Tea Workers
Sri Lanka’s tea industry is responsible for more than one million jobs –
about 5% of the entire population. At around US$4 per day, wages for tea
pickers remain very low. Compulsory pension and funeral payments erode
them further.
Most families live in seriously substandard housing, barracks-like
buildings (known as ‘lines’) on the fringes of plantations. Few have
running water or electricity, and wood and coal stoves used for cooking
and heating cause respiratory diseases.
The vast majority of tea workers are Tamils. Originally the British tea
barons intended to hire Sinhalese workers but the labour was unappealing
to the locals, so the plantation owners looked to India. Huge numbers of
Tamils were brought over. Today they remain one of the most marginal-
ised groups in the nation. Most are landless, classified as ‘Indian Tamils’,
and disadvantaged by linguistic and cultural differences (including a caste
system).Visiting Tea Plantations
A great introduction to the endless rolling green fields of the Hill Coun-
try’s tea plantations is riding the train from Ella to Haputale. In just
a few hours you’ll see dozens of plantations and their emerald-green
carpets of plants. Amid it all you’ll see sari-clad pluckers toiling under
the sun, busily meeting their quotas for the day.
Tea factories and plantations throughout the Hill Country provide
tours to explain the process, usually using machinery and technology
that are largely unchanged since the 19th century. Some of our favourite
places to get up close and smell the tea include:
Ceylon Tea Museum (p149) Near Kandy. An informative early stop in your tea
tour.
Labookellie Tea Factory (p166) A factory well positioned by the Nuwara Eliya
road if you’re in a hurry.
Hundungoda Tea Estate (p121) Near Koggala. Produces over 25 varieties of
tea.
Pedro Tea Estate (p167) Near Nuwara Eliya. Has tours of the factory, which was
originally built in 1885.
Dambatenne Tea Factory (p176) Near Haputale. Built by Sir Thomas Lipton in
1890 and offers full-on tours.Activities
There are all manner of hikes, treks and rides through the Hill Country’s
tea regions. Here are three of our favourites.
̈ A 10km bicycle ride through tea plantations that begins in Nuwara Eliya.
̈ A 7km walk through tea plantations to the lookout Lipton’s Seat near Haputale.
̈ A 4.5km walk through verdant hills to the lookout Little Adam’s Peak near Ella.Bu y ing Te a
Tea is inexpensive, easy to pack and much loved by almost everyone so it
makes an excellent gift for others at home – or yourself. The tea factories
and plantations in the Hill Country have a bewildering array of options
on offer. There are also many good shops in Colombo.
Ceylon black tea is the best known and is famous for its citrusy taste.
Green Ceylon is characteristically pungent, with a slightly nutty flavour.
Ceylon Silver Tips tea is produced from very young buds that are silvery
white, have a delicate flavour and command premium prices.After water, tea
is the world’s
most popular
drink. More tea is
drunk every day
than every other
drink – including
coffee, soft drinks
and alcohol – put
together.In the Hill
Country you can
stay in a variety
of colonial-era
cottages that
were used by
tea-plantation
managers.
Located in
beautiful settings,
they are attrac-
tive and evocative
places to sleep.HILL COUNTRY
Sri Lankan Tea
Te
A
Worker