Best Tea Resorts in India: Top Tea Estate Stays to Visit

Tea resorts offer an immersive experience within a working tea estate, walking tours of the plantation, viewing the factory and tasting the tea where it is produced. Tea resorts in India are located in Darjeeling, the Dooars, Assam, the Nilgiris, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh - each region produces a different type of tea and offers a different kind of stay, from hill vistas and heritage bungalows to sprawling plantations alongside forests.

Below is a guide to some top tea resorts in India, organized by region, along with famous highlights for each. These properties frequently earn recognition from guests and travel writers. Before booking, review the website for each property to verify current details regarding accommodation, rates, and inclusions.

Darjeeling and the Terai, West Bengal

Darjeeling is the best known tea region in the world, and its tea estates are amongst the oldest in India. Stays are typically in the hills, where cool temperatures and the mist add to the views over the undulating tea terraces. The spring pick (first-flush) and the early summer pick (second flush) are the most anticipated events, around which many visitors plan their trips. The Terai, around the foothills near Siliguri, offers an alternative setting of tea gardens, closer to the plains. Darjeeling teas range from light-coloured, flowery brews, so a tasting session is a must to understand the difference between a delicate and a robust black tea.

• Glenburn Tea Estate and Boutique Hotel, Darjeeling: A Scottish tea company established this estate in 1859, which eventually passed into the hands of the Prakash family, one of the pioneering tea planting families of India. Perched above the Rungeet river, guides take guests on a walk or drive through the tea fields to explain how the bush is cultivated and cared for. A great choice for anyone looking to stay at a heritage estate with a traditional plantation tour.
• Taj Chia Kutir Resort & Spa, Kurseong: A 72 room resort, spread over 22 acres in a tea plantation that was founded in 1859, makes its home in the Makaibari Tea Estate famous for its organic teas. The resort offers a tea ritual- a hi-tea and tasting session with a tea sommelier for those who want luxury with their brew.
• Mayfair Tea Resort, Siliguri: Promoted as the first luxury boutique tea resort in India, set in a tea garden at the foothills of the Himalayas. The property includes a 1.8 km tea trail for walking, jogging, or cycling, along with a tea cafe called the Planter Club where tea sommeliers guide guests through a curated tea menu. Situated in Siliguri, the destination works well for a short trip.
• Chamong Chiabari and Tumsong Tea Retreat, Darjeeling: Two properties run by the Chamong group, which says it was one of the first to introduce tea tourism in India. Chamong Chiabari is in Pokhriabong, and at Tumsong Tea Retreat a short trek from the bungalow leads to the river. Both offer guided tea factory visits followed by tea tasting.
• Goomtee Tea Retreat, Darjeeling: Located inside the Goomtee Tea Estate and known for its organic Darjeeling tea. Guests can visit the tea factory and see how the tea is made.

The Dooars, West Bengal

The Dooars region lies in the tea belt of the lower portion of Darjeeling hills running through Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and parts of Cooch Behar. This is a vast stretch of undulating land with large tea estates, and a travel guide reckons that the region hosts around 324 tea gardens. Tea tourism remains a ‘new and niche’ experience here, and an away from the city crowds. The area is also rich in forests and wildlife – like the Gorumara National Park – and a trip can include both a tea estate tour and a jungle safari. Travelers usually arrive at New Jalpaiguri railway station or Bagdogra airport, near Siliguri, and then take road transfers to their destinations. The best time to visit is between October and March.

• Octavius Tea Resorts, Jalpaiguri: Two bungalows from colonial times, located within working tea estates in the hinterlands. Sylee Bungalow is situated in Sylee Tea Estate near Damdim and Malbazar an estate that covers an area of around 1,034 hectares out of which around 614 hectares is tea plantation. Gorumara National Park, Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary and the Murti River are within easy reach. Nya Sylee Bungalow is nestled in the heart of Nya Sylee Tea Estate near Nagrakata The stay includes an all-inclusive package with breakfast, lunch and dinner, a tea garden tour, a tea factory tour as well as a tea tasting. Moreover, excursions may be organised on an additional cost basis such as local sightseeing, jungle safari, river rafting and paragliding which are available in the close proximity.

Compared with the hills, the Dooars gives you more room and a slower pace. The estates are large enough that you can walk for an hour without leaving the plantation, and the nearby forests, rivers and villages give you plenty to add to a stay of two or three nights. For more stays across the region, see this list of the best tea garden resorts in North Bengal.

Assam

Assam ranks as the largest tea-producing state in India, renowned for a strong, malty character. The vast estates, spread out along the Brahmaputra, feature a distinct atmosphere, with many old planter bungalows scattered around. The second flush (normally picked May to June) is famous for a sweet, malty flavour. Assam tea is dark, strong, and full-bodied, and a tasting at an estate in Assam is a very different experience than a tasting in Darjeeling. Many people combine a tea estate visit with a trip to Kaziranga National Park.

• Banyan Grove, next to Gatoonga Tea Estate: A remote bungalow stay beside a working tea estate in Assam. B&A Limited owns Gatoonga, which produces around 5 lakh kg of tea each year, nourished by the Brahmaputra.
• Mancotta Tea Estate: Guests stay in a colonial building erected for a planter more than 150 years ago by British tea planters. A good option to experience old-world charm in the middle of Assam tea country.

Nilgiris and Munnar, South India

South India has rolling verdant hills and mountainous scenery with pleasant weather throughout the year. The Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu, with Coonoor and Ooty as its key towns, provides the setting for rambling walks through tea estates and sampling the famed Nilgiri tea. Munnar in Kerala is also famous for its plantations of tea bushes that blanket the surrounding highland slopes, from where many resorts have been built offering spectacular views. Nilgiri tea is fragrant with a brisk taste.

• Devonshire Greens Resort, Munnar: Surrounded by tea plantations and high mountains, and described by travel sites as one of the premium luxury resorts in Kerala.
• Blanket Hotel & Spa, Munnar: Set around a tea plantation valley and the Attukad waterfalls, so you can see waterfalls, a river and tea plantations from one spot.
• Malankara Cottage, Munnar: A smaller stay near the tea testing centre.

Palampur, Himachal Pradesh

Palampur is called the tea capital of North India, with pine forests around it and the Dhauladhar range as its backdrop. It is a good choice for travellers who want mountains along with tea. Darang Tea Estate is one of the older plantations in the country, and visitors can taste its tea and learn about tea culture there.

Quick Picks by Travel Style

• Heritage estate stay: Glenburn Tea Estate, Darjeeling
• Luxury with tea tasting: Taj Chia Kutir, Kurseong
• Short trip from Siliguri: Mayfair Tea Resort
• Tea with a jungle safari: Octavius Tea Resorts, Dooars
• Old world planter's bungalow in Assam: Mancotta Tea Estate
• Waterfalls and plantation views: Blanket Hotel & Spa, Munnar
• Tea stay in North India: Darang Tea Estate, Palampur

Find the Tea Resort That Fits Your Kind of Holiday

Each region of tea growing in India has its own appeal. Darjeeling offers a historic setting of tea estates, cool climes and vistas over the plantations; Assam provides an ambience of strong, malty tea and old planter bungalows. Munnar and the Nilgiris have rolling emerald hills and spectacular mountain ranges while Palampur has the Dhauladhar range to add to the beauty of the tea. The Dooars, with its large tea estates, forests and wildlife sanctuaries, provides the perfect setting for a more laid-back break coupled with a jungle safari. Whatever the choice, a stay within a working tea estate, exploring the tea gardens, the factory and tasting the tea produced is the perfect way to experience this unique beverage. Holidays should be booked in advance for the winter months.