Did you know the world-famous Ceylon Tea is grown in Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka? You can, in fact, visit the tea estates here which will make for a truly memorable experience.
Planning Your Visit
Located at an elevation of around 1,868 metres, Nuwara Eliya, lies tucked away amidst misty mountains; while you can take a bus to make your trip or hire a vehicle, the more scenic option would be to travel by train amidst spellbinding natural beauty. Look to stay at properties like Araliya Green City that enjoy a central location and make an ideal base for your excursions.
Different Tea Estates
The tea estates here are not only amongst the best places to see in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, but also explore. The Damro Labookellie Tea Factory is one such site to visit and is one of the island’s oldest with a rich tradition of producing Ceylon Tea. You can also visit the Blue Field Tea Garden as well as the Pedro Tea Estate.
In the Plantation
The ideal tea estate experience begins in the tea plantations themselves where you will find a multitude of emerald tea bushes on the slopes. On your tour, you will most often see female tea pluckers hard at work employing the time-honoured technique of picking “two leaves & bud”. Some estates will even let you try tea plucking yourself!
In the Factory
On such tours, you will also get the chance to visit a working tea factory and observe the process of how tea leaves are transformed; this includes aspects such as drying, rolling, oxidising and packing. You may also gain insights into tea tasting which is a specialised part of the process and end your experience with a refreshing cup of pure Ceylon Tea!
