Tea Plantations in SE Asia

When you think of SE Asia, you’re probably imagining rice fields. But did you know there’s several gorgeous tea plantations in SE Asia too?

As a tea fueled writer, I wanted the best tea I could find while backpacking SE Asia and writing. Any other tea lovers traveling through the region should definitely make the time to visit at least one of these plantations.

Not only can you enjoy tea from the very place the leaves are picked, but the tea plantations happen to have some of the most gorgeous scenery I’ve ever experienced.

The first tea planation I visited was in the first country of my SE Asia trip: Malaysia (see below). I fell in love, and sought out tea plantations during the rest of my trip. I didn’t visit all the tea plantations on this list, but when I find myself back in this region, I’ll definitely find time to explore the ones I missed.

Here are the best tea plantations I found in SE Asia.

1. Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Malaysia was the very first country I visited in SE Asia. It was also one of the very first places featured in my Writer’s Travel Guide series, and thanks to a Google search of points of interest in the country, I saw a tea plantation for the first time.

I had never seen a tea plantation before, and oddly never thought it was a place I could visit. But the Cameron Highlands, one of my favorite places in SE Asia (largely due to the tea plantations), changed all that.

The Cameron Highlands are also a lovely spot for a writing retreat, and it made it into my Writer’s Travel Guide to Malaysia. If you’re a writer, it’s worth checking out!

Boh Plantation

Boh Plantation was a bit tricky to get to without a car, but I made it with the help of a sporadic bus mixed with some hitchhiking and walking. And the not so ideal journey was well worth it. (But take a taxi if you’re not on a budget.)

Boh is supposedly the biggest black tea manufacturer in Malaysia, I ended up buying a box of their Earl Grey tea to accompany on my travels through SE Asia. And unless you actually enjoy Lipton tea (is there anyone who does, or am I just a tea snob?), I’d recommend you do the same. That’s about the only kind of tea you’ll find for breakfast in hostels, if any.

The tea house is a lot more modern than the Cameron Highlands Teahouse (see below), and you can wander between the trees for some pretty awesome pictures.

I got some matcha shortbread cookies with my cup of tea, and it was as if the long walk from the bus stop to the teahouse melted away from my memory, as did the buttery matcha cookie from my mouth as I washed it down with a hot tea.

And the scenery was so pretty I almost wouldn’t have minded walking through back to the bus stop. Although I didn’t say no to the kind Malaysian family that stopped and offered to drive me down the winding road leading to it.

Cameron Valley Tea

This place was easier to get to from where I was staying, as there’s a hiking trail you can take from Tanah Rata through a jungle and to the rows of tea trees and Tea House 1.

It’s a bit tricky getting to and I couldn’t find great info online, so make sure to check out the Cameron Highlands hiking guide I created. The hike to Cameron Valley Tea House 1 goes from Trail 10 to 6, which you’ll find detailed step by step with pictures in the guide.

It’s not an easy hike, but the jungle is amazing. And when you finally emerge from it with views like the one pictured above, you’ll forget you’re tired from the hike.

You have to walk through a little village and the plantation to get to the teahouse, and then pay less than a dollar to enter the fields (you pay at Tea House 1).

Walking through the rolling hills of tea trees was the dream come true of a dream I never even knew I had.

And the refreshments of a pot of tea and a matcha cheesecake at the teahouse was heaven. This was the very first tea plantation I visited, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the views.

Overall, I think the tea plantations in the Cameron Highlands were the most beautiful in SE Asia. I may be biased since they were my first, so please let me know in the comments at the end of this post if you agree!

2. Chiang Rai, Thailand

After falling in love with Pai, I almost skipped out on Chiang Rai to spend more time there. Only three reasons tore me away from beautiful Pai:

1. My visa was ending, and I heard good things about a boat you can take from near Chiang Rai along the Mekong River to Luang Prabang, Laos.
2. A fellow traveler raved about his favorite hostel ever located in Chiang Rai, and I loved it too. It made Favorite Hostels in SE Asia list.
3. I heard there were tea plantations nearby.

Chiang Rai also made it into a Writer’s Travel Guide (for Thailand), and also because of the tea plantations. If you’re a writer planning on traveling to Thailand, make sure you read my guide!

Choui Fong

This was the tea plantation recommended by the hostel owner (of Get Hi Hostel). She claimed it was the most beautiful in the area, and I believe it.

It was longer motorbike ride from Chiang Rai (about one and a half to two hours one way), but it was so worth it. Not only because of the rolling hills of luscious tea trees, from which workers hand-picked each individual leaf.

But also, this tea was amazing. Their oolong tea is hands down the best oolong tea I’ve tasted.

The onsite teahouse was super modern and fancy too, with so many different tea and cake options. I had an Earl Grey crepe cake with my oolong tea. Enjoying those two while gazing out at the gorgeous trees that supplied the tastiness was divine.

This teahouse is featured in my Writer’s Travel Guide to Thailand. Make sure to check out the other great writing spots I found in Thailand if you’re a writer too.

Singha Park

If you’re short on time, Singha Park, closer to Chiang Rai, also has a tea plantation. I chose to go to Choui Fong because it was more beautiful with the hills, while Singha Park’s plantation looks very flat.

It’s still a good option if you’re just dying to see rows of lush tea trees stretching out into the distance. And an even better option if you’re an adventure seeker.

Apparently, there’s a zipline that goes over the tea trees! If I ever find myself back in Chiang Rai, you can almost certainly find me on that zipline.

3. Moc Chau, Vietnam

I was short on time in Vietnam , but that gives me reason to go back again. When I do, I’m going to Moc Chau.

Located near the Laos border and 125 miles away from Hanoi, this district is located on a large plateau with cool weather great for growing tea trees. It’s a bit off the beaten path (at least, it wasn’t on the itineraries of any backpackers I met), and you can meet ethnic minorities here.

Moc Chau Tea Plantations

 There are various tea farms in this region of Vietnam, including Nong Truong, Moc Chau Town and Tan Lap Commune. Thanks to the cooler air on the plateau, these farms’ tea trees produce a large supply green tea.

For a great guide on the plantations in the Moc Chau district, check out this article, which will give you more detailed info about how to plan your trip there.

4. Ban Komaen/Phongsaly, Laos

Would it surprise you to find out that among the oldest tea trees in world are found in Laos? It sure surprised me!

I didn’t know about this until after I got back from SE Asia, but it’s on my list when I’m back. It’s located far up north near the Chinese border, an area which I didn’t have time to venture up towards.

Ban Komaen Green Tea Pavilion

 Not far from Phongsaly is Ban Komaen, where there is a tea plantation that is 400 years old. While most of the tea plantations on this list are kept trimmed to make it easier to pluck the leaves, here the trees are left to grow. The tallest ones are up to six meters high!

Marveling at these ancient trees and process through which their leaves made into green tea in Ban Komaen isn’t the only thing to do near Phongsaly. You can also try green tea rice liquor and learn about the ethnic groups from the region.

I found out the amazing ancient tea trees here, and I can’t wait to see them for myself one day!

5. Ciator, Java, Indonesia

I also had no idea there were tea plantations on Java. I traveled the entire length of this island (a train from Jakarta to Jogyakarta, then a train from Jogyakarta to nearby Bromo, onto Ijen, onto the ferry to Bali), and from what I remembered, most of the landscape was rice fields.

Turns out, there’s a lot more to Java than meets the eye. Next time I’m in Indonesia, I’m getting the two-month visa rather than one month. There’s so much to see!

Ciator Tea Plantation

The Ciator Tea Plantation (PTPN VIII, owned by Subang Regency), was created by the Dutch in colonial times. And it looks about absolutely breathtaking.

It’s located about an hour away from the city of Bandung and 40 minutes from Subang. The drive between the two places looks stunning thanks to the hills of tea trees.

After scrolling though these pictures, I think this plantation may be more beautiful than the ones I first encountered in Malaysia.

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Did you encounter any other beautiful tea plantations in SE Asia? Any tea lovers putting these on their bucket lists?

Let us know in the comments below!