Udapussellawa to Kandapola
16.90 km · Difficult · 5 hours 30 minutes · Nuwara Eliya district
Stage 21 climbs back into the high central highlands - 1,109 m of gain across 16.9 km, finishing at over 2,000 m in the Kandapola Conservation Forest. The penultimate day of the trail, and one of its tougher.
What you’ll walk through
Tea trails across valleys, vegetable plots, and forest sections through Gordon Estate and Hethersett Estate. The Kandapola Conservation Forest at the higher elevation is one of the trail’s richest bird-watching sections - montane forest species not seen elsewhere.
Landmarks on this stage
- Uda Pussellawa - The trailhead village.
- Gordon Estate - Working tea estate the trail climbs through.
- Ambalama Junction - Crossroad with a small rest pavilion.
- Heritance Tea Factory - Working factory near Kandapola.
- Hethersett Estate - Tea estate at the higher elevation.
- Kandapola Conservation Forest - Protected montane forest - bird-watching highlight.
- Amherst Hindhu Kovil - Hindu temple at the stage finish.
When to walk
Dry Season - the conservation forest holds cloud in monsoon and the climb is heavy work in any other window.
Walk it with Hike Lanka
You can pick this stage as a day hike, link it with the adjacent stages as a section trek of three to seven days, or walk the entire 22-stage end-to-end trek with our small-group fourteen-day guided expedition. We handle lodging, permits, transport, and the on-the-ground logistics; you walk.
Walk Stage 21 with us
Pick this stage as part of a custom section trek, or join the full end-to-end Pekoe Trek. A real guide responds to every enquiry.
Browse every Sri Lanka hiking tour we run, from Kandy day hikes and the Knuckles traverse to the full 22-stage Pekoe traverse.
Book the Full Trek Plan a Custom Route