Uda Pussellawa to Kandapola – 16.71 km
This stage starts in Uda Pussellawa at an elevation of 1,275m, and ends in Kandapola at an elevation of 1,936 meters. At this stage you are walking on tea trails, so the ascent is gradual and manageable. Uda Pussellawa is a small but lively town with all the services you need: fruit sellers, small supermarkets, a bank, and a pharmacy. Take plenty of water with you.
This hike started in the afternoon at around 2:30 p.m. in Kandapola. Right after stage 22, from Pedro Estate to Kandapola. In the small town we provided ourselves with provisions. Diagonally opposite the shop Heritance Road started towards the Concordia Estate, then continued left following the Goatfell sign and continued up.
At the top we found a large free space to camp. I dropped my luggage, made myself comfortable with the dogs and enjoyed the afternoon sun. Opposite was the 5-star Hotel Heritance in a large tea factory.
Meanwhile, two of us asked some locals where we could get a camping permit. We got them after about 1 hour. Unfortunately, this only lasted for minutes, then the assistant manager of the tea plantation called back. Two weeks earlier there was an incident where a camper was harassed by locals. He didn’t want to risk it happening again.
An elderly man who stayed with us for a long time offered to camp on his electrically fenced property. Since it was already dark, we gladly accepted the offer. He just wanted to quickly get the key and meet us at the gate. Unfortunately he didn’t come.
WARNING CONCORDIA ESTATE
And then exactly what the assistant manager warned us about happened. And I would like to expressly warn you about this. The Concordia Estate is not recommended for camping. You shouldn’t be out and about in the dark here either. A blue tuktuk CP AAL 9437 drove up with several drunks who spoke to us very aggressively. We wrote down her number plate, threatened to call the police, took photos, which intimidated the driver a bit.
We decided to go back to the square and on to the Hotel Heritance. In the meantime, in full light, it looked very nice. However, I didn’t have the muse to take pictures.
We continued to follow the Pekoe Trail to the edge of a forest. There we found a side path, which we followed a hundred meters into the forest. On the right a cliff several meters high, on the left a gloomy abyss. Barely 6 m space for camping. There we set up our three tents.
Lucky and Browny slept with me and proved to be good watchdogs. At the slightest peep outside, they struck immediately. Even when team members moved around. Once we heard shots. Maybe nocturnal hunters or farmers who wanted to protect their fields from wild boar. I was more worried about whether there were leopards here who wanted to get too close to my dogs. But no, it was a quiet night and we were able to sleep in.
I woke up before sunrise in the morning and took some photos of our camp. I liked the place much better in daylight, but not the abyss. I was a little concerned that Lucky and Browny might fall off playing around, or one of us if someone went into the woods at night.
At 8 o’clock in the morning we were back at the tree line of the Concordia estate. Denmarkhill Division was painted on a rock. We had a beautiful view of the estate. What a beautiful place if it weren’t for the attacks on campers. The next 5 km was downhill through the forest. On the way we found small streams. We filled up our water supply there. Further down the forest thinned out. On the right hand side there were many beautiful farms with richly tilled vegetable fields. At the end of the forest and the fields we took a break on a pass road.
Then it continued down and up through the Amherst Tea Plantation. There we found a small waterfall, barely 1m high, just big enough to wash us properly. Further up were two more water points and a cooking area. First of all we made ourselves some tea, the good one, of course, from Lipton. But I always have Samahan with me. Thilagar prepared a delicious lunch for us. Pasta with vegetables. Nearby was a turning point for vehicles. From there we had a very nice view of the village of Amherst and the Gordon Estate Tea Factory.
After a relaxing break we continued up and down the mountain to the B332. Another 850m led us through the small town of Uda Pussellawa. There were then again the clear reactions of the population and numerous street dogs, on Lucky and Browny, which were led through the city on a leash. Some full of curiosity, others with a respectful distance, everyone wanted to know what was going on again. Where from, where to, why on foot and with dogs.
Finding accommodation here was not easy, as nothing was displayed in Google Maps and Booking. It was even more difficult because of the dogs. We then found help from the police. Our appearance really brought life to the police station. More and more officials came out who were first curious and then helpful. So it happened that we got two rooms in a guest house a bit outside. Those last 15 minutes of hiking were another challenge. How happy we were to sleep in beds and to be able to take a hot shower. Hiran, Thilagar and Fazil ran into town again and got dinner. Meanwhile, Lucky and Browny finished two bowls of dry food.
Yes, that’s how our second leg from Kandapola to Uda Pussellawa ended.
Conclusion:
The hike up to Concordia Estate was steep and strenuous, the views there were wonderful. Likewise the path through the forest, along the farms and through the Amherst tea plantation. A hike that I would happily recommend, but with the caveat: be careful with the people in Concordia estate. It is better to only hike there in daylight. I would be happy if the authorities there took action and did something to protect tourists passing through.
