Srilanka – An Opportunity To Glimpse Nature At Its Best

By Author: vimlesh kumar
Total Articles: 158
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Srilanka offers a plethora of tourism opportunities for a tourist. Srilanka with its palm fringed virgin beaches, opportunities for adventure sports, attractive and old fashioned hill stations, scintillating waterfalls, pilgrimage sites, world heritage sites, national parks and museums, provides a comprehensive tourist package. The laidback charm of Srilanka and simplicity of its people make it more attractive. A travel to Srilanka is a wonderful opportunity to relax, unwind and glimpse nature at its best.

Kandy and Nuwara Eliya in Central province, Badulla, Bandarawela and Haputale in Uva province, Galle, Matara and Mulkirigala in southern province and Ratnapura and Kegalle in Sabaragamuwa province are important places in Srilanka tourism map for they are the major tea growing areas of Srilanka. Tourists visit these places to savor the exquisite landscape and learn in depth about tea cultivation and manufacturing first hand.

Srilanka Tea Gardens make for about four percent of land area of the country. Srilanka tea is renowned ...
... for its quality, taste, color and aroma. Tea is best grown in high altitudes of over two thousand and one hundred meters and requires an annual rainfall of more than hundred to one hundred and twenty five centimeters.

‘Contour planting method “is used in tea cultivation in Srilanka. This means tea bushes are planted in alignment with the contours of land. Usually they are on slopes. Tea plants in Srilanka require constant care and nurture. Applying fertilizers to the soil is an important part of this. Younger plants are cut back regularly ten to fifteen centimeters from ground to encourage lateral growth. A special knife is used for pruning.

For commercial purpose the ‘flush’ or leaf growth on the side branches and stems of the bush are used. Generally two leaves and a bud, which holds the flavor and aroma are skillfully plucked using hands. Mechanization would mean a considerable number of coarse leaves and twigs being added, which would add to quantity but not to quality.

After plucking the leaves are weighed and taken to tea factories. Tea factories are usually located in tea estates itself to save cost and time between plucking and processing. Tea factories are usually multi storied buildings. First the leaves are taken to upper floors of factories and are spread in troughs to remove excess moisture in the leaf. This process is called withering. Then, the leaves are rolled, twisted and parted allowing the enzymes in the leaves to react with oxygen in the air. Leaves are rolled on circular brass stands or tables with wooden baton and are placed in a rotating open cylinder from above. Then they are spread out on a table and fermented by exposing to heat. Regulation of temperature, humidity and duration of fermentation is important for the flavor. When the leaves changes color from green to a bright coppery color, artificial temperature comes into play. Until then heat was from natural air temperature. Fermented leaves are inserted into firing chamber.

This would ensure that no further chemical reactions take place. Here also regulation of temperature is important for the final quality of tea. On completion, tea becomes black and harder. Srilanka Beaches are truly outstanding. Surrounded by the warm waters of Indian Ocean, beaches of Srilanka offers exceptional diving opportunities and also for other kinds of water sports like jet skiing, parasailing, wind surfing, whitewater rafting etc.

Vimlesh Kumar is an eminent analyst and writer in Travel & Tourism related topics. He has authored may books on tour guide Srilanka Travel Agents and Srilanka Tourist Places. find more Information to visit at http://www.srilankatourism.org.in