Sri Lanka’s lush green hill country is a patchwork of rolling, seemingly endless tea plantations. A visit to one of these estates is a defining experience of any trip to this magnificent country. These historic tea plantations are a legacy of British colonial culture, while the sight of Tamil pickers in colorful garments gathering delicate tea leaves by hand remains an archetypal image of Sri Lanka.
During the 1860s, a universal blight that destroyed Sri Lanka’s extensive coffee plantations led to the cultivation of tea instead. Plants imported from India flourished in the crisp, damp air of the central highlands, and large tracts of the hill country were hurriedly cleared by waves of British settlers attracted by the possibilities of the island’s so-called ‘green gold.’ Fortunes were rapidly made as Sri Lanka’s highland environment was transformed within two decades, from thick jungle to endless swathes of manicured tea bushes that continue to blanket the hill country today.
How tea is made
Tea begins its journey from hillside to cup with a gentle tug between the thumb and forefinger of one of the island’s thousands of Tamil tea pluckers. The freshly gathered leaves (only the topmost bud and two leaves are plucked in order to guarantee the freshness and purity of the resultant tea) are promptly carried off to the nearest tea factory. The leaves are first withered in blasts of hot air to remove excess moisture, then rolled and crushed to release any remaining sap and trigger fermentation. After a carefully calculated length of time, the leaves are fired in huge ovens to produce bulk black tea, and sifted into different-sized particles. This entire process, from bush to finished tea, takes no more than 24 hours.
Sri Lanka tea plantation tours
A number or tea factories and estates in Sri Lanka’s Hill Country offer informative tours for visitors. West of Kandy, at the venerable Geragama Tea Factory, you can observe how plants are grown in the estate and discover how different types of tea are produced in the factory, before enjoying tea and a slice of cake.
Heading south towards Nuwara Eliya, the Blue Field Tea Factory at Ramboda offers comprehensive tours detailing the manufacturing process, and a variety of different teas are available to purchase. Not far away, at the Damro Labookellie Tea Centre, you can take a tour, stroll through the verdant plantations, or just stop for a reviving cup of tea.
At the 19th-century Pedro Tea Factory, north of Nuwara Eliya, you can visit the tea fields and factory before taking in views of the estate as you sip a refreshing brew. Further south, Dambatenne Tea Factory outside the town of Haputale offers enlightening tours explaining the production process and is within easy reach of Lipton’s Seat where you can enjoy panoramic views of the historic plantations as you savor, you guessed it, a restorative cup of tea.
Discover the beauty of the tea country hills around surrounding Nuwara Eliya.
Ready to take a trip to Sri Lanka?
SUNGATE LANKA TOURS can plan help plan and arrange a wonderful trip for you in Sri Lanka. Simply get in touch to let us know your ideas for the trip and when you would like to travel our experts will then create a personalized itinerary especially, which you can amend until you’re totally happy with every detail before booking.
This tailor made Sri Lanka Tea tour itinerary is not just a tour that covers the tea plantations. The tour is designed to cover other aspects of what this beautiful Island has to offer particularly to those who enjoy the hill country.
Day 1 BIA To Negombo
Airport Pickup & Transfer to Negombo
Overnight stay in Negombo
On arrival the Bandaranaike International Airport, you would be greeted by the SUNGATE LANKA TOURS representative and transferred to Negombo for the first night of your tour.
Overnight stay at Negombo
Day 2 Negombo to Kandy
Transfer to Kandy
En Route Visit to Royal Botanical Garden of Peradeniya
Day 2 you will transfer to Kandy. En route you will visit the Royal Botanical gardens in Peradeniya.
Overnight stay in Kandy
Day 3 Kandy
Visit to Orange Tea Factory
Late Afternoon Visit to Ambuluwawa
Overnight stay in Kandy
Day 4 Kandy
Transfer to Visit Loolkandura Tea Estate
Walkthrough tea plantations.
Relax at the Hotel
Overnight Stay in Kandy
Day 5 Kandy to Hatton
Transfer to Hatton
Check-Into The Hotel
Overnight stay in Hatton
Day 6 Hatton
Relax at The Hotel
Enjoy Guided Walks through Tea Fields
Tea Tasting Experience and witness the machinery in action
Overnight Stay in Hatton
Day 7 Hatton to Nuwara Eliya
Transfer to Nuwara Eliya
En Route Witness St. Clair and Devon Waterfalls
Overnight Stay in Nuwara Eliya
Day 8 Nuwara Eliya
Join the tea pluckers in a tea plucking experience.
Overnight Stay in Nuwara Eliya
Day 9 Nuwara Eliya to Ella
Morning Visit to Pedro Tea Factory and Estate
Take a Scenic Train Ride to Ella
Visit to Nine Arch Bridge
Overnight Stay in Ella
On day 9 you would be driven to the Nanu oya railway station to board a train to Ella. You would be picked by at the Ella station by the chauffeur driver and transferred to the hotel in Ella. You will visit the Nine Arch Bridge at Ella.
Day 10 Ella
Morning Hike to Little Adam’s Peak
Visit to a Organic Tea Farm
Overnight Stay in Ella
Day 11 Ella to Galle
Visit to Dambatenne Tea Factory
Transfer to Galle
Relax By the Beach
Overnight Stay in Galle
Day 12 Galle to Colombo
Visit to Handunugoda Tea Estate – A low altitude tea plantation famed for ‘Virgin
white teas’
Exploration of Galle Fort
Transfer to Colombo
Overnight Stay in Colombo
Day 13 Colombo
Morning Participate in legendary Colombo Tea Auction
Later Visit to Colombo Tea Academy
Exploration of Colombo City
Overnight Stay in Colombo
Day 14 Colombo to BIA
Airport Transfer
