Sri Lanka’s Pekoe Trail among top places to visit in 2025
The Morning: Time magazine has unveiled its list of the world’s 100 greatest places to visit in 2025, and Sri Lanka’s Pekoe Trail has earned a spot among the top destinations.
Recognised for its rich history and breath-taking landscapes, the trail offers travellers an immersive journey through the Central Highlands, retracing the island’s colonial-era tea routes.
Originally developed as a 19th century transport network to support Sri Lanka’s tea industry, the Pekoe Trail now serves as a scenic adventure route linking remote communities and historic plantations.
Spanning 186 miles, the trail was officially completed in March 2024 and takes its name from the high-grade black tea cultivated across the region. It is Sri Lanka’s first fully connected long-distance hiking path, incorporating thousands of dirt roads and railway tracks once used to export tea under British rule.
While portions of the route have long been used for trekking, this marks the first time all 22 sections have been unified into a single, continuous trail. The initiative, spearheaded by Sri Lanka-based sustainability consultant Miguel Cunat, was supported by funding from the European Union and the US Agency for International Development.
The Pekoe Trail takes hikers through an ever-changing landscape, beginning in the mist-laden Hanthana mountains near Kandy and weaving through lush tea plantations, eucalyptus forests, and small villages before culminating in Nuwara Eliya, the country’s tea capital. The route also includes a stretch past Sri Pada, one of Sri Lanka’s most sacred peaks.
A newly launched mobile app provides hikers with essential information, including trail details, emergency contacts, and nearby points of interest. Each section of the trail can take between three to six hours to complete, with the full journey spanning several weeks for those looking to experience the entire route.
Accommodations along the way range from charming boutique stays to luxury retreats, including Teardrop Hotels’ contemporary bungalows and the recently opened Halloowella by Uga Escapes, a six-suite estate once owned by a British army major and redesigned by renowned Sri Lankan architect Channa Daswatte.
With its blend of history, culture, and stunning scenery, the Pekoe Trail’s inclusion in Time’s list places Sri Lanka firmly on the global travel map, offering adventurers a unique way to explore the island’s tea heritage while supporting local communities along the way.
OSL take:
The growing recognition of Sri Lanka as a must visit tourist destination with many attractions including the now globally recognized Pekoe Trail have resulted in the steady growth in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. The industry has become a key revenue generator to the country with the potential of further growth and increasing business potential. The growth in the tourism industry has also resulted in the expansion of business/investment opportunities in the industry as well as related sectors. These opportunities range from the development of infrastructure and supplementary infrastructure development facilities required to meet the growing demand as well as to gear for the increasing tourism concepts being promoted in Sri Lanka. The increasing business potential in the tourism industry is evident by the interest shown by foreign businesses/investors to enter the leisure and hospitality sectors. Also, discerning foreign leisure and hospitality businesses could also look at identifying and promoting new tourism concepts similar to the Pekoe Trail to attract more foreign visitors. With Sri Lanka’s tourism industry on a growth path, foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore the expanding business/investment opportunities in the industry and related sectors.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20250324/Z_1 |