Destinations: India

India’s remarkably diverse tea lands are the perfect destination for holiday vacationers. The cool hill stations in the Nilgiris in South India, the gentle slopes of Assam, and the rugged, picturesque gardens of North India each offer a unique tea culture and cuisine. Our Destinations offers an introduction to plan your tea tourism itinerary.

Assam

Altitude: 500-1000m
Ideal stay: Pick either Jorhat or Dibrugarh as your starting point with 2-3 days at each place. Spring (March-April) is ideal.
How to get there: By air to Guwahati, the capital city or to Jorhat and Dibrugarh

Don’t Miss the Wildlife

There are several wildlife sanctuaries; topping the list is Kaziranga, the state’s most famous sanctuary. If in Jorhat, don’t miss the Hoollongapar Gibbon sanctuary, home to the Hoolock gibbons and the slow loris.

Go to the Villages

Assam has a rich textile-weaving culture, which needs to be protected, preserved, and nurtured. Food and local produce are big attractions, making kitchens and mealtimes worth traveling for.

Go for Golf

The first golf course outside England appeared in Assam in 1876 in Jorhat. Today, Assam has 21 golf courses, most of which are inside or near tea estates. Sidheshwar Singh of Assam Tours & Travels organizes a tea and golf tour for those interested. It promises phenomenal views and the bonus of low green fees!

Pay Homage to the Mighty River

The Brahmaputra is Assam’s lifeline, originating in Tibet and snaking down Arunachal Pradesh before entering the state. The river feeds the land, making it fertile. To make your acquaintance with the river, consider a 7-night river cruise by the Assam Bengal Navigation (assambengalnavigation.com). It begins in Guwahati and goes upstream to Kaziranga. The Brahmaputra is truly magnificent, and the amount of wildlife you get to see along the way, especially Kaziranga, is amazing, says Antara Phukan of Assam Bengal Navigation. The cruise is about the lahe life, a slow life, a slow experience. The river changes course every year, says Phukan, making the cruise an exploratory journey.

Assam’s tea origins

Margherita in Tinsukia is home to the Singpho tribe, who played an important role in India’s tea history. The community offers an eco-tourism facility, the Singpho Eco Lodge. This is a place to see how Chinese tea influences have come in. While here, do try the signature smoked tea, falap.

Darjeeling

Altitude: 2,050 meters.
Ideal stay: 2-3 days. The best time to visit is April to June.
How to get there: Fly to Bagdogra, travel by car or bus, or hop on the Siliguri-Darjeeling small-scale tourist rail cars.

Darjeeling, in West Bengal, is famous worldwide for its vistas, its monasteries, and its remarkable mix of tea estates.

Take long walks 

Darjeeling is also home to rich flora and fauna. Spring arrives with a great big bloom of rhododendrons, itself worth a visit. With varying altitudes from Siliguri all the way to the high hills, nature trails are plenty. Ask your hosts about possible trails. At the Reyso Home Stay, Ujwal Chetri draws guests a map or joins them on the walk. He recommends the village walk, calling these villages “Darjeeling’s biggest secret” and “places still lost in time.”

Darjeeling Walks lists several walking options, including a Tea Plucker’s Day, where guests can meet and interact with tea pluckers, tour a factory, and do a tea tasting. To ensure that workers are not disturbed while at work, the interaction is planned for when the plucking has finished, and the women bring the leaves to be weighed.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, aka the Toy Train

This is a tourist favorite and runs from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling on a route that takes all day. Most tourists ride between Darjeeling and Ghoom, which is India’s highest railway station. There’s a small museum here; while locals agree more could be offered or done to promote this historic railway, it ranks in every local’s list of everything special about Darjeeling. Anirban Dutta of Darjeeling Walks recommends more scenic routes between Sukhna, Kurseong, and Sukhna to Ghoom.

Seek the Kanchenjunga

Every local has a favorite spot to see the Kanchenjunga and every sighting is considered special. So, ask your hosts or local guides for their recommendations.

A town filled with history

From the stories of the British East India Company to the older history of Tibet, Nepal, and Sikkim to the arrival of many communities, Darjeeling’s tea history is rich and filled with intrigue. Try a history/heritage walk.

Visit the Dooars

The Dooars are the doorway to Bhutan in the sub-Himalayan foothills in West Bengal. Tea is one of its main economies, yet it’s not on the tea travelers’ map. Perhaps this is because it’s largely a CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) producing region, which gets traded rather than branded and sold. But the Dooars is a place of great scenic beauty, and much of its tourism hinges on that. For an immersive tea-focused experience, head to the Nuxalbari Tea Estate, run by Sonia Jabbar. Check if you can sign up for their 3-day tea course before you go.

Nilgiris

Altitude: 1800m
Ideal stay: 3-4 days. Good time to visit is December to May.
How to get there: Fly to Coimbatore and by road to the Nilgiris.

Plan your tea trail

A stay at a tea estate like Mango Range or Tranquilitea will make a tea tour more accessible since your hosts can plan it. Do ask about tours to the forests in the region, and while here, do make time to visit the Jail Museum in Naduvattom in Gudalur, where Chinese prisoners of war were once housed.

Ride on the Train

The Nilgiris Mountain Railway is over a century old and continues to delight visitors. It begins at Mettupalayam in the foothills and makes its way through a marvelously scenic route to Coonoor and on to Ooty or Udhagamandalam.

MUNNAR

Altitude: 1500m
Ideal stay: 3-4 days. Avoid the monsoon (June-August)
How to get there: Fly to Kochi and by road to Munnar.

Walks and wildlife

The most convenient way to access tea tours or nature walks is to book a tea bungalow accommodation, which allows your hosts to plan these activities. The three big tea companies are the Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Pvt. Ltd., Harrisons Malayalam Ltd. (HML), and Tallayar Estate, and each offers tourism as a service. KDHP and HML also house a tea museum for those interested in the town’s history. Another working estate that grows cardamom, not tea, is the Windamere, where guests can enjoy an afternoon tea service.

Trek up to Kollukumalai

About 30 km from Munnar is Kolukkumalai, a tea estate that’s over a century old. Kollukumalai’s claim to tea fame is that it’s located at the highest altitude for a tea estate in India, at 7900 ft.

Kangra

Altitude: 733m
Ideal stay: 3-4 days, avoid the monsoon (July-September)
How to get there: Fly to Gaggal airport or Chandigarh and by road to Palampur or Dharamsala

The Great Outdoors

Kangra is accessible nearly all year round, with spring and winter being especially beautiful. Bir is famous for paragliding. But for those who want to quietly commune with nature, this is a perfect place.

For Culture and Calm

Kangra brings together various communities, such as the Pahadi, Gaddi, Tibetan, and Punjabi, and each has contributed to the region’s vibrancy and distinct culture. The Tibetan community in exile is based here, with McLeod Ganj being home to the exiled leader, His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. There are several Buddhist temples, monasteries, and the Norbulingka Institute here. Kangra is also home to ancient temples like the Masrur rock-cut temples.

Writer, editor, columnist, tea reporter, and running Copac Media, a creative consultancy. Her interests are history and literature, and their influence on contemporary society. Aravinda has published with Penguin Random House (India).