Travel & Destination Guides

For decades, Sri Lanka’s tourism story has largely been shaped by its coastline — from the world-famous surf breaks of Arugam Bay and the historic ramparts of Galle to the palm-lined beaches of the southern coast.

Now, one of the world’s leading adventure travel companies is helping rewrite that narrative.

The **Pekoe Trail**, a 300-kilometre walking route winding through the lush landscapes of Sri Lanka’s tea country, has been named among **Intrepid Travel’s 2027 Not Hot List** — an influential annual selection of ten destinations expected to attract growing global attention in the year ahead.

The recognition marks a significant moment for Sri Lankan tourism. The Pekoe Trail is the **only mainland Asian experience** featured on the 2027 list, joining destinations such as Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve, Georgia’s Mestia and Canada’s Whitehorse.

The annual Not Hot List, first launched in 2018, is compiled using insights from Intrepid Travel’s network of local leaders and destination experts across more than 35 countries. Over the years, the list has gained a reputation for highlighting emerging destinations before they become widely recognised by international travellers.

Previous selections have included Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan and Kyrgyzstan’s Tien Shan mountains. Both destinations later appeared on *The New York Times’* influential “52 Places to Go” lists, while Intrepid recorded booking growth of 67 per cent and 62 per cent respectively in the years that followed.

With its inclusion on the 2027 list, Sri Lanka’s Pekoe Trail is now positioned among a group of emerging destinations expected to capture the attention of travellers around the world.

Intrepid Travel presents the Pekoe Trail as an immersive alternative to Sri Lanka’s increasingly busy coastal destinations — offering travellers a slower and more authentic way to experience the island. Along the route, visitors can walk between historic plantation bungalows, share meals in village homes and observe tea pluckers working across hillsides that their families have cultivated for generations.

“As Sri Lanka’s tourism boom continues, most visitors remain concentrated along the coast, but there’s so much more to see. We need to better disperse tourists, and a trip through Sri Lanka’s tea country is the perfect place to start,” said Poornaka Delpachitra, Intrepid Travel’s Colombo-based General Manager for Sri Lanka.

The recognition comes at a timely moment for the Pekoe Trail. Eased visa regulations, new international air connections and Sri Lanka’s national sustainable tourism strategy are making the country’s central highlands increasingly accessible to international visitors.

Building on this momentum, Intrepid has introduced a new 10-day “Hike Sri Lanka’s Pekoe Trail” itinerary, taking travellers through six of the route’s standout sections on foot. The journey is designed to extend tourism beyond the country’s traditional hotspots, bringing economic opportunities to rural communities while showcasing a lesser-seen side of Sri Lanka.

Railway services between Colombo and Kandy are expected to resume in October, following the completion of restoration work on sections of the Main Line that were severely damaged by Cyclone Ditwa, Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Dr. Prasanna Gunasena said.

According to the Deputy Minister, reconstruction work on the heavily flood-damaged section between Rambukkana and Kadugannawa is scheduled to be completed by September 15.

He said as many as 97 locations along the Upcountry railway line were severely affected by landslides following Cyclone Ditwa.

Restoration work has already been completed at several locations along the Rambukkana–Kadugannawa section, while construction at the remaining two locations is progressing rapidly.

Thilina Swarnamal, the site engineer of the company carrying out the railway reconstruction, said the work on the Rambukkana–Kadugannawa section has entered its final stage and is expected to be fully completed by September 15.

Meanwhile, restoration work on the Peradeniya Black Bridge, also known as Devil’s Bridge, has encountered another setback after rising water levels in the Mahaweli River submerged construction machinery at the site.

Despite the setback, Deputy Minister Gunasena said work on the bridge would be completed soon, paving the way for the resumption of train services between Colombo and Kandy.