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View all Kandy toursPekoe Trail Stage 3 Guided Hike from Kandy: Loolkandura to Tawalantenne
A guided day on stage 3 of the Pekoe Trail, from Loolkandura — where Ceylon tea began in 1867 — to Tawalantenne, walking the estate paths through the plantations that followed.
Highlights
- Stage 3 of the Pekoe Trail, from Loolkandura to Tawalantenne
- The site where James Taylor planted Ceylon's first commercial tea in 1867
- Contour paths through working estates rather than a climb
- Pluckers at work and the estate line rooms where families still live
- Ridge views across to the Knuckles range
Pekoe Trail Stage 3 Guided Hike from Kandy: Loolkandura to Tawalantenne: Key Facts
| Price | From $162.5 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 8 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Full description
The Pekoe Trail is a 300-kilometre waymarked route through Sri Lanka's tea country, opened in 2023 and built almost entirely on paths that already existed: the estate roads, the plucking tracks and the footpaths that connected the plantations before there were roads between them.
Stage 3 starts at Loolkandura, which is where the whole industry began. James Taylor planted the first commercial tea in Ceylon here in 1867 on 19 acres, after coffee blight destroyed the island's previous crop. His bungalow's foundations and the original factory site are still on the estate, and the tea growing around them is descended from those plantings.
From there the trail runs to Tawalantenne along the contours, which is the pleasure of walking in tea country — the paths follow the hillside rather than climbing over it, so the effort stays moderate while the views keep opening. You pass through working estates with pluckers at work, past line rooms where estate families have lived for generations, and along ridges with the Knuckles range across the valley.
A guide matters on this stage: the history is invisible without one, and the estate paths branch constantly.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Pickup in Kandy
The drive out to Loolkandura.
Loolkandura
The first tea plantation site and the start of the stage.
Walking the estates
Contour paths through working plantations.
Ridge section
Views across to the Knuckles.
Tawalantenne
The end of the stage.
Kandy
Drop-off at your hotel.
Detailed Itinerary
[{"time": "07:00", "title": "Hotel pickup", "description": "The vehicle meets you at the far end, so this is a one-way walk."}, {"time": "08:30", "title": "Loolkandura estate", "description": "Taylor's bungalow foundations and the original factory site."}, {"time": "09:00", "title": "On the trail", "description": "Around 14 km. Undulating rather than steep, but long."}, {"time": "12:30", "title": "The ridge", "description": "The best of the views on this stage."}, {"time": "14:30", "title": "Finish at Tawalantenne", "description": "The van is waiting."}, {"time": "16:00", "title": "Kandy", "description": "Drop-off at your hotel."}]
Includes
- Transport from Kandy to the trailhead and back from the finish, an English-speaking guide, the guided hike, drinking water.
Excludes
- Meals, gratuities, personal hiking equipment, personal expenses.
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Kandy; the exact address and time are confirmed after booking.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts