Biking, hiking and walking holidays in the Golden Valley of Tea

Hike up the world’s longest stairway at Adam’s Peak, take the road less travelled with biking, hiking and walking holidays in the Golden Valley of Tea, indulge yourself in Gourmet Holidays in a tradition of service and pampering unique to British colonial times, Heritage Holidays that come to life on colonial-era tea plantations and gardens of a bygone era surround lovely old colonial tea planters bungalows; very English and yet entrancingly exotic.

The Road Less Travelled
Biking, hiking and walking holidays in the Golden Valley of Tea

Biking, hiking and walking holidays by Ceylon Tea Trails, in the Golden Valley of Tea

Ceylon Tea Trails has opened up a world of adventure and discovery in the Bogowantalawa Valley.  The pristine trails through immaculate tea gardens at an altitude of over 1500 metres provides a wide array of walks, adventure trails and mountain bike rides for all different levels of ability.  The unspoiled beauty of the surrounding valleys and hills are an unparalleled biking, hiking and walking experience.

Walking, hiking and mountain biking are all delightful ways of experiencing the varied landscapes, lush and exotic flora, abundant birdlife and the sweet rhythm of life in a tea garden. A leisurely walk, an adventure trek or a challenging mountain bike ride all provide rewards of vistas of mountain lakes, the verdant, beautifully manicured hillside tea gardens, forests and doll’s house villages.

The “C2” trail from Tea Trail’s Castlereagh Bungalow covers a distance of approximately 6 km and takes around 1 ½ hours to complete a walk in the Osborne Tea Estate in the area surrounding the bungalow. Along the way you will be able to pause and absorb a beautiful view of the Castlereagh Reservoir and the dam. The walk takes you through the village, passing a Hindu kovil or temple, the Carfax Tamil School and numerous natural streams. This is also a good mountain biking trail.

The “C4” trail covers a distance of 5.5 km. and takes approximately 1 ½ hours to complete. This trail takes walkers, hikers and bikers through the Dunkeld Estate, Norwood Estate and Osborne Estate. The trail offers varied terrain taking you past the Dunkeld Estate Factory, Dunkeld Primary School, Dunkeld Manager’s bungalow and a village.

From Tea Trail’s Summerville Bungalow the S1 trail covers a distance of 8 km, a trail for the hardier walker and biker taking around 2 ½ hours to complete. Starting from the entrance to the Summerville Bungalow, the trail’s gradual climb suits most walkers. It takes you past the Carfax Tea Factory, the Eagles Ridge Log Cabin, Hindu Kovil and two delightful, bubbling streams. Adam’s Peak, Sri Lanka’s second highest and most sacred peak can be clearly seen for around 2 km of the walk.

The “S2” trail from starting from the entrance to Summerville Bungalow is also 8 km. and takes around 2 ½ hours to complete. The start of this walk is quite steep and takes you through the Wanarajah Tea Estate.  A trail for the avid walker or the hardy mountain biker.

From Norwood Bungalow the “N1” 8km trail takes around 2.1/2 hours to complete. The first 4 km. of the walk is on the Upcot Road that overlooks the Bogowantalawa Valley and offers walkers and bikers an excellent view of the Duke’s Nose Rock. Turn off on to the Norwood Estate at the border of Stockholm Estate. The first half of the walk takes you past a Hindu kovil (temple), Tamil school and a village. While walking along this estate road, you will be rewarded with breathtaking views of Adam’s Peak.

The “N2” trail also from the Norwood Bungalow covers a distance of 2 ½ km and takes around 1 hour to complete. This trail passes close by to the Peak Wilderness road and Norwood Estate border. Barking Deer have been spotted and heard many times in and around this trail that goes past beautiful bubbling mountain streams. Pack a picnic lunch or tea when you embark on this trail as it offers plenty of excellent scenic spots ideally suited for picnicking.

The “T1” trail from the Tientsin Bungalow covers a distance of 3.5 km. and takes you around 1 to 1.5 hours to complete. This is a beautiful trail for both biking and walking. The trail takes you through the Bogowantalawa Estate. Along the way you will see the Tientsin Tea Factory and the Kirkoswald Tea Factory as well as an excellent view of the Bogowantalawa Valley.

The “T2” trail from the Tientsin Bungalow covers a distance of 4 km. and takes around 1hour & 45 minutes to complete. This is another trail suited for both biking and walking. Here too are excellent aerial vistas of the Bogowantalawa Valley and its verdant tea gardens.

go to www.teatrails.com

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