Handunugoda Tea Estate
Situated in the hills above Koggala, this magnificent tea plantation provides extremely educational tours of the estate for free. Here, you may try over 25 different types of tea and discover the production process of the renowned Virgin White tea, a delicate brew created from the tiniest and newest leaves. The laborers here manage only 150 grams of virgin white leaves in a day, compared to the average large plantation worker who picks 23 kg of black tea. Signposted from the 131km post, it’s 6km inland from the coastal roadway.
Herman Gunaratne, a legendary figure in the island’s tea industry, owns Handunugoda. Get a copy of Gunaratne’s autobiography, The Suicide Club: A Virgin Tea Planter’s Journey, to learn more about his life, tea, and Sri Lanka from the last days of the British Raj to the present. It’s a very informative and interesting read.
