What Is the Pekoe Trail?
The Pekoe Trail is a long path that people can walk on in Sri Lanka. It is more than 300 kilometres long and it goes through the Central Highlands. For the convenience of travelers, the Pekoe Trail is divided into 22 stages. Each part is different from the others. Each part of the Pekoe Trail has its special things to see, including the hill country's most hidden viewpoints and its own level of difficulty.
The Pekoe Trail starts at the Ceylon Tea Museum in Hanthana which's near Kandy, 15 min drive from Kandy city. Then the Pekoe Trail covers south through the areas of Kandy, Hatton, Haputale, Ella, and Nuwara Eliya. The Pekoe Trail finally ends in Uda Pussellawa, which's near Nuwara Eliya. When people walk on the Pekoe Trail they walk on roads and paths that people used a long time ago. Tea workers and estate managers and villagers used these paths for more than a hundred years. While walking those paths, you can experience incredible views.
The European Union and USAID helped pay for the Pekoe Trail. They supported it. The Pekoe Trail was officially opened at the end of 2023. The Pekoe Trail is a way to help the tourism industry in a way. It is supposed to help the people who live in areas and it is supposed to show people how beautiful the highland landscapes of Sri Lanka are. The Pekoe Trail is a thing for Sri Lanka and it is good, for the people who live there.
This is not an ordinary hiking trail. This is the path you can walk through the heart of the Hill Country and the Central Highland. explore the core of Sri Lanka.
The Pekoe Trail Map
Why Is It Called the ‘Pekoe’ Trail?
The name pekoe is come from tea plants.it is part of Sri Lankan tea history. In the tea sector, Pekoe means a type of quality tea that is made from young leaves. Generally, pekoe means young leaves of the tea plant. Hill Country is famous for these leaves.
The whole 300 km route goes along paths that have been connected to the tea industry for a long time. There are roads and tracks that tea workers used to walk on to carry their tea leaves. Now people who like to hike use these paths to have an adventure and see the real Sri Lanka. So the name Pekoe is not a nice name. It is a way to honor the culture and the landscape of this area, and a part of daily life in the local community.
The trail also cover through Loolecondera Estate. This is the place Sri Lankas first tea plantation was started in 1867 by a man named James Taylor. Walking around this place is, like going in time to when tea first changed Sri Lankas history. The Pekoe trail is a way to see the history of Pekoe and how it is still important today.
Why is the Pekoe Trail Special?
The Pekoe Trail is really different, from other tourist places. It gives visitors a chance to see Sri Lanka from another corner. When you walk on the Pekoe Trail you are not just visiting places you are a part of the thing. You get to walk through tea plantations, forests and mountains. You see rural villages.
Pekoe Trail was included in TIME magazine's "World's Greatest Places" list in 2025. It has been introduced as a special tourist experience in Sri Lanka by several international media outlets, including the BBC.
The Pekoe Trail has some cool things that you can see and do. These are:
• You can see mountains from far away. It looks amazing
• There are tea plants everywhere
• You can meet people who pick tea leaves
• You can see tea estates from a long time ago
• There are lots of kinds of plants and birds
• You can see waterfalls,lakes and other secret natural things
• You can walk on paths that are not crowded with other tourists
Each day you hike on the Pekoe Trail is different. This makes every day special. You will remember it. The Pekoe Trail gives you an experience every time. You will see things on the Pekoe Trail every day.
