If you’re looking for a way to take your love for tea to the next level, the field of tea tourism offers an increasing number of options for anyone who would like to travel in the areas best known for turning out tea. What you’re not likely to find — unless I’m missing something — is one central location that gathers together the various tea tourism-related opportunities that are available. It’s not within the scope of the this article to do that, but here are some options that illustrate a few of the possibilities currently available.
In the island nation of Sri Lanka, the home of Ceylon tea, you might want to consider adding Ceylon Tea Trails to your itinerary. It’s located in the central part of the country, in the Bogawantalawa Valley, and the accommodations consist of four refurbished tea planters’ bungalows from the colonial era. As the Web site notes, “guests are absorbed into life on a working tea estate, whilst reveling in five-star luxury” and a variety of activities and excursions are available. For more information about Ceylon Tea Trails, refer to this recent travel article.
If you’d like a similar experience in the tea-growing regions of Assam, India, take a look at the Tea Holidays tours provided by Purvi Discovery. The itinerary includes visits to a number of tea plantations in the area and an opportunity to try your hand at picking tea, among other things. For more on the tours, look here. For additional information, including some background on the Chang Bungalows used for accommodations, look here.
Speaking of islands that are well known for their tea, there’s Taiwan, which is best known for turning out assorted and sundry varieties of oolong tea. In the Wulai region of northern Taiwan is the Chu-Lung Resort, renowned for its hot springs and more recently for some of its tea-related attractions. Among these are a menu of dishes that are made with tea and the option to soak in baths flavored with – you guessed it. More at their Web site (if you read Taiwanese) or at this site maintained by the government of Taiwan.
Additional Resources:
Glenburne Tea Estate & Boutique Hotel, Darjeeling, India
Heritance Tea Factory, Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
China Tea Tours, by Chinese tea specialists, Seven Cups
Darjeeling Tea Tours
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