If you're a tea drinker then you may know that Sri Lanka is the worlds 4th largest supplier of tea leaves. I periodically drink tea and didn't know this until we visited a tea plantation for our final few days in Sri Lanka.
After being collected from Taru Villas around 11am we were assured it would be a 4-5 hour drive up into the mountains to reach our next destination. Well, we finally reached our destination in the dark after 7 hours of crawling up the most steep and windy roads you will find. Heavy rain made for a nice change of weather but with a driver on unfamiliar roads it also made for an interesting (yet beautiful) drive.
A word to any future travellers, if the budget allows take the sea plane option to get in and out of the tea trails. We enquired but at $2000 USD we politely declined!
Driving through tea estate after tea estate, we kept hoping we would see the familiar name of Dunkeld Bungalow which is where we were due to rest our heads.
Part of the Ceylon Tea Trails, Dunkeld is one of five villas on the trail, located on Castlereigh Lake and perched high within the tea estate.
We finally reached our destination at about 7pm and thank goodness it was worth the drive. Men ran to the car to greet us with umbrellas and got us inside and checked in before we even knew it, dare I say that they are used to weary travelers after the drive!
The Chef came to see us to check his three course meal for the evening would be acceptable (which of course it was) and we revived ourselves with a G&T on the outdoor verandah listening to the non stop rain.
I was assured by the very polite staff that every day the rain comes in at 2pm but that in the morning it would clear, so we went to sleep exhausted but looking forward to seeing what the next day held.
Waking early the next morning, I couldn't have been more excited to see where we were and I wasn't dissapointed.
True to his word, the rain had cleared and the sun was shining, the mist was visable over the mountains and the beauty of the tea estates opened up below us.
After taking in the views I hurried back to bed in order for tea to be delivered, this is a tradition at the bungalows and the on duty butler will bring your choice of tea right to the room.
Finishing up our tea we headed to the outdoor terrace again (where all the meals are served) for breakfast. Greeted with the bungalows own homemade newspaper (there is no way it could be delivered this remotely) we settled in to the day.
The gardens and views surrounding the bungalow are incredible and with only four rooms it is soo quiet and peaceful you feel like you are the only guests.
Following breakfast we took a walk around the tea plantations, but only after our butler had given us salt water just in case we ran into leeches!
It is an interesting walk, you pass the school and shops which are provided by the estate for the workers and you get a real glimpse of their remote life.
Passing the tea pluckers as you go, watching the ladies sitting on their tea break - literally pouring tea from their flasks, it was quite fascinating.
Wondering what the various signs mean, "men plucking" in particular made me extra curious!
By the time we finished our walk and luckily not needing the leech water we decided a little pool time was called for.
Taking our books and heading for one of the most glorious infinity pools I've seen, we perched ourselves on loungers and took in the views.
Sure enough at about 2pm the clouds rolled over and the sky darkened with the threat of rain, apparently it does this every day!
We decided to end our pool time and head for the obligatory afternoon tea, served on the terrace every afternoon. I can't think of a more civilised activity to do whilst watching the rain roll in over the tea fields.
I chose a lovely rose tea which was beautiful and delicate and was delightful with the tidbits we were served.
Served in one of the largest tea pots I have come across, we drank endless cups of tea, read our books and made friends with our fellow guests.
At the bungalow there are certain traditions to take part in, one is afternoon tea and the other is pre dinner drinks in the library. Starting at 6pm every evening all the guests gather by the fire while the butler makes you a local Arak (Coconut Bourbon) or for me a G&T.
It is truly delightful and something which reminds you of a bygone era, much like most of the trip has done in fact!
Whiling away the evening we awoke to our final morning at Dunkeld, this time taking our morning tea on yet another outdoor verandah.
Before departing we took a tour of the tea factory which was incredibly informative, and out of all the facts we learnt the one that sticks with me most is that men and woman tea pluckers are kept seperate, to avoid any misgivings about the quality of work being done by the men!
The Dunkeld Tea Estate is owned by Dilmah Tea and they are transparent in every piece of information on offer, including the workers salaries.
Following the process from start to finish it is amazing the amount of work that goes into every single cup of tea from the first pluck to the final packaging.
You cannot take for granted a single cup of tea after seeing this process!
Finishing up the tour we jumped into our transport to take us back to Colombo for our flight, not entirely looking forward to the drive ahead but sad to leave this incredible little country full of such heart and soul.
With only a four hour flight from Abu Dhabi to Colombo I do hope we make it back again soon.
Thanks for reading and I hope you will add Sri Lanka to your bucket list!
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