Visits to tea factories and tea plantations excursions are very popular among travelers going on vacation to Sri Lanka. Except of soaking up on Sri Lanka’s beaches, you can visit some of tea estates and learn how different varieties of tea are produced. The most famous mountain plantations are in the city of Nuwara Eliya or the neighboring Nuri region.
Check this detailed travel guide to Nuwara Eliya tea plantations; you’ll find information about best day tours, ticket prices, best time to visit, hotels to stay nearby and other details for first timers.
Book a train trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya with a visit to the tea factory here.
You can buy a train ticket from Kandy to Ella or back on the Viator website at the lowest price ( here ).
Nuwara Eliya – Sri Lanka’s Tea Center
Nuwara Eliya has been considered the capital of Sri Lanka’s tea industry since the 19th century. The first tea bush was planted here in 1824.
But the tea boom in Sri Lanka began only 40 years later when many coffee plantations suffered from the disease. You can learn more about the history of British Ceylon by visiting tea plantations and factories.
The houses from the colonial era are well preserved there, with beautiful and well-groomed lawns and gable roofs. Nuwara Eliya is located in the highest mountains of Sri Lanka. Tourists who come here will be able to visit not only tea estates, but some of the most beautiful waterfalls in Sri Lanka.
Tea bushes require special climatic conditions, a certain soil moisture and sunlight. The taste of leaves is influenced by combinations of chemical elements in the soil and many other important indicators.
Sri Lankan mountain slopes, located in the central regions of the island has all these climatic conditions. It is interesting to note that there is only one botanical species of the tea bush, diverse tastes are determined only by weather conditions, soil composition, methods of collection, fermentation and processing.
Excursions to Different Nuwara Eliya Tea Plantations
Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka has a sufficient number of tea factories, some of which boast a 100-year history. You can visit the famous tea plantations owned by Blue Field Tea. This company is located 20 km north of Nuwara Eliya.
They own vast territories planted with tea bushes. The tea produced by Blue Field Tea company is of high quality and is exported to many countries around the world.
You can visit this factory by joining one of day tours and see with your own eyes how the tea leaves are dried, pressed and subsequently transformed into a first-class drink. After that, you will be invited to visit the so-called “tea room”.
There, you can learn how to properly brew tea and how to distinguish different varieties of this drink.
Closer to Nuwara Eliya is another tea estate owned by Pedro Tea. It is located 3.5 km from Nuwara Eliya, with many tea bushes growing on the nearby hills. This factory is not as impressive as Blue Field and there are much fewer tourists. Not far from the tea plantation there is a waterfall.
One of the most popular tea plantations in Nuwara Eliya is Damro Labookellie Tea Center, formerly Mackwoods. The territory of the oldest tea center has more than 5000 hectares.
It is a place of production of white and black teas, they are produced from tea bushes that are grown here. Here, green tea is also produced, but raw material is brought to the factory from other tea plantations.
There are about 1000 pickers working there, 700 of whom are women. Average pickers’ monthly salary is about $140.
If you don’t have special preferences, then it doesn’t matter which tea factory to visit in Sri Lanka. Technology and equipment are the same almost everywhere. But the trip to tea plantations is a must-do in Sri Lanka.
Book a day tour to tea plantations in Nuwara Eliya
Get Your Guide booking service offers the following day tours to tea plantations in Nuwara Eliya:
Nuwara Eliya Tea Plantations Discounted Tours
Day tour to tea plantations with visits to waterfalls, Hanuman Temple, Victoria Park and Lake Gregory.
Day tour to the tea plantations with a visit to Horton Plains and Bakers Falls.
In any season, take a bag with warm clothes. The annual air temperature in the mountainous region ranges from + 14-17 °C.
Things to Know Before Visiting Tea Factory
Tea factories are usually open from 10 am to 5 pm. On Sundays, many factories are closed, so it’s better to plan your visit during weekdays.
Photo and video shooting may be prohibited in many factories. To avoid any troubles, it’s better to check with your guide in advance. The duration of the tea factory tour is about 30-40 minutes. It is very noisy and dusty inside the factory.
After getting acquainted with the secrets of production, flavoring, grinding and packaging of leaves, tourists are invited to a tasting tea table with desserts and pastries.
Three dozen fragrant varieties are brewed for guests. Also visit factory tea stores that offer even wider selection: tea is sold in traditional sealed tins, in gift boxes, in beautiful wooden caskets.
Flavored teas are placed in ceramic vessels made in the form of fruits that impart smell and taste to the drink – lemons, bananas, apples, papaya, oranges, etc.
How to get to Nuwara Eliya
From Colombo
Nuwara Eliya is located 160 km east of island’s capital Colombo. It is more convenient to get to the tea city from the capital of the island country by train.
Trains depart from 05:55 several times a day. The trip will last for 7 hours. Ticket prices range from 240 rupees (III class, you risk driving without a seat) to 1000 rupees in comfortable first class. These cars have sleeping places, large panoramic windows.
On the way, you will see the endless terraces of the best tea plantations in Nuwara Eliya, located on the steep mountain slopes, so Sri Lanka train trip is a great adventure. Get off at Nanu Oya station.
A hundred meters from the platform there is a bus stop heading to Nuwara Eliya (ticket – 30 rupees). A tuk-tuk will take you a little faster, but the price is more expensive.
From Kandy or Ella to Nuwara Eliya
Nuwara Eliya is located 80 km from Kandy and 60 km from Ella. The journey will take 2 to 3 hours. You can get to your destination by tuk-tuk or go to Nuwara Eliya by train. You can find the current train schedule and travel time on the official website of Sri Lanka rail transportation.
There is a regular bus from Colombo to Nuwara Eliya that will get you to the destination point in 6 hours, the ticket price is 240 rupees. Please note, the road runs along mountain serpentines so you can get sick.
If you would like to go by taxi to Nuwara Eliya from Colombo Airport, you need to negotiate with the driver. The price starts from $100. Be persistent and you’ll have a chance to agree on $40-50.
For independent excursions to the surrounding tea plantations in Nuwara Eliya, you can rent a motorbike (1500 rupees / day), or hire a tuk-tuk. You can also bargain with a driver and enjoy 6-hours trip for 2500 LKR.
Best Time to Visit Nuwara Eliya
If you don’t want heavy rains to spoil your trip, it is recommended to travel to Nuwara Eliya in period from February till May. The air temperature during this time is not so high, but it does not rain often.
In April, Sri Lanka celebrates the New Year. It is accompanied by various traditional events, a bright show of flowers. Hotel prices skyrocket during this time.
In general, in Nuwara Eliya, the temperature is kept within + 15-16 degrees Celsius all year round. The only thing is that you should not visit it in the period from June till November, as this is the season of heavy rains.
| Month | Temperature (high/low) | number of rainy days |
| January | 21°/ 12° | 9 |
| February | 22°/ 12° | 12 |
| March | 24°/ 12° | 10 |
| April | 23°/ 13° | 21 |
| May | 23°/ 14° | 29 |
| June | 23°/ 15° | 15 |
| July | 22°/ 14° | 15 |
| August | 21°/ 14° | 16 |
| September | 21°/ 13° | 22 |
| October | 20°/ 13° | 30 |
| November | 21°/ 12° | 14 |
| December | 20°/ 12° | 22 |
Bets Hotels to Stay in Nuwara Eliya
There are many accommodation options in Nuwara Eliya you can choose from for any budget.
You can stay at 4-star Galway Heights Hotel.
Another 4-star hotel in Nuwara Eliya is Queenswood Cottage.
If you’re looking for more budget friendly option, Pigeons Nest is the one for you. This Nuwara Eliya hotel is a 10-minute walk from Lake Gregory.
If you are ready to spend money and want to stay in a 5-star hotel in Nuwara Eliya, you can choose one of the following options: Heritance Tea Factory, Araliya Red, Kent Cottage.
