Cyclone Ditwah has devastated communities along The Pekoe Trail and damaged sections of Sri Lanka’s iconic long-distance hiking route. Your gift today helps families rebuild their lives andre-open the trail that sustains them.
100% of donations to the Pekoe Trail Recovery Fund go toward community relief and trail restoration.
What Happened
Cyclone Ditwah Turned the Hill Country Upside Down
In late November, Cyclone Ditwah brought record-breaking rain, floods, and landslides to Sri Lanka. Hundreds of lives were lost and more than a million people were affected across the island. Roads, bridges, homes, and small businesses in the central highlands were severely damaged, and many families have been displaced.
The Pekoe Trail winds through some of the hardest-hit hill country districts. Villages that welcomed hikers only weeks ago are now digging out homes, clearing landslides, and trying to reopen basic footpaths.
Why the Trail Matters
The Pekoe Trail Is More Than a Path – It’s an Economic Lifeline
The Pekoe Trail is a 300 km, 22-stage long-distance walking trail through Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands. It links tea estates, villages, and hill-country towns, and has been recognised globally by National Geographic and Time as one of the world’s top hiking experiences.
For local communities, the trail is an economic corridor:
- Home stays and guesthouses host hikers and earn vital income in areas with few other opportunities.
- Local guides and porters lead visitors safely through tea country and share their culture.
- Small shops, cafés, and transport providers rely on trail traffic for their daily livelihood.
When the trail is damaged or closed, these families lose not only their homes and fields to the cyclone, but also the visitor income they depend on. And because Cyclone Ditwah struck at the height of Sri Lanka’s peak tourism season, the financial shock is even greater.
Restoring the trail quickly is essential – for safety, for access, and for the local economy.
How Your Donation Helps
Your Support Works in Two Directions: Relief + Recovery
The Pekoe Trail Organization (TPTO) is a non-profit stewarding the trail and supporting the communities who live along it.
Your donation will:
- Support affected communities
- Emergency supplies (food, water, basic household items)
- Temporary repairs to homes and community spaces
- Small grants to help local tourism businesses (home stays, guides, shops) re-open and keep staff employed
- Support affected communities
- Restore and make the trail safe again
- Clearing landslides, fallen trees, and debris from the trail
- Repairing footbridges, steps, drainage, and wayfinding signs
- Re-routing and stabilising sections where the original path is unsafe
- Funding local trail crews so communities lead their own recovery
- Protect long-term resilience
- Improving drainage and trail engineering to withstand future storms
- Training local teams in safety, early-warning protocols, and climate-resilient trail management
Transparency note (optional):
TPTO will publish regular field updates and simple financial summaries so you can see how your contribution is being used on the ground.
