Ceylon Tea Trails: Waking up in the Heart of a Tea Plantation

Imagine waking up to the first few rays of sunlight reflecting over a large lake surrounded by lush vegetation and green tea plantations. Imagine walking on the wet grass accompanied by peaceful silence and the chirp of an early bird. A first cup of one of the best teas in the world and the aroma of freshly made hoppers (hot pancakes with eggs) bring you back to reality, and you realize that it's not a dream, that you are in one of the cozy bungalows of Ceylon Tea Trails, in Sri Lanka.

Originally built between 1850 and 1925 as housing for the foremen of the area's tea plantations, Ceylon Tea Trails is composed of a total of five British colonial-style bungalows, situated at an altitude of 1,400 meters, around Castlereagh Lake and among the tea plantations of the Bogawantalawa Hills in the Dimbula region of central Sri Lanka. Staying in one of the Ceylon Tea Trails bungalows is like staying in a piece of Sri Lankan history.

In the early 19th century, Sri Lanka was known for its coffee plantations, but in 1870, a plague wiped out this business. It was then that the Scotsman James Taylor planted a smuggled tea seed from China in an area near Kandy. The suitable climatic conditions in that part of the island led to the flourishing of a productive industry that exports more than 350 million kilos of tea to the world today.

The main plantations are in the Dimbula region, and it is there that the traveler can enjoy all the beauty, colors, and light of the Sri Lankan mountain landscape. Plantations, bushes, lakes, waterfalls, small villages, and temples turn your stay in the Ceylon Tea Trails into an enjoyable experience through its nature, culture, spirituality, community, and gastronomy.

The bungalows are located 4.5 hours from the capital, Colombo, and 2.5 hours from Kandy if you drive, although the best option is undoubtedly a seaplane that lands directly on the lake. Each bungalow consists of 4 to 5 rooms and suites. Each one is unique, different, and named after the plantation foremen who lived in the bungalows.

A careful interior design that merges wood, furniture, canopy beds, and bathtubs typical of the colonial style of the early twentieth century with the upholstery, carpets, and prints of classic English style. In addition, each room is decorated with paintings and lithographs, history books, and antiques to admire in the evening, by the fireplace, while sipping a glass of whiskey.

The five bungalows are 2 to 15 kilometers from each other, a distance that can be covered through fascinating trails, on foot, by bicycle, or navigating the lake by kayak. During your stay, a visit to the plantations and the Dunkeld Tea Factory, owned, like Ceylon Tea Trails, by the Ferdinand family, is a must.

In this factory, you can discover all the secrets and types of tea as well as the process of planting, harvesting, pressing, drying, and packaging. Here, the famous Dilmah tea, one of the most prestigious brands in the world, is harvested and packaged. You can end the visit with a tea "tasting" hosted by Bernard Holsinger, the manager of the plantation, who will explain the secrets of this ancient drink, putting the icing on the cake for your stay.