Travel. Sri Lanka. Ceylon Tea.
A Visit Through a Tea Estate as Tasty as the Ceylon Tea
A hike to the Kondagala rock through the Loolcondera tea estate.
When you hear the name “Sri Lanka,” what comes to your mind? I hope “Ceylon tea” would be at the top of the listing. Sri Lanka is one of the largest tea producers in the world and has ranked number fourth.
James Taylor is the pioneer of Sri Lankan tea. He planted the first tea plant of Sri Lanka in 1867 at the Loolcondera tea estate after his first visit to Loolcondera in 1852.
Loolcondera tea estate is in Rikillagaskada town. It is at a distance of 32.4 km from the Kandy district. You can travel by your vehicle or by bus. You need to pass Kandy, Hindagala, Mahakanda, and Galaha towns to reach Deltota town. You are almost there! After a ride of about another 8 km, you are at the Loolcondera tea estate entrance.
Our destination was not just the tea estate. We were there for a hike, and our destination laid through the Loolcondera tea estate. It was the Kondagala rock.
I’ll share the breathtaking moments we experienced at the top of the Kondagala rock, along with some fascinating facts, with you in a moment. Before that, I thought of sharing some of the spectacular sceneries we came across on the way to the rock, through the tea estate.
At a distance of about 4 km from the entrance, you can find James Taylor’s cottage. Kondagala rock is behind this cottage. The bungalow and the well used by him are also open for the visitors. There’s a small chair made of rock which is said to be used by James Taylor. He had used it to sit down and supervise the ongoing work in the Loolcondera tea estate. Also, there’s a little summer hut in the middle of a small pond in a pleasant surrounding. That’s a charming place to stop by and get some rest, feeling the breeze.
Finally, we reached the top of the Kondagala rock, which is 300 m high. There you can enjoy an eye-catching scenery of 360 views. It’s said that James Taylor used the top of this Kondagala rock as a viewpoint to examine the Loolcondera tea estate. You can observe Knuckles mountain range to the left, Brandygala and Matale on the northern side, Thoppigala on the eastern side, and Victoria reservoir, along with Hunnasgiriya (sleeping warrior) across the valley.
Kondagala is a cubic-shaped rock. The fantastic scenery is not the only specialty of this rock. The most essential and exciting fact about the top of this rock is the climatic changes it experiences. You can feel extreme heat on hot days while it’s frigid and misty during rainy days. Despite the climate, you can always feel the blustery wind roaring when you are at the top.
James Taylor remains unmarried, and once, he has mentioned that the Loolcondera tea estate was his first and last love. No doubt, he said so. These amazing sceneries have got that beauty which anyone can fall in love with.
Sign up for our new newsletter to stay informed with up-to-date curations from our editors:👇
