanka<\/a>, which you can read or watch.<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_single_image image=”22813″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]While 22 treks through tea plantations may sound monotonous, it could not be further from\u00a0the truth of the experience of walking the Pekoe Trail.\u00a0Each stage\u00a0usually\u00a0starts\u00a0from a small town, before going\u00a0through tea gardens that seem to\u00a0spread as far as the eye can see. Some\u00a0stages will take you\u00a0through dense forests with trees so high, you\u2019ll\u00a0hurt\u00a0your neck looking for the treetops. Others will feature\u00a0fragrant\u00a0Eucalyptus forests. Every stage will offer amazing\u00a0viewpoints, each\u00a0taking your breath away. During your Pekoe Trail experience, you will\u00a0pass shrines and hermitages, a few well-visited sites, as well as\u00a0sections so remote, you\u00a0will not\u00a0see anyone for hours. You will be treated to the sounds of\u00a0gushing waterfalls, babbling brooks, the songs of birds varying from tiny sunbirds to the\u00a0squawk\u00a0of crested serpent eagles, and on occasion, the temple gongs, and\u00a0bells and chimes from\u00a0Hindu shrines.<\/p>\n

As of now, only the Pekoe Trail Stage 1 is officially open but the routes for the other 21 have been mapped out and most of them can be walked. By mid-2023, 10 selected trails will be clearly marked and signposted. The remaining 12 trails are expected to follow suit by the end of 2023.<\/p>\n

Cathy from TravelGuruTV shares her experience of hiking Stage One, a hike from Kandy to Galaha in the video below. She hiked with our guide Ramli who also had a tonne of useful information about the other stages.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Contents<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Planning your Pekoe Trail Trip<\/a><\/h5>\n