An excursion from Spice Village. Spice Village.
Across India’s misty highlands, tropical rainforests and monsoon-fed slopes, coffee, tea and spices grow side by side. Call it a gift of geography, shaped by trade winds, colonial legacies and regional lore. On family-run working estates, guests are invited not just to stay but to relax into the daily rhythm of farm-to-table: tea plucked at dawn, spices foraged from forest trails and stories shared over slow meals.
Whether you're chasing a sensory hit or a slower pace, here are our favorite retreats to immerse you in something earthy and elemental.
1. The Lodge at Wah, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh
Best for tea rituals surrounded by greenery
One of India's oldest tea estates lies among Himachal's Kangra Valley's forested slopes and tea gardens. Its six eco-friendly cottages, built from local slate, deodar wood and earth, mirror the architectural style of the Gaddi, a pastoral community known for its bond with the land. Its cozy rooms feature handmade rugs, antique chests and wide windows that look out over the hills. Mornings begin with crisp walks through dew-laced tea bushes led by estate guides. Try plucking the prized "two leaves and a bud" before touring the tea factory, organic farm and polyhouses. End with a tasting session at the breezy tea room, overlooking the landscape that flavors every cup. Meals are slow-cooked in clay pots with freshly harvested vegetables and estate-grown spices.
Getting there: Fly into Gaggal Airport (Dharamshala), 25mi away. A 1.5-hour drive leads to the lodge.
Best time to visit: March to June and mid-September to November
2. Glenburn Tea Estate, Darjeeling, West Bengal
Best for romantics
Rise to witness golden glimmer on Kanchenjunga’s snow-capped crown, clouds trailing like silk across the Darjeeling sky – an overture worth setting the alarm for. The day unfolds slowly at Glenburn, a 1,000-acre working estate perched above the Rungeet River, where green slopes melt into gold, and the carpet of tea leaves feels almost theatrical. The two restored 19th-century bungalows, with four-poster beds and porcelain teacups, stir waves of quiet nostalgia. Mornings begin on a rose-covered veranda with Glenburn’s signature brew. Later, join pluckers in the fields, wander fern-fringed trails to the river or help pack loose-leaf tea in the factory, wrapped in the heady scent of drying leaves. As twilight deepens, a lemongrass-scented massage and a glass of wine by the fire ease you into a star-streaked night.
Getting there: Fly into Bagdogra Airport, then drive 3–3.5 hours to the estate.
Best time to visit: March to May
3. Windermere Estate, Munnar, Kerala
Best for nature lovers and hearthside evenings
Spread across 60 acres of coffee and cardamom-scented slopes, Windermere has been a working estate for over 90 years. Listen closely; you may hear the pods rustling in the breeze and the soft crackle of woodsmoke rising from kitchen hearths. Eighteen handcrafted rooms cluster around the original Planter’s Bungalow, which still serves as the owners’ home. Gabled roofs and red cedar open onto green hillscapes, while guided spice walks with naturalists introduce you to Kerala’s flora and fauna. Lazy afternoons are perfect for spotting flitting butterflies from swaying hammocks under guava, coffee, gooseberry and peach trees. In the evenings, gather with other visitors in the house dining room to enjoy Kerala classics or pan-Indian and global favorites.
Getting there: Fly into Kochi Airport and drive about 75mi (3.5 hours) through tea country.
Best time to visit: November to March
4. School Estate, Coorg, Karnataka
Best for culture seekers and coffee enthusiasts
This lovingly preserved 19th-century bungalow, set within 200 acres of Arabica groves, is an ode to the spirit of the Kodava community, a people deeply tied to land and legend. Stay in one of the two colonial-style cottages or the heritage room filled with Coorg heirlooms and Victorian furnishings. Days flit by walking beneath pepper vines and coffee trees on guided trails, pausing under jackfruit trees and inhaling the aroma of roasting beans drifting from the curing shed. History buffs can visit ancestral homes to learn about local lore and ancient rituals while enjoying traditionally prepared meals, from slow-simmered pork curry to spicy bamboo shoots.
Getting there: Drive 4 hours (93mi) from Mangalore Airport or 3.5 hours (71 mi) from Mysore Airport.
Best time to visit: November to February
5. Spice Village, Thekkady, Kerala
Best for wilderness immersion
Located in the heart of Kerala’s spice belt, this retreat has been reimagined as a village. Stay in one of the 52 thatched cottages built with elephant grass by local artisans. The sustainable design takes inspiration from the traditional architecture of the Mannan people, indigenous forest-dwellers known for living in harmony with nature. The resort runs on solar energy, with zero-waste kitchens and organic gardens supplying much of what’s cooked daily. Wake up to the sounds of nature and spend the day wandering through cardamom, clove and turmeric gardens, joining naturalists on foraging walks, trying your hand at papermaking or spotting wild elephants from a bamboo raft. Meals are wholesome and aromatic, with most vegetables and spices sourced from organic farms and fresh fish from nearby rivers.
Getting there: Kochi and Madurai airports are both about 5 hours away by road.
Best time to visit: November to March
6. Halli Berri, Chikmagalur, Karnataka
Best for easygoing escapes
In the hills where a monk named Baba Budan is believed to have first planted the seeds of India’s coffee legacy, a sixth-generation estate has transformed into a mindful bean-to-cup experience. Settle into your terra-cotta-floored cottage dressed with handwoven textiles and laze on the leafy veranda for as long as your heart desires. Your only agenda here would be to explore the Arabica groves, try your hand at picking beans or watch the farm’s daily rituals unfold. Family-style meals celebrate heirloom recipes from the land’s freshest bounty, followed by a slow brew at the breezy café.
Getting there: Chikmagalur is about 155mi (4.5–5 hours) from Bengaluru.
Best time to visit: November to February
7. Pepper Trail, Wayanad, Kerala
Best for solitude and forest escapes
Before you see it, you’ll smell the sharp, earthy scent of pepper in the air. Nestled within 200 acres of working coffee and spice plantations, Pepper Trail is where rainforest living meets estate-era romance. Choose between a lovingly restored 140-year-old bungalow filled with colonial relics or one of two tree houses perched 40 feet high, hidden among the canopy. Waking to birdsong and distant drizzles is a regular affair here. Join a guided walk through coffee shrubs and spice creepers, or take a breather in the herb garden. Then, drift across the spring-fed reservoir in a coracle boat, tracing the reflection of the forest in the gentle ripples. Prepare your taste buds for Kerala’s culinary depth at mealtimes with ginger-laced fish curries, tamarind-rich rasam, and jackfruit sautéed in mustard seeds. Come for the spice, stay for the stillness.
Getting there: Fly into Calicut International Airport, then drive 3.5 hours (about 68 miles) through Wayanad’s forested roads.
Best time to visit: November to March.
