James Taylor's Tea Story Tour from Kandy

Sri Lanka is a wonderful country and is home to many places that are amazing and worth exploring so, this destination will never be disappointed. 

Enjoy a historical tea experience in the Loolkandura Estate where the very first patch of tea was planted in Sri Lanka. 

During this 6-hour private tour, visit the tea plantation, James Taylor Seat, Tea Tree, James Taylor Statue, the Loolecondera Tea Factory, James Taylor Log Cabin, and weighing stations, while accompanied by your local English speaking guide. 

You will enjoy this guided experience as you will also get the comfortable pick-up and drop-off service in a well-maintained vehicle along with a professional driver. 

James Taylor is the pioneer of Ceylon Tea. Arriving in Ceylon in 1852 as a 17-year-old, he was billeted at Loolecondera Estate in Galaha, a coffee plantation in the Kandy District. With the onset of the coffee rust disease, Taylor visited India in 1866 to learn about growing tea. Upon his return, Taylor planted a 21-acre plot of tea on Loolecondera in 1867 – Field No 7. 

It was fortuitous timing as the coffee plantations were all but decimated within a couple of years. Taylor’s initiative enabled a new industry to hastily replace an old one that had been brought to its knees. 

It breathed new life into the perilous situation that investors, owners, and planters had found themselves in.