“you’ll appreciate tea in a new light…”
The essential Tea Trails experience. Our Resident Tea Planter will show you first hand, the tea making process, starting from the fields where it all begins with the picking of “two leaves and a bud” to the factory where the all important conversion to "made" black tea happens.
Suited for all, free of charge. Please note that the tea factory can be noisy and dusty at times, which may deter small children.
Tennis
Play Tennis at Tientsin Bungalow’s clay court, reminiscent of British planters having an afternoon game after a hard morning in the fields and factory. Choose to have Lunch or High Tea at Tientsin Bungalow.
No charge.
Adventure
a. Rafting
“feel the rush of rapids in a lush
tropical setting”
After coming off the slopes
of Adam's Peak, the clear waters of the Kelani River wind their way through the
Hill Country of Sri Lanka before emptying into the Indian Ocean. Your adventure
starts at a beautiful nature base in Kitulgala about 2 hours from Ceylon Tea
Trails.
After a safety briefing and a
few pointers on rafting technique, you’ll jump right into the action. Seven
high quality, class III rapids and warm water make the Kelani a premier
introduction to the sport of
whitewater or an exciting
choice for experienced rafters. Tea Trails works with the premier adventure
sports company in Sri Lanka that meets international safety standards.
What’s
included: approximately 1.5 hours of Rafting, all equipment, experienced guide
from the base, transfers from and to Tea Trails, picnic lunch.
b.
Adventure Blue Magpie Trekking
On the trail of the illusive Blue
Magpie, a hike through Mooray estate, stop by to view 6 waterfalls, picnic
lunch on the banks of a river. The blue Magpie which is endemic to
Sri Lanka is a threatened species which is sought after by bird enthusiast.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka_blue_magpie
Start by 8.30 am, from Norwood
bungalow.
15Km walk to Moray estates via
Upcot or 18km walk to Bluemagpie huts.
Cross the Maskeliya reservoir
by boat- 700m
Take a dip in a rainforest
rock pool
Followed by a picnic lunch, back to the bungalow by vehicle.
c. Belilena Cave Trail
The Cave trail & a glimpse in to
pre historic times, holds evidence of a lost generation of Sri Lankans. At this time the cave was occupied by Balangoda Man, described as Homo sapiens balangodensis , who found ten skeletons of these people. They lived 2,000 feet above sea level more than 32,000 years ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belilena
Leave after breakfast. 8km
trekking to the cave. Back to the bungalow by vehicle.
1.5 hrs drive and two hours walk to the cave.
Have picnic at the site and way back to the
bungalow by vehicle.
d. Scenic Train and Bike Trails
Leave at 6.15am from the bungalow.
Train ride to Great western 1 hour approximately by slow
train (3rd class tickets only).
e. Hiking
Explore mountains around our bungalows
above 5000ft with picnic lunch in a scenic location.
f. Adam’s Peak tour with rainforest experience
Climb Sri Pada/Adams peak
from Nallathani & take the en-route trail to the fishing huts at Mooray
Estate. An invigorating dip in a mountain stream followed by a picnic
lunch on the banks of the river.
Main attractions
Sri
Pada/Adam’s Peak
Iconic
rainforest vegetation with different fauna.
Streams with endemic fish
Waterfalls
Plan of the activity
Start by
5am, 1hr drive to the base from our bungalows
2.5hrs
ascending
Walk back to Fishing huts through the
forest. - 4kms walk
Take a rainforest bath at fishing huts.
Have picnic lunch at the site.
Back to the bungalow.
4. Water
Trails
a. Kayaking
“Go with the flow!”
Enjoy magnificent views of tea-carpeted mountains as you paddle along the Castlereagh lake. Burn off the afternoon cream teacalories with an hour of kayaking. Do take a
pashmina or cardigan with you as it could get chilly.
Please be sensible and safe: life jackets should be worn at all times. Never go boating while under the influence of alcohol. Carry
a dry bag and plenty of sunscreen with you. A spare paddle and whistle is also
issued. Do not stand up in a Kayak.
Kayaks can carry two people. A Tea Trails guide will accompany you
in the same kayak or separately.
Kayaking is permitted between 6am and 6pm, subject to water levels.
Total area of the lake is
2.78 km2, length 5.65 km approx., width 1.34
Castlereagh to Summerville for lunch or
afternoon cream tea, 20 minutes each way.
Norwood to Castlereagh bike ride (1.5 hours/12km) and then kayaking to an
island for picnic lunch (40 minutes/1.4km).
2
hours kayaking along the reservoir, 4km with guide. Travel from Summerville or
Castlereagh to Norwood for lunch or afternoon cream tea.
Or start
from Norwood and dine at Castlereagh or Summerville. Return to your bungalow by
Tea Trails vehicle.
b. Catamaran
Guests
can experience the traditional catamaran boat with local fisherman.
2 guests
can allocate per boat
c. Catamaran
ride and picnic lunch on island
Separate
catamaran experience for guests with local fisherman
Arrange picnic lunch at the island.
d. Fishing excursions.
Use catamaran to ride one of the islands
Hop in an island
Do fishing for 2 hours
Max 2 packs
c. Lake
cruise
A cruise on the lake with a
champagne lunch or brunch
Max
4
Start- 12.30pm From Summerville or Castlereagh bungalows
Duration - one hour on the boat.
Advance reservation required.
Sunset lake cruise with
cocktails & canopies
Duration 5-5.45pm
Starting from Castlereagh or Summerville bungalows.
Advance reservation required.
Bird Trails
@
Start-
6am, back to the bungalow for lunch.
Tea field bird trails
Birding walk will be duration of 3 hours
Horton Plains
Scenic trails and
tours
“being a part of this surreal landscape is just astounding!”
Walking is a delightful way of experiencing the varied landscapes, lush and exotic flora, abundant birdlife and the sweet rhythm of life in a tea garden.A leisurely walk or an adventure trek provides rewards of vistas of mountain lakes, the verdant, beautifully manicured hillside tea gardens, forests and doll's house villages.
RECOMMENDED TRAILS FOR HIKING AND BIKING
Starting from Castlereagh
Bungalow
The
"C2" trail
The "C4" trail
Starting from Summerville
Bungalow
The “S1” trail
The "S2" trail
Starting from Norwood Bungalow
The “N1” trail
The "N2" trail
Starting from Tientsin
Bungalow
The "T1" trail
The "T2" trail
Starting from Dunkeld Bungalow
The D1 Trail
The D2 Trail
Bungalow to Bungalow walks.
Reward yourself with lunch or
afternoon cream tea on arrival.
Norwood to Castlereagh Bungalow – the 12 km walk will take approximately
Norwood to Tientsin Bungalow
– the 16 km walk will take approximately 3.5 hours.
Nuwaraeliya
Nuwara Eliya, 48km from Tea Trails, was first conceived as a health resort - a 'hill station' in British colonial jargon - about 1825.
After Nuwara Eliya was 'discovered' by a British
hunting party in 1819, Sir Samuel Baker, the well- known explorer, fell under its spell in 1846 and planning to make it his
home, imported to Nuwara Eliya all the appointments of an English country town, including a
bailiff, Hereford and Durham
cows, and even a blacksmith and a forge. Others
were quick to appreciate Nuwara Eliya's ruggedly picturesque location and soft English-spring climate.
Both road and rail approaches
to Nuwara Eliya are spectacularly beautiful; both routes hug narrow mountain
passes to make the 6,000-foot climb in rather terrifying gradients. And in this
case, it is as good to arrive as to journey. The air is cold and intoxicatingly fresh, blowing clean and cold from the high cloud-crowned Pidurutalagala ranges scented with
cypress and faintly mentholated, with wild mint and eucalyptus.
One doubts whether a more
correct and precisely English institution than the Hill Club can ever be found
- in England or outside. Old hunting prints, stuffed fish and
Constance Spry flower arrangements adorn
its dim interiors, gleaming with polished oak. Churchill stares down
belligerently from the bar-room wall and
Annigoni's first portrait of the Queen
still hangs in the lounge. The post-office
with its clock-spire is authentic English; so is the
war memorial and the lovely old Anglican church.
The jewel in the crown of Nuwara Eliya is the 117-year old 18 hole
championship golf course in the heart of the town. At 1890 metres above sea
level, the course features fir
lined fairways & bunkers and
is one of the most naturally
scenic in the world. Par 71 18 holes 6056 yards 5520 metres. You have the option of enjoying a scenic train journey from Hatton via Great Western & Talawakelle to Nanu Oya, the
closest railway station to Nuwara Eliya, which is about 10 km away. Your van
meets you at Nanu Oya to complete the journey. Return to Tea Trails by van.
What’s Included? Road
Transfers and Train Ticket, Picnic Lunch, Guide. Entrance Fees to Hakgala
Botanical Garden, Victoria Park and Lake Gregory.
Uda Walawe
National park.
Duration:
Full day tour
Driving Time: 3.5hrs
each way
Tour starting time: 8am after early breakfast.
What’s included: Vehicle/ Guide/
Tickets/ Lunch/ safari
Places to visit: Milk
feeding at 12-1pm
Lunch at
Udawalawe - Picnic/ Buffet
Safari –
2.30- 6pm
Back to
the bungalow for dinner
Or Leave by 4.00am
Picnic breakfast
Morning safari 8-11am
Elephant milk feeding 12pm
Lunch and return to Bungalow for dinner/ drinks.
Mountain
Biking
“hairpin turns in tea country
mountain biking heaven!”
Ceylon Tea Trails has opened up a world of adventure and discovery in the Bogawantalawa Valley at an altitude of over 1500 metres. The unspoiled beauty of the surrounding valleys and hills are a great biking experience. For adrenalin seekers of different levels of ability, we have mountain bikes in the bungalows for your use. For short distance rides you can go on your own but for longer rides we recommend that you take one of our guides along. Children below 16 years are required to take a guide on any ride.
Transport back to your bungalow from other bungalows can be arranged with prior notice. You can also arrange to have lunch or high tea in another bungalow. Please make a request to your Butler at your bungalow before you depart.
Transport back to your bungalow from other bungalows can be arranged with prior notice. You can also arrange to have lunch or high tea in another bungalow. Please make a request to your Butler at your bungalow before you depart.
Cultural tours
Kandy
The UNESCO World Heritage listed "Sacred City of Kandy" is the second largest city in Sri Lanka and is steeped in political, cultural and religious history and indeed, played a central role in the tea plantation industry once tea production took sway in Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was previously known) in the latter part of the 19th century.
The Kingdom of Kandy was established in the 14th century, becoming the country’s capital city in the 16th century.
Kandy is particularly famous for being home to the Temple of the
Sacred Tooth Relic. Commonly known as the Dalada Maligawa, the temple is
believed to house the left canine tooth retrieved from the Buddha’s funeral
pyre. It is regarded as a symbolic representation of the living Buddha.
Worshipping at the temple
is believed to improve
one's karma immeasurably and the shrine receives a constant flow of
worshippers and tourists alike.
The city is most popular for the spectacular annual pageant known as the
Esala Perahera that takes place in July or August. The Perahera revolves around the Relic of the Tooth of the Buddha being carried through the city in a grand procession involving
colourfully decked elephants, rhythmic
drummers and acrobatic dancers, all of which combine to create a breathtaking
spectacle of sights and sounds.
The importance of Kandy in
the evolution of tea production in Ceylon cannot be understated. Given its
locality nestled in the hills and in close proximity to the tea growing
regions, Kandy was effectively the administrative capital for tea production at
a time when modern transport and roadways had barely evolved even in the
world's leading business centres.
A visit to the Elephant Orphanage
in Pinnawela, about one hour & 30 minutes from Kandy, can be arranged as an
add on to the Kandy program.
Kandy is a picturesque two-hour drive (each way) from Ceylon Tea Trails and a visit to this sacred city is
recommended as a part of your holiday. Depart Ceylon Tea Trails at around 8am after a fortifying breakfast to get to Kandy
by 10am. There is the option of taking the train, chugging through scenic tea
country from Hatton station to Peradeniya, near Kandy and returning by van.
Entrance to the Dalada Maligawa and Botanical Gardens is included. Depart Kandy
at 4pm and unwind at Ceylon Tea Trails with cocktails prior to a gourmet
dinner.
What’s Included? Road Transfers, Picnic Lunch, Guide.
Sigiriya and Dambulla
Sri Pada / Adam’s
Peak
There is probably no mountain anywhere more famous than Sri Pada -
Adam's Peak (7362 ft/2250m) for non-mountain reasons than this. It is sacred to
three religions at least; to Buddhists the human-foot-shaped hollow on the
pinnacle boulder marks one of the personal appearances of the Buddha; the
Muslims believe that the depression marks Adam's expiation of his disobedience
by standing there for an age, on one foot; to the Hindus, by whom the Peak has
been venerated for millennia, its name is Sivan Adi Padham, for it is the
Creative Dance of the god Siva that the 'print' calls to remembrance. Its Sri
Lanka name and sacredness however antedates even Buddhism. The name is Samanala
Kanda; and Saman was a pre-Buddhist god, one of the four Guardian Deities of
the Island. For this reason, the clouds of yellow butterflies who annually
appear and, to the eye of faith, seem to converge from every direction upon the
holy mountain, are called Samanalaya.
For as long as man can conjure, the Peak has been an object not
only of worship but of pilgrimage by kings and commoners. Those who go so far
as to choose to climb the Peak rather than merely observe it - the pilgrim
season is the calm, bright months from January to April - have three
traditional routes available to them: from Ratnapura involving 10 miles on
foot; from Kuruwita 12 miles on foot; and from Maskeliya (near Tea Trails
Norwood Bungalow) about 4 miles on foot, nearly all of it steps. The dawn view
is incredible. Few mountain tops create a comparable impression of isolation or
yield so wide and unimpeded a view. Colombo is clearly visible, the very lights
of Galle Face distinguishable; the light house south-westwise around the coast
from Beruwala to Foul Point are all identifiable.
The sunrise produces the famous spectacle of the Shadow of the
Peak. The north east winds that blow in the pilgrim season have laid, some
thousands of feet below it, a layer of misty cloud. Over this the sun casts the
vast dark triangular shadow of the huge summit pyramid. Its point lies, at
first, upon the infinitely distant horizon, then as the sun waxes, races
backward, foreshortening the shadow, until it is swallowed altogether in the
rock of the peak itself.
A less advertised phenomenon (because it usually occurs outside
the pilgrim season) is also occasionally to be seen: the even more fantastic
spectacle of the so-called 'Spectre of the Brocken.' When the cloud layer
happens to be vertically rather than horizontally piled, the intruder on the
summit terrace occasionally sees before him an enormously magnified image of
all upon it - including himself - often encircled by a halo of rainbow hues.
From this, the heart of the high country, no less than four of the
Island's main rivers (the Mahaveli, the Kalu, the Kelani and the Walawe) spring
from the watershed of which the Peak is, as it were, the spire.
(text from "Handbook for
the Ceylon Traveller", published by Studio Times, Colombo)
The annual pilgrimage to
worship at the summit temple is from December to May, but climbing can be done at
other times of the year too. The peak rises to 2250 meters and has roughly 5000
steps to the top. A most rewarding experience during the pilgrimage season is
the spectacular sunrise.
Leave your Tea Trails
bungalow at 0100 hrs during the pilgrimage season (December to May) and at 0500
hrs at other times. Travel time from the bungalow to the base of mountain is
approximately 1 hour, ascent 3.5 hours, descent 2.5 hours. A Tea Trails guide
will accompany you.
What’s Included: Transfers,
Snacks, Guide
Good fitness level required
Rainforest exploration trail
A hike through the rain
forest, close encounters with the forest fauna, a river boat ride, followed by
lunch, a culinary experience in a village by the forest with ingredients
foraged from the rain forest & prepared in.
1.5hrs drive to from our bungalows
4km walk through the village bordering the
rain forest
4 km walk through the Rainforest to the
waterfall passing numerous streams.
A dip in a rain forest rock pool.
Back to the forest border village.
Lunch
Cross the Kelani River by catamaran.
Picnic at Waterfall
Walk 5km at foot hills of seven virgin
hills of Peak wilderness sanctuary passing small villages can reach the
Laxapana water fall continuing with birding and village experience.
Picnic at the waterfall.
One hour drive – 35km each
way.
Over 600 steps to
walk each way to reach the waterfall.
Cloud forest expedition
Horton plains
Places of interest:
Cloud forests
Bakers falls
Great world’s end
Mini world’s end
Fauna/flora
Include tickets, vehicle,
picnic breakfast and lunch.
Night Trails
Explore tea fields
and natural forest areas or abandoned tea fields by our 4x4 vehicle
