Bogawantalawa Tea Valley

Bogawantalawa Valley in the Sabaragamuwa highlands is one of Sri Lanka's least-visited and most atmospheric tea landscapes. At elevations between 1,200m and 1,800m the valley produces mid-grown teas with a distinctive muscatel (sweet grape) character that connoisseurs rate among the finest Ceylon teas, yet it remains far less known internationally than Nuwara Eliya. The surrounding hillsides are planted almost entirely in carefully maintained tea, and the valley road winds through a sequence of estates where women in bright saris pluck two leaves and a bud by hand, a sight and rhythm unchanged for 150 years. The valley earned the name 'Pink Hill Country' from the soft pink hue of tea flower blossoms that coat the hillsides in season. Several estate bungalows offer accommodation with sweeping valley views, and factory visits showing the full orthodox tea processing method from plucked leaf to finished tea are available through estate managers.