Soft clouds kiss the mountaintops, as you sip tea from heritage porcelain. Walk to the local village, across a meandering stream to the tune of a blue throated barbet by day, and spend the nights stargazing. Or, sip on a fragrant cup of filter coffee at heritage plantation bungalow: it may be just the balm you need.
The weary urban traveller, cooped up at home for almost two summers, due to a global pandemic, is exulting in the freedom of summer vacations this year. 2022 is about slow travel, focusing on a connection to local people, cultures and food. A trip is then a vehicle for an emotional connection — it must educate you, while remaining sustainable for local communities and the environment.
Across India, such connections to the land can be drawn from stays at bungalows on tea and coffee estates, once a part of the British Raj, now owned and managed by families who seamlessly blend their way of plantation life with more conscious holidaying. Karthik Manikandan, CEO and founder of GT Travels in Chennai, adds that estate vacations are a big draw for families. “There has been a 50% increase in demand post-pandemic. Nature-oriented stays in tree houses and bungalows are especially popular in Coorg, Kumizhi and Valparai.”
