02 / Three Days on Sri Lanka’s Pekoe Trail
Current Location: Haputale, St. Catherine, Makuella, Ella – Sri Lanka
Hello friends!
With a few blisters and bites on our feet, last Friday we wrapped three unforgettable days of hiking Sri Lanka’s Pekoe Trail. This 300km trail made up of 22 stages – of which we completed a mere 35km, 3-stage slice – winds its way across the island’s central highlands: lush, Jurassic mountain-scapes, endless tea plantations, and colourful, welcoming village communities – a world away from the bustling, sweaty cities of Colombo and Kandy.
We managed to squeeze the must-haves for our journey into our day packs. Mine was busting at the seams, but had all the essentials – a filtering water bottle (best invention ever), a bucket of sunscreen and mozzie spray, toothbrush, undies, ginger nut biscuits (a local staple), and the trusty AllTrails App that saved us from plenty of wrong ‘lacking way-finding’ turns along the way.
Day One:
Misty Tea Mountains and Thunder Clouds
Haputale to St Catherine
Our 600m ascent began in the cooler morning hours from the small, in-the-clouds hillside town of Haputale. After a few near misses with tuk tuks, we joined Stage 13 of the Pekoe Trail and were soon in the thick of a dense, damp forest, alive with unfamiliar bird songs and hungry leeches eager for a tasty ankle brekkie snack.
Emerging from the thicket, we continued upwards through an endless sea of manicured tea plantations, wrapping the mountain-scape in swirling geometrics as far as the eye could see… an intoxicating abundance of green, glistening in the morning light. In a matter of minutes, huge walls of misty, ethereal clouds would engulf the vista in a giant white fog, bringing a welcome but brief respite from the day’s heat before clearing to reveal the valley and ocean beyond.
After five sweaty hours, we reached the peak, enjoying a final, flatter hour through botanical-grade tea gardens. We passed young lovers on motorbikes taking selfies, before approaching the postcard village of St. Catherine, with a cricket match in full swing on the central green, and our first homestay awaiting. Susanthan, our 21-year-old host, greeted us alongside his parents, their two dogs, a few relatives, and curious village onlookers – all welcoming us with warm smiles and head wobbles.
Susanthan is an electrician, a builder, a tuk tuk driver, an engineer, a chef, a cleaner, and Liptora Homestay host. This is the only accommodation available in this small tea-plucking village, still yet to be discovered by influencers. He talked of renovations and adding more rooms. A true entrepreneur in the making.
Within minutes of arrival, we were in the eye of a thundering storm serving up golf ball-sized hail. Bang. Within minutes, buckets and mops were in full emergency mode, with water pouring through the living room ceiling. Fortunately, our room stayed watertight. Fast forward an hour and the roof leak is repaired, and the wok is frying hot… cooking our dinner. Plumber, roofer and chef Susanthan at the helm, prepping us a tasty homestyle rice and curry. A little heavy on the salt, but far from lacking flavour.
All this for the cost of $40.
Day Two:
A Zigzagging Descent
St Catherine to Makuella
The morning’s kickstart was fuelled with a jaggery-charged masala chai, a spicy yellow lentil dhal and freshly ground curry leaf sambal, served with fire-charred roti.
Stage 14 – we left the village via a winding dirt road, weaving its way through a terraced patchwork of carrots, cabbages, eggplants, red and green (killer) chillies, plus an abundance of the staple spice for any Sri Lankan kitchen – curry leaves – being tended to by local farmers and their families before the heat of the day furnaced. The surrounding hilltop tea plantations on this plateau are the finest I’ve ever seen. A visual meditation.
We zigzagged our way down the 300m cliffside into the valley below in our pricey hiking boots and quick-dry get-up, passing local tea pluckers navigating the vertical terrain in nothing more than flip flops and saris.
The afternoon ridge trail was shaded by a familiar forest-scape of towering Australian Ghost Gums. Aussie Silver Oaks are scatter-planted amongst the tea as a windbreak and to provide shade. Some well-travelled Brits back in the day clearly put our botanicals firmly on the world map.
Day Three
Jaw-dropping Vistas and Train Track Treks
Makuella to Ella
After a brekkie of kiribath (coconut milk rice… one of Sri Lanka’s staples) and sweet coconut and jaggery sambal, we reconnected with the Pekoe for the final hike day – Stage 15.
Smattered across the tea and forest landscape, we encountered barefoot, smiling women balancing huge, perfectly wrapped bundles of sticks on their heads, making their way down the hillside. Buddhist temples were alive with New Year celebrations, and many a “Hello” and “Good morning, Sir” came from locals. The views from the mountain path across to our final destination below – the backpacking town of Ella – were proper breath-takers. Thunderous waterfalls, and thick, matted jungle alive with the call of monkeys and birdlife.
For the final few kilometres, we walked the train tracks into Ella. Once a remote, indigenous mountain village, the Brits (here they are again) built a railway – including the infamous Nine Arches Bridge, opened in 1921 – linking the tea plantations to the coast for export. Today, Ella is a full-blown backpacker hub, complete with oat lattes and smashed avo (yes… I heard an Aussie at a café ask, “Do you have avo?”).
We made it!
What a treat. If you’re Sri Lanka-bound, be sure to check out at least one stage of the Pekoe Trail – a truly world-class, magical, and not-too-hard-basket hiking experience.
A Few Shared Moments
Best eats:
Frozen buffalo curd (thick, rich and creamy) with kithul honey at Mee Kiri as an arrival reward.
Freshly made dosa with dhal and (proper spicy) coconut and onion sambals for brekkie at The Cubes, Ella.
Best ‘worth the effort’ moment:
Scaling back our accommodation to a local homestay experience. Staying in a small tea-picking community showed that even when material life is simple, family, friends and kindness are rich.
Low point:
Reaching the peak on day one and dealing with a slam-dunk migraine. Altitude + heat + sweat = the perfect storm! Fortunately, it settled within the hour.
Cultural observation:
There’s an authenticity to the Sri Lankan people. When a child waves, smiles, says hello – they’re not trying to be cheeky or smart… it’s a genuine, warm connection.
And… onwards! 💚
Marvellous read. Thank you Josh. 🤗 Dad, Lizzie & Lola 🙏