A Little Stroll into the Tea Plantation in Nallathanniya, Sri Lanka

I really like tea plantations. For one they are associated with lush greenery, highlands and refreshingly chilly weather. Here in Malaysia, the nearest tea plantation requires me to drive some 7 hours on a long and winding road from home and it is only a small patch compared to the thousands and thousands of acres of tea plantations that they’ve got in Sri Lanka.

I had my very first glimpse of tea plantations in Sri Lanka while I was on the train from Kandy to Hatton. From Hatton to Nallathanniya, it was all tea plantations but it was at Nallathanniya that I had my first close encounter with a Sri Lankan tea plantation. The guest house that we stayed in was very much located in a beautiful valley whose landscape is dominated by tea plantations, meandering rivers and breath-taking waterfalls. While waiting for our dinner to be ready, I grabbed the opportunity of taking a little stroll into the tea plantation and it was definitely one one of the most relaxing times that I have had while I was in Sri Lanka.

It had just stopped raining so it was a little bit cold and windy but very much relaxing and calming. I really liked the smell of the air and the rustic charms of the countryside that Nallathanniya had to offer. Somewhere in the distance the holy peak of Sri Pada is blanketed by patches of heavy cloud, sometimes revealing itself when the wind push them away.

I walked further and further up the hill and deeper into the tea plantation area, totally captivated by the beautiful greenery of the surrounding.  I only stopped to turn back when it started to rain again and only then I realized how far I had walked.

For a moment I was hoping to come upon a bunch of tea-plucking ladies – those that I usually see in pictures – but unfortunately I didn’t see a single soul. I had the place pretty much all to myself. It was a moment worth celebrating and cherish for.

I had to return to the comfort of the guesthouse when it got too chilly. I knew for sure though that all the beauty that I had just witnessed and embraced during that little walk at Nallathanniya would stay in me forever ^__^