Tea ~::~ Tourism

With the rising desire among people to have more exotic vacations coupled with the rise in the popularity of tea, especially green tea, tea tourism is becoming increasingly popular and finally realizing its potential as an amazing holiday experience. The clean air, the aromatic teas and the fresh international vegetarian food (+egg items) help the guests unwind and relax. Trips to the tea factory with professional tea-tasting sessions are also arranged, giving guests a rare insight into the manufacturing processes of world-class teas. Hiking sessions on the tea slopes and interactions with tea pluckers are especially enjoyed by the guests. 

For accommodation / transportation / stay packages with guided tea related activities please mail us at mailkhorlo@gmail.com or basunil2001@gmail.com or visit our website: http://www.khorlo.in 

Selim Hill is a sprawling organic tea estate located in Kurseong area and in Darjeeling district. It’s perched on a hill slope with varying elevations that rises up to some 3,500ft and facing the mountain on its north. The estate is spread over a gross area of 370 hectares out of which tea plantation is done in 170 hectares. It is spilt into upper and lowers segments and includes four villages. There are over 200 workers employed in the garden. Selim Hill was established in 1870 by a British planter known as Henry. Nobody seems to know why the estate is known as Selim Hill. 

Chamong was also one of the first tea estates to be acquired by the Lohia Group and as such, holds a very special place in our hearts. Amongst the prettiest of our gardens, Chamong’s special charm stems from the presence of the little whistling birds that the Lepchas call “Chamoo,” who gather here in the summer. The estate is comfortably high in the hills and only a little above a third of its 332 hectares is devoted to the organic tea plantation; the rest is virgin forest land that promises thrills and quietude alike to the sensitive visitor seeking a place away from the madding crowd.

Sourenee like most other Darjeeling gardens has an interesting story behind its name. Bjoujit Rai, son of the erstwhile Dakman Rai who was as responsible for the establishment of Darjeeling as Llyod, established Sourenitea garden by planting “Saur”– a kind of medicinal tree which grows in this region, and “Rani” which means ‘the queen of the valley’. A combination of those two words formed the name of the garden. It is a tea garden with a unique scenic beauty. 

Tumsong, the first of the Chiabari Tea Retreats to be open to the public, started out as a tea garden back in 1867 when the German Wernicke brothers, who had just started on the nearby Lingia garden (now a part of the Chamong Group) planted the estate around a temple to Tamsa Devi, a local deity. The temple stands on a steep slope that rises sharply from 2700 ft to 5500 ft and offers fantastic views of the majestic Kanchenjunga and the Golden Valley of Darjeeling. The locals believe that the goddess Tamsa presides over this serene landscape and in fact, they refer to Tumsong as the Garden of Happy Hearts.

For accommodation / transportation / stay packages with guided tea related activities please mail us at mailkhorlo@gmail.com or basunil2001@gmail.com or visit our website: http://www.khorlo.in 

High up in the Eastern Himalayas, nestled next to the Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain peak in the world, Darjeeling is about more than a brand of tea or a holiday in a hill town: it’s an experience best savoured when the tea and holiday come together – at Tumsong, Chiabari (literally meaning “tea-house”). This unique region, located at the northern tip of the state of West Bengal in India, is famous throughout the world for the teas produced in the 80 odd gardens here. Some 5000 feet above the sea level, the landscape turns magical. The pure air, the crisp breeze, the soft misting rain all come together in a wonderland where the tea grows with a finer flavour than anywhere else in the world. Tumsong offers fantastic views of the majestic Kanchenjunga and the Golden Valley of Darjeeling. The tea plants here grow very slowly and flavour the entire estate with their aroma. The locals believe that the goddess Tamsa presides over this serene landscape and in fact, the locals refer to Tumsong as the Garden of Happy Hearts. Come find out why.

Built in 1862, Singtom Tea Estate & Resort is one of India’s first and most famous tea resorts. It is located in Singtom Tea Estate, which is one of Darjeeling’s oldest tea estates, established in 1852. Located only 20 minutes away from Darjeeling, we welcome guests from all over the world to enjoy our hospitality, experience tea tourism at its roots, gaze at the Kanchenjunga, and have Darjeeling’s best teas. Singtom is the only destination in India where you can walk all day through 1,600 acres of private estate, and then return to luxury at night. Each of our rooms is more than 500 sq. ft. in size and was built on or before 1862 by the British. As a result, every room has subtle Victorian influences that have been coupled with modern facilities so as to create a luxury tea estate experience. Staying in these rooms gives you an insight into the life of a British tea planter!

Diana Tea Company aims to promote eco-tourism by devoting 125 acres of available land which is not feasible for tea plantation. One of the key goals of the firm is to instill consciousness towards conservation of nature and inculcate a sense of appreciation of the natural, biological and cultural history of the environment. Therefore our chief motive is to educate people of the true essence of eco-tourism which constitutes of social welfare, ecological sustainability and concentrates on Nature. 

Located in the hill-station of Kurseong in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, Makaibari was traditionally a family-owned and operated estate. Kurseong means “Land of white orchids” and the beauty of the place lives up to the name. Makaibari also holds the honor of establishing the world’s first tea factory, in the year 1859. The tea estate is a part of multi-tier system of trees and plants, akin to a sub-tropical rainforest. It is rooted in rich history, beauty and produces some of the finest teas in India.

Glenburn stretches from a height of 3,700 feet all the Way down to the banks of the two Himalayan rivers, the Rungeet and the Rung Dung, that meander through it. Within its 1,600 acres Glenburn has forests that are a bird watcher’s paradise. Across the river lie the forests and villages of the old royal kingdom of Sikkim, which you can access via a hanging bridge.

For accommodation / transportation / stay packages with guided tea related activities please mail us at mailkhorlo@gmail.com or basunil2001@gmail.com or visit our website: http://www.khorlo.in 

This 120 year-old, heritage tea estate – one of the earliest to commit to 100% organic cultivation – is a rather spectacular sight with its two mountain rivers with their many streams and waterfalls, and its tall and dense natural forests inhabited by a variety of mountain wildlife. The use of hydroelectric power, the lack of pollution and the carefully organic practices of cultivation have all helped create a Himalayan paradise for its mainly Nepali residents who are almost all connected with the plantation one way or the other.

Goomtee Tea Garden is located near Kurseong in Darjeeling district and next to the National Highway (Hill Cart Road) that leads all the way to Darjeeling hill town. Out of about 225 hectares of gross estate area, about 50% is used for tea plantation. This is an organic tea garden which means that no chemicals or pesticides are used in growing the tea bushes. The estate produces one of the finest quality of orthodox Darjeeling tea and employs over 300 garden workers. The estate was set up by a British planter Henry Montgomery Lennox.

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