Ceylon Tea Trails is a collection of five restored colonial-era tea planters' bungalows at an altitude of 1250 metres in the Bogawantalawa valley, in the Dimbula district of Sri Lanka's hill country, bordering the Central Highlands World Heritage area. The bungalows lie between 2 km and 15 km from each other, connected by walking trails through the tea gardens; Norwood is 1.3 km away and Hatton Railway Station about 6.6 km.
The drive from Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayake covers about 118 km of road and usually takes 3.5 to 4 hours, depending on traffic and the weather; the airport is 88 km away as the crow flies. Book the Colombo (CMB) Airport transfer to Ceylon Tea Trails.
Each of the five bungalows is different: lakeside Castlereagh; Summerville, a four-room bungalow high above the lake; Dunkeld, looking down on the Dunkeld estate and its tea factory; Norwood, with views of the eastern end of the Bogawantalawa valley beside a fine stand of bamboo; and Tientsin, the most traditional, named after the Chinese village the original tea seedlings came from. Bungalows have 4 to 6 rooms and suites, 26 in all, named after the tea planters who lived there and furnished in solid teak with four-poster beds: Master Suites with a separate living room, Garden Suites with verandahs onto private gardens, Luxury Rooms and a secluded Owner's Cottage. You can book a single room or reserve a whole bungalow for a group.
A butler looks after guests from dawn to dusk, and each day starts with traditional morning bed tea. There are lawns, English gardens, swimming pools, tennis, croquet and board games, with afternoon tea on the lawn or lunch by the pool, and guests can walk the trail from one bungalow to the next, staying a night or two at each.
Guests can make a dawn expedition to climb Adam's Peak, the 2250 m holy mountain, and day trips reach Kandy, Horton Plains National Park and the old hill station of Nuwara Eliya with its 18-hole golf course. The surrounding mountains, lakes and waterfalls also make good country for trekking and cycling.
Having stayed at all of the Resplendent Ceylon properties except Ceylon Tea Trails, this was the final hotel for us to complete the collection, and what an experience it was. From the moment we arrived, everything felt incredibly…
What an amazing and beautiful Estate amongst tea plantations and on a gorgeous lake. Our bungalow, Castlereagh, was like stepping back in to another era. So relaxing, stunningly furbished. It was a very special experience. We we…
we are now totally spoiled for luxury accommodation after staying at Tea Trails for 5 days in August 2026. From the welcome to meeting all staff and enjoying the hospitality that this resort gives is outstanding. I want to thank a…
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Bookable activities, tours, and tickets within a 25 km radius.
Pre-book a private vehicle for arrival, departure, or onward travel.
