Chasing the Tea Leaves

A Route du Bonheur pilgrimage into Sri Lanka’s storied tea plantations uncovers the fragrant, fertile world of oolong, orange pekoe, and more—not to mention a vibrant native economy.

- WRITTEN BY STEPHANIE HUNT

The rolling crop fields and forests of Ceylon Tea Trails in Sri Lanka's Central Highlands. The enchanting island of Sri Lanka has been known by many names.

The enchanting island of Sri Lanka has been known by many names.

While under British rule for 133 years it was Ceylon, but long before that, the ancient Persians dubbed this teardrop at the heart of the Spice Route and maritime Silk Road “Serendip”. Ah yes, serendipity—land of happy, unexpected discoveries. The Persians got it right, I discovered, when I ventured there a few months ago in search of tea.

I wanted to dig deeper into Camellia sinensis, the cousin of the flowering shrubs in my South Carolina garden and source of the immune-boosting cuppa that has had an outsize impact on global trade and culture. I'd studied Japan's tea ceremony rituals, like the chanoyu, and so in Sri Lanka, I set out to explore a tea bungalow resort amid the vast tea fields that help make the country the world’s third-largest tea exporter and fourth-largest producer (China leads, though it’s about 146 times Sri Lanka’ size).

I am following Relais & Chateaux’s three-stop Route du Bonheur, so by the time I arrive in the lush central highlands, I’ve already tuk-tuked through the delightful surf and fishing village of Cape Weligama and spotted Asian elephants, water buffalo, leopards, and even a spectacled cobra at Yala National Park. As our float plane descends between mountains tiered like wedding cake onto the shimmering Castlereagh Reservoir, I am peering down at a depth and range of color I've never seen before.