Glenburn Tea Estate

the best tea plantation experience in India

Set in a scenic mountain valley around 10 km northeast of Darjeeling, Glenburn Tea Estate is an intimate and authentic property.

The Glenburn Estate was established by a Scottish company way back in 1859 and passed into the hands of the Prakash family in the early 1900s. The family have been pioneers of tea planting for many generations and continue to be very much involved in the running of this and other estates in the region.

The 405 hectare estate is set on a hill above the River Rungeet, with magnificent views of the Kanchenjunga section of the Himalayas.

Inspired by the wine estate experiences of Europe, Husna-Tara Prakash decided to recreate a similar offering in the tea estates of India. After some searching, she decided that Glenburn, with its dramatic scenery and quaint colonial architecture, would be the ideal spot. The fact that the area also offers some wonderful hiking and is within easy striking distance of the famous colonial outpost of Darjeeling sealed the deal.

The main four-bedroom Burra Bungalow was lovingly restored and opened to guests in 2002, with the similarly sized and styled Water Lily Bungalow being added in 2008, a little further up the hill.

Although the original bungalow is the main centre for entertaining, there are also lounge and dining spaces in the newer building, enabling it to function separately.

The property is hosted by the lovely Bertie and Audrey, who really push the boat out to make sure that guests get the most out of their experience. They are backed up by the tea estate manager, Parveez Hussain, who has decades of experience and is fascinating to chat with, plus an intimate family of other staff.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Glenburn Tea Estate is in just 8 rooms, four in each of the two bungalows, each with a private bathroom.

• The Kanchenjunga Suite
• The Planters’ Suite
• The Rose Suite
• The Simbong Butterfly Room
• The Camellia Suite
• The Rangeet Suite
• The Rung Dung Suite
• The Singalila Suite

Activities

Glenburn Tea Estate offers a range of guided activities …

• relaxation
• tea plantation tours
• hiking
• town tours
• steam train rides

The Darjeeling area is usually visited in combination with locations in northeast India, with safari in Kaziranga and boat cruises on the Brahmaputra River, accessed from the primary hub of Kolkata. It is also possible to fly in from Delhi.

The usual stay duration at Glenburn Tea Estate is 3-5 nights.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit the Darjeeling area is generally considered to be during Oct-Nov and Feb-Apr …

Oct-Nov is the transition period between the end of the monsoon rains and the start of the cool dry season. During Oct-Nov the daytime temperatures usually rise to around 20C/68F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures remain up around 11C/52F. However the rainfall usually drops away to around 50mm (2”) per month. Sunshine is around 7 hours per day (around 60% of daylight hours), meaning that skies can be persistently overcast.

Dec-Jan is the main cool season. During Dec-Jan the daytime temperatures usually only reach around 15C/77F, with the nighttime low temperatures plunging down to around 0C/32F. Rainfall should be low throughout, but any precipitation can often fall as snow. Sunshine is around 7 hours per day (around 70% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are more often than not clear.

Feb-Apr is a slightly warmer and wetter season, the build-up to the main monsoon. During Feb-Apr the daytime temperatures climb gently to around 19C/66F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures hold up around 9C/48F. Rainfall usually rises to around 100mm (4”) per month and can fall as snow as late as April. Sunshine is around 8 hours per day (around 60% of daylight hours), meaning that skies can be persistently overcast. This is the most popular time for domestic visitors, who come up here to escape the pre-monsoon heat down in Kolkata, so the place can become a bit hectic.

May-Sep is the main monsoon season and is generally considered to be the least favourable time to visit. During May-Sep the daytime temperatures continue to climb to around 20C/73F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures remain up at 13C/61F. Rainfall climbs to an extremely high 550mm (22”) per month. Sunshine drops to around 4 hours per day (around 30% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are more often than not overcast.

Getting there

The closest airport to Darjeeling is Siliguri (Bagdogra), which has regular connections from both Delhi and Kolkata. From Siliguri it is a tortuous drive of around 2.5hrs up to Darjeeling (from where it is a further 2 hours to Rinchenpong).

One of the most attractive aspects of a visit to Darjeeling is the famous toy train route that leads up from the plains below. Unfortunately it is rarely possible to do this whole journey by train these days. Most visitors arrive into Darjeeling by road and then do shorter train excursions from there.

the climate up here is a great deal cooler