1,600 metres above sea level, clouds in the valley below, the smell of tea in first flush — Munnar in the morning.
The Munnar tea estates were established in the 1880s by British planters on land cleared from the shola forest of the Western Ghats. At 1,600 metres, with the northeast monsoon clouds rolling through the gardens from October, the growing conditions produce tea of exceptional quality. Tata Tea acquired the majority of the estates in 1964 and still operates them.
A tea estate visit is not a tourist attraction — it is access to a working agricultural landscape. The factory visit during processing season has the smell of fresh-cut leaf filling the building. The tasting conducted by the estate's taster teaches you to read tea the way a wine professional reads wine.
Every experience we arrange is genuine — not a tourist version. Tell us your interests and we will build it into your South India journey.