Darjeeling tea estates open winter walking trails to visitors

Six tea estates in the Darjeeling hills have opened marked walking routes through working gardens for the winter season, the first coordinated attempt by estate owners to bring visitors onto producing land without disrupting plucking cycles.

The routes run between 1.2 and 3.4 kilometres, are marked with bilingual signage in English and Nepali, and are walked only with guides licensed by the Darjeeling Tea Association. A conservation fee of ₹150 per visitor is collected at the estate gate and transferred to the workers' welfare fund, association officials said.

Estate managers said the walks are capped at 12 visitors per guide and are suspended on days when spraying or pruning is under way. Visitors are asked not to enter plucking lines, and the association has said the routes will be reviewed after the season closes in February.

The district tourism office has not yet issued a separate advisory, and travellers have been asked to confirm timings directly with the estate office before setting out.