- Stage 1 :
Hanthana to Galaha – 12.8 km
The Pekoe Trail is a scenic hiking trail in Sri Lanka that begins at the Ceylon Tea Museum on the Hantana Estate. The museum is built on the ruins of the old Hantana Tea Factory, and offers visitors plenty of parking space and clean restroom facilities.
- Stage 2 :
Galaha to Loolkandura – 14.69km
Experience the 14.6-km point-to-point trail near Galaha, Kandy, which is moderately challenging and takes around 4 hours and 38 minutes to complete. This trail is a popular hiking and walking route, but it can still offer a peaceful experience during quieter times of the day.
- Stage 3:
Loolkandura to Thawalantenna – 17.23km
The Pekoe Trail’s third stage begins at the small bridge over the Ma Oya on the Loolecondera Estate, near Tawalantenna CP in Nuwara Eliya. The 17.9-km point-to-point trail takes an average of 5 hours and 49 minutes to complete and is considered a challenging route, great for hiking and walking. This stage is currently under development and not yet signposted, but it’s walkable.
- Stage 4:
Thawalantenna to Kumbaloluwa – 9.50km
The Pekoe Trail is a 10.8-km trail near Tawalantenna CP, Nuwara Eliya, which takes around 3 hours and 28 minutes to complete. It is moderately challenging and ideal for hiking and walking. The stage is currently walkable but not yet signposted, and its official opening will be announced once the signage has been completed.
- Stage 5:
Kumbaloluwa to Watagoda – 11.85km
The Pekoe Trail is an 11.7-km point-to-point trail near Kumbaloluwa, Nuwara Eliya, which takes around 3 hours and 46 minutes to complete. It is moderately challenging and suitable for hiking and walking, with few people on the trail. However, the trail is currently under development and not signposted.
- Stage 6:
Watagoda to Kotagala – 14.86km
This 14.8-km point-to-point trail near Dikoya, Nuwara Eliya is Stage 06 of the Pekoe Trail. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 4 h 15 min to complete. The trail is ideal for hiking and walking, and there are not many people around while exploring.
- Stage 07:
Kotagala to Norwood – 15.50km
Embark on a captivating journey and behold breathtaking vistas while traversing through tea estates that bear witness to Sri Lanka’s colonial era heritage. This stage starts in the town of Kotagala. There is a brightly painted Hindu Kovil which serves well as an anchor. The trail peels off to the left and follows a straight road up and around the outskirts of Kotagala. We are now in the Drayton Estate. The trail passes next to the old tea factory.
- Stage 08:
Norwood to Bogawantalawa – 15.85 km
Norwood is the gateway to the Bogawantalawa Valley. It is also a major crossroads as you venture deep into the tea country on the way from Hatton towards Maskeliya and Adam’s Peak but also for those wanting to take the backroad down southbound towards Balangoda.
- Stage 09
Bogawantalawa to Dayagama – 16.46 km
This stage starts in Bogawantalawa, the bustling town that gives name to the entire valley. The village of Bogawantalawa sits at an elevation of 1279 meters and is surrounded by tea estates and mountains shrouded in mist and emerald landscapes.
- Stage 10
Dayagama to Horton Plains – 14.88 km
INDEFINITE CLOSURE: This stage of the trail is NOT OPEN at this point in time. Serendipity Trails, the Destination Management Company that manages and promotes The Pekoe Trail is in conversations with the Ministry of Wildlife Conservation to enable access to the Horton Plains via Dayagama. This stage is currently under development – the stage is NOT yet walkable and has not been signposted. The official opening of this stage will be announced soon.
- Stage 11
Horton Plains to Udaweriya – 13.12 km
This stage is currently under development – the stage is walkable but not yet signposted. The official opening of this stage will be announced soon.
This stage starts at the Farr Inn, the old hunting lodge for high-ranking British colonial officials turned into a visitor center. Now run by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the old inn is situated next to the car park from which almost all visitors start the walk to World’s End.
- Stage 12
Udaweriya to Haputale – 14.76 km
This stage is currently under development – the stage is walkable but not yet signposted. The official opening of this stage will be announced soon.
Today is one of The Pekoe Trail’s most exciting days. The Udaweriya Valley is one of the most remote valleys in the tea country. Some call it the hidden valley. The valley looks over the south of Sri Lanka and on a clear day you may just make out the ocean. The views are truly amazing, no doubt some of the best in the tea country.
- Stage 13
Haputale to St. Catherine’s (Lipton’s Seat) – 13.48 km
This stage is currently under development – the stage is walkable but not yet signposted. The official opening of this stage will be announced soon.
This is a very scenic route that takes you from one of the major towns in the tea country, Haputale, to one of the tea country’s better-known landmarks, the upper divisions of the Nayabedda Tea Estate from where Sir Thomas Lipton would survey his favorite tea estates, where the panoramic views of the mountains, and rivers are truly breath-taking.
- Stage 14
St. Catherine’s (Lipton’s Seat) to Makulella – 9.38 km
This stage is currently under development – the stage is walkable but not yet signposted. The official opening of this stage will be announced soon.
Although the total length of the stage is only just over 9.5 km, this stage is packed with all the magic of the trail; villages, places of worship, tea plantations, farms, historic bungalows, forested areas, and endless, never-ending breathtaking views of the mountains and valleys below.
- Stage 15
Makulella to Ella – 10.12 km
This stage is currently walkable but not yet signposted.
This stage begins at Makulella, at the temple of Allimale Bodhiya, a lovely Buddhist Temple overlooking the valley below which goes by the name of Ambagaswatte. The river flowing through the valley gives way to the Ravana Falls, a popular stop on the Ella to Wellawaya road below.
- Stage 16
Ella to Demodara – 8.75 km
This stage is currently under development – the stage is walkable but not yet signposted. The official opening of this stage will be announced soon.
Ella draws travelers to Sri Lanka’s highlands with its mountain forests, tea plantations, and relatively cool climate and is a very popular stop, start, or ending point along the trail. Starting at the train station, this walk to Demodera is very doable and very easy. It is one of the shortest stages of The Pekoe Trail and one of the most popular ones.
- Stage 17
Demodara to Hali-Ela – 12.99 km
This stage is currently under development – the stage is walkable but not yet signposted. The official opening of this stage will be announced soon.
This stage begins at a point easily visible from the Demodara train station, at which point the train line does a spiral through a tunnel that runs beneath the railway station and winds around the mountain.
- Stage 18
Hali-Ela to Ettampitiya – 13.96 km
This stage is currently under development – the stage is walkable but not yet signposted. The official opening of this stage will be announced soon.
This stage is a challenging uphill. It involves ascending from the town of Hali-Ela sitting at an elevation of 730 meters, to the town of Ettampitiya sitting at an elevation of 1246 meters above sea level. The general direction of the trail turns first northwest and then southwest. This is a very remote part of the tea country.
- Stage 19
Ettampitiya to Loonuwatte – 18.60 km
This stage is currently walkable but not yet signposted. The official opening of this stage will be announced as soon as the signage has been completed.
This stage starts at Ettampitiya, a small yet busy town with plenty of shops to stock for the walk. It’s an 18 km stage divided into two very distinct parts. The first 8 km is a gradual descent towards the crossing of the region’s most distinctive river the Uma Oya.
- Stage 20
Loonuwatte to Uda Pussellawa – 12.37 km
This stage is currently under development – the stage is walkable but not yet signposted. The official opening of this stage will be announced soon.
This stage starts in Lunuwatte town heading west on a village road towards the Sri Wisuddharamaya Temple. Within a short distance, you’ll see a pretty lake on the left-hand side and the temple to your right.
- Stage 21
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.
- Stage 22
Kandapola to Nuwara Eliya – 10.81 km
This stage is currently under development – the stage is walkable but not yet signposted. The official opening of this stage will be announced soon.
This is the final stage of The Pekoe Trail, or perhaps it’s the first – if you are walking the trail in reverse. The trail starts at Kandapola town, a small yet busy transit town located 14 km east of the regional capital Nuwara Eliya.
