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At a distance of two .5 km from Darjeeling railway station, Happy Valley Tea Estate is a vast garden located in Darjeeling town of West Bengal . This is known to be the second oldest tea estate in Darjeeling after Steinthal Tea Estate and also one amongst the favored places to experience Darjeeling Tourism.
Spread over a neighborhood of 177 hectares, Happy Valley garden was established by Mr. David Wilson within the year 1854, which was then referred to as Wilson Tea Estate. In 1903, the estate was taken by an Indian, Tarapada Banerjee, an aristocrat from Hooghly. Later Banerjee bought the Windsor Tea Estate nearby in 1929 and merged the 2 estates under the name of Happy Valley Tea Estate. Since 2008, the tea estate has been under the ownership of Sanjay Bansal. Today, over 1500 people worked within the tea estate.
Located within the vicinity of Darjeeling town, it's one among the main tourist attractions in Darjeeling. It also features a museum and features a factory. Situated at an altitude of two ,100 m, Happy Valley is considered as one of highest tea factories within the world. Being a tourist spot, the Tea Estate offers an opportunity to witness the intricate process of tea production. Walking through a garden on the gentle hill slopes of Darjeeling and seeing the tea processing is usually a special experience. There are guides who will offer to take the visitors inside and show the whole production process of tea. they're usually the workers of the factory acting as guides during their off time and charge small fees.
Happy Valley is popular to supply a number of the best quality of tea in India, which matches by the name 'Super Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe'. This gets further categorized into green tea, White tea and black tea. The plantations here are as old as 150 years. There are seasons for various sorts of tea. Green and tiny little bit of White Tea are plucked during March to May. June to August is that the season for black tea. September to November is again the season for Green and White Tea. During the other months (December to February), teas aren't plucked and therefore the machines don't operate.
Timings: 8 AM to 4 PM, closed on Sunday & Monday
Timings are subject to change. You will be automatically booked into a time slot as part of the check out process. Please visit the official website to confirm the time slot before your visit.
Visit Happy Valley Tea Estate and discover the process of making varieties of organic tea. Observe how tea leaves are plucked, withered, rolled, fermented, dried, sorted, graded and then packed for selling. And end this tour by enjoying with an aromatic serving of a freshly brewed cup of tea!