Pekoe Trail tips and resources

Mapping and navigation resources

At the time of this writing (March 2023), the Pekoe Trail is not yet officially open, so it is not yet signed (maybe with the exception of the first stage or a few. We didn't hike that part). It is still absolutely possible to follow the trail, though! We used the Wikiloc and AllTrails GPS routes for each stage and supplemented with Google Maps and never got more than a couple steps off-route.

Note that are a lot of forks in the trail since it follows roads/paths through the tea estates, so you will likely have to check your phone more often than usual in order to stay on the right path.

Here are some helpful navigation resources:

• Pekoe Trail official Wikiloc profile (provides GPS routes, trail descriptions, photos, and reviews for each stage of the trek)

• Google Maps trail map with landmarks pinned. Note that the route differs in places from the Wikiloc or AllTrails route. When they differed, we took the Wikiloc/AllTrails route since we had more information on that route.

• Pekoe Trail accommodations. Note that there may be accommodations on this map that are not yet open for guests. You can use it to help identify possible places to stay but should always reach out directly to check whether they are open.

How to use Wikiloc (if you already use AllTrails or another similar mapping app, feel free to continue using that instead. To download the AllTrails routes, you'll need to search "Pekoe Trail" and find each stage that way):

1. Download the Wikiloc app and create a free account

2. Open the Pekoe Trail Wikiloc profile. It will open the page in your app

3. Click on the first stage you will be completing

4. At the bottom of the page, toggle to make the map available offline. We have had service the entire time so far, but better to be safe than sorry

5. Repeat for all other stages you plan to complete

6. When you are ready to follow the trail, scroll back to the top of the page and click "Navigate Trail". It will let you know that this premium feature has been made available to all users. Thanks, Pekoe Trail!

7. The map will open full-screen. To simply view your location along the route (you can zoom in to see the route more precisely), keep the app on this screen while you are using it.

8. If you want to use it to it for turn-by-turn navigation, you'll need to click "start navigating".

Our packing list + what we would do differently next time

1. Reusable water bottle and hydration bladder with three total liters of capacity.

2. UV sterilizing pen to sterilize drinking water and minimize plastic water bottle use/waste.

3. Hiking clothes and socks. We both hiked in shorts and athletic t-shirts. We had a few changes of clothing but mostly just hiked in dirty clothes. If you wanted to take a rest day along the way, you could probably get your guest house/homestay to wash your laundry but we weren't gone long enough to need it.

4. Trail or road running shoes. I hiked in regular road running shoes and my fiancé hiked in trail runners and both were totally fine for the route. At least for the stages we did (12, 16–18, 22), the trail was mostly a wide dirt road with a few single track sections and some road sections, so heavy-duty hiking boots are probably overkill.

5. A comfy outfit for hanging out in after hiking.

6. Down jacket. We ended up only wearing these at night in Nuwara Eliya, otherwise it wasn't necessary. But would bring again just in case.

7. Raincoat. We got rained on, so we were very happy to have these. It rains a lot in Sri Lanka so I wouldn't travel here without one (we trekked during the "dry" season).

8. Rain fly for our backpacks. See above.

9. Snacks. As detailed below, you don't want to depend on finding food along the trail each day (breakfasts and dinners at your guest house will be easy), so it is best to pack snacks or a lunch to get you through the day. We packed a few days of snacks at a time and restocked along the way, since each stage we hiked ended in a town big enough to have a supermarket/snack shop/bakery/small restaurants/etc.

10. Toiletries. You should plan on carrying all your necessary toiletries or restocking in towns along the way (you may not be able to buy speciality items but should be able to find the basics in most towns). Most guest houses we stayed at did not provide shampoo or body wash.

11. First Aid kit. We always hike with a small first aid kit and were glad we had it when we needed an antiseptic wipe and bandaid for a leech bite.

12. Towel. We carried one travel towel but everywhere we stayed provided at least one towel so we didn't end up using ours.

13. Headlamp. This is another thing we always travel with but we didn't end up using it at all. I would still carry it next time just in case (especially since power outages are common in Sri Lanka).

14. Book. We both brought Kindles and had plenty of reading time in the evenings.

15. Sri Lankan rupees for an estimated 5+ days of expenses. I have noted in my post for each stage we hiked whether there were ATMs in each town we ended in, and at least where we went, we probably could have restocked on rupees every couple of days at least. But it was less stressful to carry more than we thought we'd need for longer than we thought we'd need. None of the guest houses we stayed at took credit/debit cards.

16. ATM/debit card for restocking cash supply when you need it.

17. Passport. We didn't have to provide a passport number at our guest houses in the more rural areas, but still always good to have just in case.

18. Back-up battery. We were able to charge our phones every night at our guest houses but with being so dependent on them for navigation, it was nice to know we had a back-up option if we needed to charge our phones and didn't have power.

19. Electronics chargers and universal adapter

20. Sunglasses and sunscreen

21. Local SIM. Most places we stayed on the trail didn't have WiFi and it was also helpful to have data while on the trail if we needed to look something up and because not all Google Maps features work offline. Definitely recommend getting a local SIM. They're very cheap.

We left everything else we are traveling with at our guest house in Ella (where we started our trek and where we knew we would be ending it as well). This worked great and allowed us to carry <10 kgs in each of our packs. We reached out to the guest house before we booked it to make sure we could store bags there for free, and they were happy to in exchange for us staying there again at the end of our trek. Obviously if you're not planning on going back to your starting spot, you'll have to carry everything.

Finding a place to stay

Since the trail isn't officially open, information on accommodations is very limited, and the trail goes through rural areas that don't currently see a lot of tourists, figuring out if and where we could stay each night was definitely the most challenging part of the trip. The hiking itself was pretty easy (no high elevation, no crazy terrain, no permits, no need to hire a guide, no insanely long days, no snow, etc.) but the accommodations were a big question mark for us going in.

In short, we found places by first checking Booking.com (not an affiliate link) for anything available to book online, then consulting the Pekoe Trail accommodations Google Maps map, and finally by checking for hotel/lodging on Google Maps as a whole and reading reviews of places it listed.

Here is an overview of where we stayed and how we found places. More details are provided in each stage-specific blog post:

• End of stage 11 (Udaweriya): we found Hill Safari - Tea Estate Villa (Hill Safari Eco Lodge on Google Maps) on Google Maps and then on Booking and it was great! Pricier than some of our other stays ($34 but it included dinner and breakfast for 2 people) but was very nice and had a stunning view. It was probably 30 minutes off-trail walking. Since we took the train here, we asked the guest house to arrange us a tuk-tuk ride from the train station, which was easy and reasonably priced. Misty Mountain Lodge also seems like a good option. Google Maps doesn't link it but they're also on Booking. I think the location on Booking is correct, not the Google Maps location (based on the pin for this place on the Pekoe Trail Accommodations map) so I think it's closer to the end of stage 11 than Google Maps makes it seem.

• End of stage 12 (Haputale): lots of options in and around town. We found Amaya View Guest Inn on Booking and it was a great and affordable option close to the train station.

• End of stage 13 (St. Catherine): we didn't end up doing this stage in large part because there isn't anywhere to stay close to the end of stage right now (as od March 2023). Someone had written a review of the stage on Wikiloc and has started in St Catherine so I posted a comment asking if they'd stayed there and someone from YouLead (working on the trail) responded that there isn't anywhere to stay yet. They suggested getting a ride to St Catherine or Lipton's Seat and hiking back to Haputale (doing the stage in reverse). We might have done that but the weather was crummy the day we were supposed to go and there wouldn't have been any views, and part of the appeal of a multi-day trek for me is ending every day somewhere new, so we ended up just taking the train back to Ella.

• End of stage 14 (Makulella): as stated above, we didn't end up doing this stage and skipped straight to Ella since there was nowhere to stay in St Catherine. If we had been able to start in St Catherine, our plan was to maybe just power through all the way to Ella, or else to contact the owner of Dan Villa in Makulella to see if they were taking guests. The Hideaway Ella looks to be a decent but expensive option nearby.

• End of stage 15 (Ella): tons of options at all budgets. We just picked a place listed on Booking close to the center of town so we weren't trekking too much extra and double checked before we booked that they could hold onto our bags (The Rock Face). It was a solid choice.

• End of stage 16 (Demodera): we found Berghause Bungalow on Booking. It was amazing!! Highly recommended. It's 45 minutes or so walking from the end of stage 16, but there are plenty of tuktuks in town if you don't want to walk. See my stage 16 post for more information.

• End of stage 17 (Hali-Ela): we found The Jays Cottage on Google Maps. It only had one review at the time but it was 5 stars and from the photos it looked nice, so the evening before we planned to arrive, I messaged the owner via WhatsApp at the number listed on Google. He responded and we were able to reserve a room for the night and request dinner and breakfast as well. The place was great! Again, definitely recommended. And <10 minutes walking off-trail. You should see our reviews on Google now, so hopefully it's easier for others to find it in the future :). Again, see my stage 17 post for more details.

• End of stage 18 (Ettampitiya): I found Hotel White Heaven on the Pekoe Trail accommodations map and it had about a dozen reviews on Google, so I WhatsApp messaged the owner (at the number listed on Google). He didn't see my message so I eventually called him once we'd arrived in Ettampitiya. He wasn't there since they didn't have any guests but was able to arrange with his employee to get us checked in and taken care of. It was good and will be even better once their current remodel is finished (the views from our room overlooking the rice patties were beautiful and they'll be even better from the roof once it's done!). The only minor inconveniences were due to the owner not being around but that was mostly our fault for not getting ahold of him until 30 minutes before we were arriving. He arranged for a neighbor to prepare and bring us dinner and breakfast, which was very kind and the food was tasty. It's probably 30 minutes past the end of stage 18 but barely off-trail from early on in stage 19, so a good choice in that respect as well.

• End of stage 19 (Lunuwatte/Sapugolla): we didn't end up doing stage 19 (see below for more details), but had planned to reach out to Sapugolla Family Resort, which we found on Google Maps. Mount Plaza Hotel seemed like a good backup possibility if our first choice didn't work out (the latter was just farther off-trail).

• End of stage 20 (Uda Pussellawa): again, we didn't end up hiking stage 20 and weren't totally confident about where we would stay. Delmar Estate Middle Division Bungalow is past the end of stage 20 but not too far off-trail early in stage 21, but it's not clear whether it's a private tea estate bungalow or has been (or maybe will be?) converted into a guest house. Michael's Lodge might also be an option? If you have a couple more hours of hiking in you and are continuing onto stage 21 anyway, you could keep trekking to Ragala, which seems to have more options (e.g. Sisara Holiday Rooms and a few others right nearby).

• End of stage 21 (Kandapola): we hiked stage 22 but as a day hike from Nuwara Eliya (30 min tuktuk ride away), so we didn't stay in Kandapola. Chameera's Place is just off-trail and may be an option? See my stage 22 post for more on this. Or Rathnayake Inn has one 5 star review and photos of a guest bedroom so it seems potentially promising and is only a 5 min tuktuk ride from the end of stage 21. Or for a fancy stay, Heritance Tea Factory is 4 km from Kandapola.

• End of stage 22: lots of options in and around Nuwara Eliya. We stayed at Medalin Lake Gregory (Medalin Cottage on Google Maps) because we wanted to be close to the lake and it was fantastic!

Our original plan was to trek stages 16–22 (Ella to Nuwara Eliya) and then take the train to Ohiya and trek stages 12–15 back to Ella. This was complicated by two major factors that led us to reroute and cut our trip short: (1) rain (we're from rainy Seattle, USA so we get in plenty of rainy hikes at home and figured we'd rather see more of the country and forego the hiking if were going to be sopping wet for days on end) and (2) the complication of not having clear places to stay at certain stages, as noted above. In the end, we think we probably could have made it work if we were willing to at least get a ride from Haputale to St Catherine twice, but since we didn't reach out to any potential options for the stages we didn't end up doing, I don't know for sure that we could have found something everywhere (particularly the end of stage 20).

I would suggest reaching out to potential places as soon as you know when you plan to be there so you can be confident in where you're staying at least a day in advance. We always tried on WhatsApp first if the number on Google was connected to WhatsApp but often ended up having to call places to get a response. I would not recommend just showing up to a place hoping for the best since the more rural guest houses don't have regular guests and there may not be anyone around to let you in.

Alternatively, you could bring a tent and not have to rely on the existence and availability of guest houses, though I cannot speak to how easy it is to find a place to pitch your tent since we didn't have one.

Eating along the way

As detailed in the post for each stage, there was generally at least one small snack stand at some point along the way of each stage we trekked, but they weren't always manned and generally only had a few small bags of cookies/soda/chips. At least until the trail gets more popular and maybe gets more food options along it, I would definitely suggest bringing everything you might want to eat while you're out trekking with you each day. We carried a few days worth of lunch calories (in the form of packaged cookies, crackers, a can of tuna, candy, etc... super healthy...) and then restocked every couple of days in the between-stage towns. On shorter days, we ended up just snacking a bit and then eating baked goods or triangle vegetable rotis in town as soon as our trekking day ended. Grabbing some of those triangle rotis or samosas or the like on your way out of town for the day would also make for a good trail lunch!

For dinners and breakfasts, we always ate at our guest house and it was always delicious and way too much food. We always asked for Sri Lankan food but some places maybe could have done a western (eggs and toast) breakfast. We became accustomed to guest house meals while trekking in Nepal and after being spoiled there and in Sri Lanka by delicious food we didn't have to prepare after a long day of hiking, it is going to be very difficult to go back to dehydrated meals we have to prepare ourselves once we're back in the US :(.

Leeches

As you will see in some trail reviews on All Trails and on my post for stage 18, leeches can be an issue on the Pekoe Trail when it gets rainy. We only encountered them on the one day we had to hike in the rain, but they weren't exactly pleasant. The leeches we encountered were very tiny and grabbed onto our shoes and ankles in a few muddy and wet plant-filled sections of the trail. If the trail is dry or dry-ish, I think it is unlikely you would encounter any.

Leeches won't kill your but their bites can cause irritation and they're just pretty gross. If we hike the trail again, we would probably try to come better prepared with gaiters or thick/tall socks (to tuck pants into). We also heard that some essential oils or soapy water rubbed onto your shoes and socks/ankles might help deter them.