Luxury hotel holidays to Sri Lanka's tea country

The Tea Experience

A visit to a tea factory involves explanation of the tea production process whilst you watch the tea-pluckers work their way along the tea bushes, deftly plucking the tips. There are estates literally everywhere in this area and many open their doors to visitors, giving tours and a chance to sample and purchase the various teas. The road from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is lined with picturesque tea-clad hills and is a key link to numerous tea factories and estates. Where to stay: Any hotels in Tea Country (Hill Club, Jetwing St Andrews, Jetwing Warwick Gardens, Ceylon Tea Trails, Bandarawela Hotel or Kirchhayn Bungalow).

The Bogawantalawa Valley

In the 1870s, Scottish planters discovered the hidden Boganantalawa Valley and proceeded to clear around 4,000 hectares of forest to make way for tea bushes. The Boganantalawa Planters Club in Dickoya, Maskeliya Cricket Club, the Aldie Arms pub and the tea estate bungalows are legacies of this period of Sri Lanka's heritage. A tale or two can also be revealed at the picturesque Warleigh Church, perched over a fan of tea bushes overlooking Castlereagh Reservoir. 80% of the tea in Boganantalawa is of Chinese origin (from an area called Tientsin), the rest is Indian. In the Norwood area, they produce Udawatta tea, and Ranwatta, a golden pick-me-up tea that can be drunk at any time of day.
Where to stay: Ceylon Tea Trails, a collection of bungalows offering luxurious living in High Tea Country.

Sri Pada (Adam's Peak)

At 2,243 metres above sea level, this rugged summit is claimed to be the imprint of the Buddha's footprint. Pilgrims of all four Sri Lankan faiths make the ascent on foot to the peak for different reasons, though it has been an essentially Buddhist place of worship for over a thousand years. The peak is clouded over for most of the year, though clear weather is more likely between December and March, in the early morning. This is a strenuous 3-hour (plus) climb on a well-marked path, mostly steps. We would recommend that you start walking in the middle of the night to arrive at the summit for sunrise.
Where to stay: Ceylon Tea Trails, a collection of colonial bungalows located 1 hour's drive from the start of the walk.

Nuwara Eliya

The ‘Little England' of Sri Lanka is set against beautiful backdrops of mountains, valleys, waterfalls and tea plantations. It is one of the coolest places in the island with high rainfall, and really feels just like an English spring day (16-20C), although the temperature does drop at night (can be around 10C). Nuwara Eliya is full of British influences with houses like country cottages or Queen Ann style mansions. Things to do in Nuwara Eliya include playing golf at the scenic 18-hole golf course complete with quaint Clubhouse; dining at The Hill Club which is like stepping back in time to British colonial days; and strolling and birdwatching in Victoria Park in the middle of town. Nuwara Eliya is famous for its trotting horse races which take place throughout the year of year with the main event being held is in April. Whilst seasons are absent elsewhere in Sri Lanka, in Nuwara Eliya flowers bloom in springtime (March to May) and autumn (August and September), which is when low-country folk flock here to escape the sea level heat and humidity. To the north of the Nuwara Eliya town rises Pidurutalagala, the highest mountain in Sri Lanka, its peak at 2,524m above sea level.
Where to stay: Jetwing St Andrews, a comfortable hotel full of colonial charm; or The Hill Club, a nostalgic step back in time in a mock-tudor mansion.

Around Ambewela

Heading south from Nuwara Eliya you come to Hakgala Botanical Gardens and a minor road climbing to Ambewela. The scenery is one of market gardens, tiny roadside villages, waterfalls, majestic mountains and, of course, tea plantations. Ambewela district is also known as the ‘milk country.' There is a dairy where you can sample cheeses and the area is littered with back-garden cattle sheds and dairy farms. Hakgala Botanical Gardens was founded in 1860 by the British botanist Dr Thwaites, the superintendent of the Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya. Hakgala was initially used to experiment with cinchona, whose bark yielded quinine, esteemed as a tonic and a remedy for malaria. The cool, temperate climate was conducive to the introduction of temperate zone plants so cedars, cypresses and pines, English oak and a Rose garden can still be seen in the park today. Special attractions here are the mountain orchids, many of them endemic to Sri Lanka, and the Fernery. The nearby Sita Eliya Temple is believed to mark the spot where Sita, the heroine from the Indian epic Ramayana, was held captive by her abductor, King Ravana.
Where to stay: Jetwing Warwick Gardens, a tea estate bungalow set amidst stunning majestic mountains.