Taste Sri Lanka's finest tea right at the source in Kalutara

Sitting just south of Colombo, the Kalutara District has been characterised by agriculture for centuries. Lush green fields, so neatly hemmed they look sewn into the landscape by hand, roll across this area of southwestern Sri Lanka. It isn’t long after leaving the capital city that you’ll start to see women in colourful saris plucking tea leaves and dropping them into hessian sacks hung on their backs; men chiselling spirals into tall trees; and shirtless locals sitting cross-legged under shady canopies by the side of the road, shaving slender sticks with laser precision. These are Kalutara’s tea-pickers, rubber-tappers and cinnamon-peelers.

The fertile tropical soil, coupled with access to the Kalu Ganga river and proximity to the Indian Ocean, made the region ripe for cultivation under British rule (1815-1948). Today, visitors head to the area in search of immersive agrotourism experiences led by local people whose skill and labour made the area what it is today.

The tea experience

Tea, cinnamon and rubber are still valuable exports for Sri Lanka. The country’s most famous tea plantations are in the Central Highlands around Kandy and Ella, several hours east of Colombo by car or train. However, the lowland tea estates and factories — those below a 600m (1,687ft) elevation — around Kalutara are easier to reach for travellers who are short on time or heading for the beaches of the south coast. Remnants of colonial presence remain in this area, in the form of grand English-looking estates like Richmond Castle, just over a five-minute drive from Kalutara city. But the Sri Lankan-owned Glenross Living hotel is much more attuned to the native environment, and offers one of the most unique tea experiences on the island.

Its half-day tea excursion starts with a gentle boat ride along the inky Kalu Ganga — which means ‘black river’ in the local Sinhalese language — aboard a weather-beaten fishing boat. Herons and kingfishers are common sightings, and you might even spot the odd crocodile basking on the muddy banks. After 90 minutes on board, guests disembark and hop into a tuk-tuk to ride through dense jungle terrain dotted with peacocks and free-roaming water buffalo, before arriving at a family-run tea factory.

After an overview of the stages of tea production — from withering the freshly picked leaves, to rolling and oxidising, then drying, sieving and packaging for sale — the tour ends with a tasting session. There’s more than 20 types of tea to choose from and, as you sip, the guide will explain the flavour characteristics of lowland teas, including how they’re stronger and better suited to drinking with milk than highland varieties.

The stay

Set within a 98-acre estate cloaked by tall rubber and cinnamon trees in the foothills of Kalutara, Glenross Living is an idyllic hideaway. As well as immersive local tours, the hotel leans heavily into wellness. Yoga and meditation sessions are held in an outdoor nature studio, and guests can also try the ancient Sri Lankan martial art of Angampora.

The hotel’s original building, a 19th-century whitewashed manor, is reminiscent of something seen in the UK countryside — it was built in 1882 by Scottish plantation owners. There are three rooms within the main house, but the show-off accommodation options are the seven two-storey stilted pool villas designed by Sri Lankan practice Palinda Kannangara Architects, winner of a RIBA International Award for Excellence in Architecture. Each minimalist room features clean lines, wooden floors and textured fabrics in muted hues. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors open onto expansive sundecks with panoramic views over misty valleys that echo with the sound of crickets and birdsong. The stars of the show are the private infinity pools that hover over the jungle canopy.