Tea Plantations in Asia: Sikkim, Sri Lanka & Malaysia

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From the Himalayan tea gardens of Sikkim to the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia and Sri Lanka’s hill country, some of our favourite tea plantations in Asia are as memorable for their landscapes and colonial-era hill towns as they are for the tea itself. This is a journey through three we visited, with our original travel memories followed by updated advice for planning a visit.

Our Tea Plantation Travels in Asia

Being British in Asia I have developed an unexpected fascination and sentiment for colonial British hill towns in the region. These quaint British settlements first came about during the old colonial trade routes and with their remote locations often feel timeless with British tradition, architecture, agriculture and, with many, tea cultivation. The original purpose for many hill towns was for settling British to escape the extreme heats of lower lands climbing high into the cooler climates of Asia. While the original British settlers have now long gone the unique and mixed cultures which joined them have not. These influences are often seen best following the maritime trade routes where coastal cities such as Georgetown (Penang) or even Singapore bring a fascinating mix of local Malay, Indian and Chinese cultures. During colonial times the Indian settlers often came as paid labour for the British while the Chinese arrived as traders and to sell services. For this post I will follow the higher settlements and go in search of hill stations and tea plantations in Asia. Here are three of our favourites to date.

Freshly picked tea leaves at Temi Tea Garden in Sikkim, India.

Train journey through Sri Lanka’s hill-country tea-growing region — A train weaving through Sri Lanka’s green tea-growing hills.

Boxes of tea packed for distribution at the Temi Tea Factory in Sikkim — Tea packaged for distribution at the Temi Tea Factory in Sikkim.

Temi Tea Garden, Sikkim, India

While original plans were for the more obvious Darjeeling tea plantations in India the visit coincided with the Gorkhaland protests when the region was shut down to visitors. Instead we push further and higher into the Sikkim region of India and the Himalaya foothills.

While I regret missing Darjeeling the tea plantations at the Temi Tea Gardens were no doubt fascinating and being low season we find no tourists whatsoever. However the remote location of the Temi Tea Gardens make them hard to reach and we find the closest major settlement to be Gangtok a major British trade town between Tibet and the lower lands of India. From Gangtok the Temi Tea Gardens take a further three hour drive and we spend the night at the Cherry Resort; the only hotel in the area. The tea plantations here are harvested traditionally by hand and local tea pluggers join the slopes from 7am through to 4pm daily. While the Temi Tea Factory rarely allows visitors I was able to use my clout as a travel blogger to get a factory tour (it was cleaning day and the manager was bored..).

Tea pickers working on the green slopes of Temi Tea Garden, Sikkim — Tea workers picking leaves on the steep slopes of Temi Tea Garden.

Morning journey of tea pickers across the hills at Temi in Sikkim — Tea pickers crossing the hills on their morning journey in Sikkim.

Terraced green tea fields in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas — Terraced tea fields stretching into the Himalayan foothills.

Exterior of the Temi Tea Factory in Sikkim — Outside the Temi Tea Factory, Sikkim.

Tea factory manager guiding our visit at Temi Tea Estate — Meeting the tea factory manager during our visit to Temi Tea Estate.

BOH Tea Plantation in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

With a not-so-far location from both Kuala Lumpur or Georgetown (Penang); the Cameron Highlands is a more accessible option for visiting Tea Plantations in Asia.

Unfortunately this does mean it is more touristy with seemingly endless exhibitions of strawberries, flowers and the other colonial British influences which decorate the region’s hillsides. In parts the area has become overly themed but the Boh Tea Plantation fortunately avoids this and remains relatively quiet, untouched and authentic.

On our visit we focus less on the Tea Plantations and more on the British experience staying at a colonial heritage hotel to indulge in British comfort foods, surrounded by British nostalgia.

The Cameron Highlands are undoubtedly beautiful with rolling hills, old English cottages, smoking chimneys and strawberry fields. A home away from home. The hill towns of Tanah Rata and Brinchang make the best base for travel in the area and cheap taxi tours will cover the Boh Tea Plantations where they have a free tea factory tour. Harvesting is more modern at the Boh Tea Plantation using machinery to trim down tea bushes and the leaves are then plucked off site.

Fanfan among the tea-covered hills of the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia — Fanfan among the green tea plantations of Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands.

Taxi parked near the BOH tea plantation in Cameron Highlands — A taxi parked near the BOH tea plantation in the Cameron Highlands.

View over Cameron Highlands from the historic Lutheran Mission bungalow — Views over the Cameron Highlands from the old Lutheran Mission bungalow.

Colonial-style architecture at Cameron Highlands Resort in Malaysia — Colonial architecture at Cameron Highlands Resort in Malaysia.

Lamb cutlets served during our stay at Cameron Highlands Resort — Lamb cutlets served during our stay in the Cameron Highlands.

Tea Plantations around Ella and Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

Known as “Little England” locally Nuwara Eliya was once a popular sanctuary for British civil servants and tea planters in Sri Lanka. It was also our first ever tea plantation visit in Asia and, along with Sri Lanka’s spice trade, is what first piqued my interest in British trade routes.

On our visit we travel unplanned following an unexpected detour from a Tsunami Evacuation on the South Coast of Sri Lanka.

Our destination would be the small hill town of Ella and our travels follow an 8 hour journey with multiple rickshaws and a sweaty, fear filled local bus. A much easier route would be the train journey between the cultural capital of Kandy which was originally established to transport tea between Nuwara Eliya and the lower regions of Sri Lanka. The Ella Train Station offers the perfect example of Britishness. Staying in Ella the local rickshaw drivers offer cheap tours of Tea Plantations, the Halpewatte Tea Factory and the scenic views of the deep valleys below.

Tea fields on the hills around Ella in Sri Lanka — Tea plantations covering the hills around Ella in Sri Lanka.

View over tea gardens and valleys from our hotel in Ella — Looking out over tea plantations and valleys from our Ella hotel.

Tea plantations and green mountain scenery around Ella, Sri Lanka — The lush tea-covered mountains around Ella in Sri Lanka.

Historic Ella railway station in Sri Lanka’s hill country — Ella railway station in Sri Lanka’s tea-growing hill country.

Train travelling through the tea-growing hill country between Ella and Kandy — A train winding through the tea country between Ella and Kandy.

Planning a Visit to These Tea Plantations Today

These are memories from our own earlier travels, so the accommodation, transport and visitor arrangements described above belong to those journeys. If you are following in our footsteps, use the current information from each estate before travelling rather than assuming a factory tour or a particular hotel is still available.

Visiting Temi Tea Garden in Sikkim

Temi lies in southern Sikkim near Namchi. The Namchi district government guide places it about 20 km from Namchi, while the estate itself describes garden walks and factory tours. Arrange permission and confirm availability before setting off, and check Sikkim entry and travel requirements as an international visitor. For the full story of our night there, see our Temi Tea Garden travel journal.

Visiting BOH Tea Plantation in Cameron Highlands

The Cameron Highlands are easy to include in a longer Malaysia itinerary from Kuala Lumpur or Penang, although the winding approach roads can become busy. Check the official BOH visitor information for the latest access, opening arrangements and on-site activities. Our original stay focused as much on the old hill-station atmosphere as on the plantation itself.

Visiting Tea Factories near Ella, Sri Lanka

Ella is a useful base for plantation views and tea-factory visits in Sri Lanka’s hill country. The Uva Halpewatte Tea Factory, around 6 km from Ella according to the operator, offers a tea-tour experience. Check directly for visiting arrangements, especially around holidays and working schedules. You can also follow our southern Sri Lanka travel journal for the journey that led us here.

More Tea, Hill Stations and Himalayan Travels

Continue through our Gangtok and Sikkim travels, Himalayan food experiences and Sikkim travel guide. Each is part of the same early journeys that sent us searching for tea estates, hill towns and the remnants of old trade routes across Asia.

For more of Malaysia’s hill-station scenery, see our Cameron Highlands Resort experience.

Tea Plantations in Asia