Cuddled amidst the towering snow-capped hills of South Sikkim lies a sprawling 440 acre-stretch of land covered with emerald-hued tea plants, Temi Tea Garden, the only tea producing region of Sikkim. Despite facing strong rivalry from its adversaries in the adjacent Darjeeling, Temi Tea Garden, has established itself as one of the finest producers of tea in the world in multiple auction houses. The estate was set up in 1969 by the Chogyal (King) himself to employ Tibetan refugees who fled to Sikkim after the Chinese invasion.
The heritage cottage inside the tea garden makes for a perfect place to relax during your visit here. Built by Scottish missionaries in the early 1900s, the bungalow with its colonial architecture with a functional fireplace and wooden interiors takes you back in time.
Learn the complexities of tea production, from plucking to culturing, during your stay here. If you’re in the mood for some adventure, you can even go paragliding to get some breath-taking views of the area.
While trees like Nepalese Alder, beech, cherry dominate the flora of the region, the area is resplendent with a variety of birds such as rusty-bellied shortwing, crimson-horned pheasant, kalij, etc and snakes such as cobra, krait, and viper.
When to reach
If you’re a tea expert then the best time to visit the tea garden is during spring, the season for first flush i.e between March to April. If you plan a visit in November, be prepared to get surprised by some splendid views of it, when the entire emerald expanse of the tea estate is filled with pink cherry blossoms. Generally, the best time to visit this part of the Himalayas is around spring (March to June) and autumn (September to October)
How to reach
Located in the southern part of the state, the tea garden lies between Damthang and Temi Bazaar, near Namchi, the main town of South Sikkim. You can hire a cab straight to Temi Tea Garden from Gangtok or take a shared taxi to Namchi and hire a private cab to the tea garden.
