TeaTea estates, trains and hikes

Start early on a working estate: pick alongside the workers for an hour, then see the factory floor before the day's leaf is weighed. Afterwards, take tea slowly on the bungalow veranda with the valley below.

Ceylon tea comes from seven regions, each with its own character: Nuwara Eliya for a light cup, Uva for its mid-year seasonal character, Dimbula for body, and Kandy, Ruhuna, Sabaragamuwa and Udapussellawa for the rest. Compare black, green, white and silver-tip teas at the Hantana Tea Museum or in a private factory tasting.

The Kandy to Ella railway is one of the great train journeys. We also run the quieter sections, from Nanu Oya to Haputale and the Demodara loop, with tea served as you pass the Nine Arch Bridge. The new Pekoe Trail links 300 kilometres of tea country, which we walk in sections to suit you.

The highlands also hold the island's best walks. Climb Adam's Peak for sunrise between December and May, reach World's End at Horton Plains at dawn, or take the shorter routes up Little Adam's Peak and Ella Rock. The Knuckles range offers cloud-forest trekking a little further off the map.