Food · Dhankuta
High tea garden visit between Dhankuta and Hile
A booked visit to a specialty tea garden on the ridges between Dhankuta and Hile, where orthodox tea is grown at high elevation, with a walk in the rows, a look at processing and a tasting.
Dhankuta district is a newer tea area than Ilam, but some of Nepal's most respected specialty teas now come from gardens on the ridges between Dhankuta and Hile, including Guranse and Jun Chiyabari. They grow orthodox tea at high elevation, in cool air and mist, and process it in small batches. Their teas are sold in specialist shops abroad as well as in Nepal, and the gardens are a source of local jobs.
We arrange the visit in advance. Depending on the season and the garden, you walk the rows with a staff member, see leaf being withered, rolled and dried, and taste several teas side by side, from light spring teas to darker, fuller autumn ones. You learn how altitude, weather and processing change the taste. The best times are spring and autumn, during plucking, when the factory is working.
Visits are at the gardens' discretion and not always possible, so we confirm before your trip and plan an alternative, such as a walk among smallholder tea plots, if needed. When it works, it is one of the best tea experiences in Nepal. You can usually buy tea directly from the garden, and it combines well with a night in Hile, just up the road.
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Questions
Can I visit tea estates near Dhankuta?
Some estates near Dhankuta and Hile accept visitors by arrangement, but they are working gardens and not open to drop-in visits. We contact them in advance and confirm what is possible for your dates, including tastings and factory visits.
How is Dhankuta tea different from Ilam tea?
Both make orthodox tea, but several Dhankuta and Hile gardens grow at higher elevation and focus on small-batch specialty teas. Ilam has the longer history and a much larger area under tea. Taste both and decide.
When is plucking season near Hile?
Plucking generally runs from spring to late autumn, with the first flush from about late March and autumn teas in October and November. In winter the bushes rest and are pruned, and factories are usually quiet.
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