Tea Culture

If you love tea and want a trip unlike any other, go to Ilam. This district in the Mahabharata hills of the eastern Himalayas is the centre of Nepal's tea country. Its gardens sit at 5,000 to 7,000 ft, on the same slopes that supply farm partners of ours like Farmers Tea Co, and the views, the culture, and the tea are all worth the journey. Here's how to see Ilam's tea gardens and the people who make the tea.

Ilam: Nepal's tea country

People call Ilam the "Queen of Eastern Nepal," mostly because of its scenery and its tea plantations. Driving in, you see hill after hill covered in green tea bushes.

Tea cultivation in Ilam began in 1863, when the Chinese government gave tea saplings to Nepal's Prime Minister, Jung Bahadur Rana. They were planted in Ilam, and Nepal's tea industry started there. Today Ilam is Nepal's largest tea-producing region, and its teas are known around the world for their flavour and quality. Above all, they have no bitterness, which is typical of tea grown at high altitude.

Kanyam: the best place to start

Start in Kanyam, a small town in Suryodaya Municipality and the easiest introduction to Nepali tea culture.

The tea gardens here are huge and carefully kept. Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the light is soft and the mountain air is crisp. Walking between the bushes is very quiet, and you can smell the leaves as you go.

In Kanyam, you can:

1. Take a guided tour of the tea gardens
2. Learn how tea is plucked from local experts
3. Taste a range of black and green teas
4. Pluck tea leaves yourself during the harvest season (March to November)
5. Photograph the landscape

Outside the gardens, you can go horseback riding through the countryside or picnic with a view of the mountains. Kanyam is quiet enough for a slow, restful trip.

Antu: tea and sunrise

Next, go to Antu, a small town that more tea tourists are finding every year. It's known for its tea plantations and for sunrise views of Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain.

To make the most of Antu:

1. Get up early and hike to the Shree Antu viewpoint to watch the sun rise over the Himalayan peaks
2. Visit local tea estates and help with the plucking
3. Tour a tea factory to see how tea is made from leaf to cup
4. Stay in a community homestay and eat local food
5. Meet the Lepcha, Tamang, Rai, and Limbu communities and learn about their traditions

Antu combines farm visits with time among local people. In a homestay you share daily life and eat home-cooked Nepali food, usually with a cup of locally made "chiya" (milky tea).

Fikkal: where the tea is traded

Make time for Fikkal, the commercial centre of Ilam's tea trade. It's a busy town, the gateway to the tea-growing areas, and the place to see the business side of tea.

In Fikkal, you can:

1. Walk through the local tea market and see the teas being traded
2. Buy good Ilam tea directly from the producers
3. Learn about the region's other crops, like ginger and cardamom, which grow alongside tea at high altitude

Ilam Municipality: old factories and new ideas

Finish in Ilam Municipality, the district headquarters, where a lot of the new thinking in Nepal's tea industry happens alongside the old ways of making tea.

While you're there:

1. Visit the site of the historic Ilam tea factory, established in 1868
2. See the town's environmental work, including its plastic bag ban
3. Browse the local markets for fresh tea and tea souvenirs
4. Look at the town's microhydropower network, one of the ways Ilam has invested in sustainability

Planning your trip

The plucking season runs from March to November. It's busiest in spring, during the first flush (March to May), and again in autumn, with the second flush and the autumn harvest.

Ilam is about 625 km from Kathmandu. By bus or car, expect 12 to 16 hours from the capital. Places to stay range from budget guesthouses to comfortable resorts like Kanyam Tea Garden Resort, plus the community homestays in Antu.

Eat dishes made with local ingredients, and drink as much fresh Ilam tea as you can while you're there. It tastes different at the source. And always ask before photographing people or walking onto private land.

Taste Ilam's best teas from Canada

Can't make the trip? We bring Ilam's tea to you. It comes from Farmers Tea Co and our other farm partners at 5,000 to 7,000 ft, processed by hand in small batches, and we ship across Canada, the USA, and select regions around the globe.

You can drink the same types of tea you'd taste in Ilam's gardens: Floral Green Tea, with florals close to jasmine; Floral White Tea, with spring blossom and a soft peach note; and Muscatel Black Tea, with layered honey and grape. None of them is bitter, thanks to the altitude and the hand processing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Ilam, and why is it famous for tea?

Ilam is a district in Nepal's eastern Himalayas, right beside India's Darjeeling region. It's Nepal's largest tea-producing region, at 5,000 to 7,000 ft above sea level. Tea has been grown here since 1863, and Ilam is now known internationally for small-batch teas with complex flavour and no bitterness.

When is the best time to visit Ilam for tea tourism?

Any time between March and November, when the tea is being plucked. Spring (March to May) brings the first flush, the most prized and delicate tea of the year. Autumn (September to November) brings a second harvest with a fuller body. In both seasons you can help with the plucking and watch small-batch processing up close.

What activities can you do on a tea tourism trip in Nepal?

In Ilam you can walk the gardens with a guide, pluck tea yourself, and tour factories to watch every processing step: withering, rolling, oxidizing, and drying. You can also join cupping sessions with local experts, hike to the Antu sunrise view of Kangchenjunga, stay with Lepcha, Tamang, Rai, or Limbu families, and browse Fikkal's busy tea market.

What types of tea are produced in Ilam?

Black, green, white, and oolong. Ilam is especially known for its white teas, which only Farmers Tea Co makes in Ilam, and for muscatel black teas that rival Darjeeling's. Tea grown at 5,000 to 7,000 ft is naturally sweet and floral, with no bitterness at all.

Can I buy authentic Ilam tea online and ship it to Canada?

Yes. Nepal Hills Tea buys directly from farm partners in Ilam and Taplejung and ships across Canada, the USA, and select regions around the globe. The Tea Sampler Kit ($30) has teas from Farmers Tea Co and our three other farm partners, 10 teas at 5g each, and makes a full introduction to Ilam. You can also buy individual Ilam teas like Floral White and Floral Green.

Related Reading

• A Brief History of Tea and the Nepal Tea Industry
• Fascinating Facts About Nepal's Tea Industry
• Understanding Tea Flushes: First, Second, and Autumn Harvest
• What Is Ilam Tea? Nepal's Most Celebrated Tea Region
• What Is Taplejung Tea? Nepal's Rarest High-Altitude Black Tea
• Types of Tea from Nepal: A Complete Guide