Traveling on an Empty Stomachs

You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me. ~ C.S. Lewis

Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

December 29, 2014

Woman harvesting tea

From an outsider’s point of view, it seems as though tea is the heartbeat of Sri Lanka. Mountains and hillsides all around are inundated by tea trees. It’s breathtaking and picturesque. Ceylon tea is known worldwide for being a high quality and desirable tea. But I’m a coffee drinker. Well, it’s more like I’m a coffee addict. However, once we arrived in Sri Lanka I fully embraced tea. In fact, I came to look forward to my morning pot.

Mackwoods Labookellie Tea Center

After spending several days decompressing in Kitugala, we headed west into the highlands towards Nuwara Eliya. Our goal was to visit a tea plantation then head to Bandarawela/Ella for another secluded night at a beautiful resort. Our driver suggested we stop at Mackwoods tea plantation so that we could try the tea and take a tour of the factory. The drive there was the highlight but the factory did not disappoint; although, the tour was brief and not as comprehensive as I would have liked.

Enjoying the grounds and the factory at Mackwoods on a very misty afternoon…

There are many other plantations and factories to visit in Sri Lanka. We chose Mackwoods above a few others because we knew it was going to be easy to get a tour and it wasn’t far out of our way. One thing I would have wished I had known before going is that you cannot explore the actual tea grounds. Some other notable tips; the souvenir shop is overpriced but you can sit down in the cafe area and get a free pot of tea. If you have to wait for the next tour, grab you free pot there and someone will come and get you when the tour is ready.

Want to know what else we did while exploring Sri Lanka?  You can find out more here. Curious about where we headed next? Follow my blog or check back soon!