Some of the Best Tea Gardens of Darjeeling

Tea Tourism has been recently added to the new concept of world tourism and Darjeeling is highly banking on it.
This pristine hill station of West Bengal is a Mecca of extensive tea gardens.  The hill station is a home to around 80 odd operational tea gardens that stretches over acres of land on open hill slopes. 

The pleasant mist covered weather and the cool breeze of Darjeeling is perfect for producing one of best tea leaves that is found nowhere else in the world. Here are some of the top tea gardens of Darjeeling hills and its surrounding areas.

Happy Valley Tea Gardens- The Happy Valley tea gardens is one of the finest places to visit in Darjeeling. It is one of the easily accessible tea estates from Darjeeling town. This sprawling tea garden is part of the most of the sightseeing tours in the hill station and it covers an area of about 435 acres. 

Tourists should certainly visit this tea garden as it gives to the wonderful opportunity to observe the actual process involved in making the finest tea, from picking of the leaves to manufacturing. 

The teas estate applies the orthodox method of preparation, where the fresh handpicked leaves are first died by fans on withering trenches, rolled and pressed to trap the flavor and then left to ferment. After this they are taken out and re-dried and graded according to the quality of the tea.

Glenburn Tea Estate- This tea estate of Darjeeling is a family run business. The estate covers an area of about 100 acres on a hill slope with two streams passing through it. Earlier, Glenburn Tea estate was established in the year 1859 and run by a Scottish tea company during the British rule. Later, it was taken over by the Kolkata based Prakash family and now has gone under the four generations of the family.  

 It provides general and expensive home stays for tourists. The estate also has bungalows amid the extended gardens that offer breathtaking views of the valleys and the mountain range. 

The original planter's bungalow, known as the Burra Bunaglow was restored in the year 2002. The restoration was done while retaining the primeval colonial charm with the addition of luxurious facilities to facilitate the visitors with a comfortable stay. 

The bungalow has four large suites that includes king size beds.  Another bungalow was added to this tea estate known as The Water Lily Bungalow, which also offers four large suites for comfortable accommodation for the visitors.

Tumsong Tea Estate- The tea estate belongs to the well know Chamong group that owns several other gardens in Darjeeling.  Tumsong Tea Estate is situated in Ghoom area, at a distance of about 28 km from the main town of Darjeeling. Earlier, the tea estate covered an area of about 2000 acres and was owned by a German planter JA Wernickle.

 Over the years, the garden has been extended to an area of about 186 hectares after it was taken over by the Chamong group. Out of the total area, 114 hectares are used for tea plantations and the rest for factory, retreat areas and office. 

The estate has been named so because of the temple locate at the centre of the garden, where the local people worship the Tamsa Devi goddess. The temple existed even before the tea was garden was established at this place. 

This tea estate is abounded Himalayan Mountains and over here, one can enjoy the scenic view of the towering Mount Kanchenjunga. As for the accommodation to the tourist visiting this place, there is a colonial house which is also the Manager’s Bungalow. 

The bungalow offers four suites that have been kept simple with some antique furniture that gives you the feel of the bygone colonial era. You can enjoy a nature walk through the garden or even watch the tea processing.

 A local cultural dance program is also performed for tourists around a bonfire in the evening. One can also camp or play picnic near the river side. The estate also provides day excursion to the close by villages and Darjeeling town.

Makaibari Tea Estate- This tea estate is one of the most important estates in the Darjeeling region. Its significance is because it was the first to establish a factory in Darjeeling, in the year 1859. It is located in the Kurseong area within the Darjeeling district. 

The Makaibari Tea Estate has run by the same family over the past four generations. The estate was founded by the Banerjees who came to this place from South Bengal. Rajah Banerjee is the last single owner of the family who looks the estate. 

Rajah Banerjee is the first person in the Darjeeling to introduce organic farming in the region and hence giving up the old prevailing practices and protecting the nature. The Makaibari Tea Estate is the first garden in the world to be certified by 'Fare Trade' and also the first to appoint women in a supervisory position. It is one of the finest tea gardens in the world that imposes highest prices at the tea auctions for some of its quality brands like Silver Tip. 

There are several home stays dotted in the region of this estate that are provided by the villagers and the tea garden workers. These home stays will offer you an opportunity to stay at this place for some days to enjoy the garden and the surrounding areas. The home stays come at very cheap rates which include three times meal along with the stay.