There is no better way to experience tea culture and estate workers’ life, than by spending a few hours fully immersed in plucking tea leaves along with the ladies whose profession this is.

A basket will be provided for you to place the plucked tea leaves. Immediately, you will realise that it takes much practice to perfect the art and ensure the leaves end up in the basket and not the floor! A special appreciation is developed for how efficiently and quickly our professional tea pluckers manage to fill their baskets. Generally, they target between 15 to 20 kgs of tea leaves daily.

The staff at Diyanillakelle Estate are experts on the tea production process, and would be delighted to take you on an extended visit of our own tea factory. They will carefully explain the process involved, right from the initial withering of the leaves, through to rolling, fermenting, drying and sifting, in producing the various types of tea that bear the ‘Diyanillakelle’ name. The tea is broken down and rolled as part of this process and the general rule is that the smaller these bits, the stronger the tea.

The finest bits are referred to as ‘dust’ and are used in tea bags. Among other things, you will learn about one of the most expensive types of tea — ‘White Tea’. Here, the tips and buds are used rather than the leaves.

Tea tasting is a fine art. It takes years of training to perfect. In tea production, tea tasting involves the process in which a trained taster accurately determines the quality and profile of a specific tea variety. A professional tea taster will use a large spoon to slurp the liquid into one’s mouth. There’s a lot of noise and other quirks involved! The slurping ensures that both the tea, as well as abundant Oxygen, come into contact with the taste receptors on the tongue, allowing the taster to draw an even taste profile.

The flavour characteristics of a particular tea depend on factors such as leaf colour, size and shape. They are graded, thereafter, while using a specific language that is specific to the tea industry, in order to describe the overall quality.

An estate staff member will guide you along a scenic trekking route that runs through Diyanillakelle Estate. An easy trek, it takes you across a portion of the 170 acres of tea found here. You will pass through gurgling streams and get to see a variety of flora and fauna up close, in addition to vast swathes of tea.

The area of Nuwara Eliya is renowned for its mountain ranges and spectacular waterfalls, and so it is a natural paradise for those looking for a bit of adventure. Put your hiking boots on and make for the mountains! You’ll get to trek through quaint trails that wind across streams of crystal clear water, waterfalls, dense forests and even terraced paddy fields, while taking in the crisp, cool air of the Sri Lankan countryside. There are hikes of all difficulty levels you can set off on, in close proximity to the bungalow, from easy to moderate to hard.

Experience camping like you never have before! We’ll ensure you are in comfort, and provide the best equipment and gear available, as you take in a night under the stars surrounded by tea fields on all sides. A distinct experience, it is highly recommended for both adults and children.

One of the best ways to take in the untouched beauty of the surrounding valleys and hills is by bike. You can cycle through Diyanillakelle Estate with a resident planter, and even across the surrounding tea fields right through the town.

As part of this experience, you can cycle to Bala Bazaar in Nuwara Eliya, famed for its winter clothes to suit the cooler climes here.

Nuwara Eliya has a lot on offer for wildlife enthusiasts, from the rare White Sambhur, the Barking Deer, and Mouse Deer to the Giant Squirrel. The area supports a wide range of flora and fauna, some of which are endemic to the region. There are plenty of opportunities for wildlife exploration here.

The region of Nuwara Eliya and its hills feature an extremely unique ecosystem. Over 120 bird species have been sighted in these parts and along the Knuckles range, including endemic varieties like the Yellow-Fronted Barbet, Dusky-Blue Flycatcher, Ceylon Lorikeet, Ceylon Grackle, Yellow-Eared Bulbul and Layard’s Parakeet. For bird-watching enthusiasts, there is no better place to be.