Snow-capped peaks, flaming red rhododendrons, sparkling white magnolias, exotic forests, fern-filled valleys and emerald green tea bushes-Darjeeling holds many an attraction for tourists. Now, there's an addition to the list: the chance to stay on a tea garden and savour the fabled lifestyle of planters. Says Rajah Banerjee, the fourth generation scion of the family that runs the world's oldest single-owner tea estate, Makaibari Tea Estate, which also doubles up as a tea garden resort: "You can always stay comfortably in a star hotel, but you will never get to see and hear diverse flora and fauna, the chirping birds, rumblings of a distant waterfall and a dense forest from your room."

The Glenburn Tea Estate is located in a river valley and offers breathtaking views of the Kanchenjunga. It stretches from an elevation of 3,700 feet, all the way down to the banks of two snow-fed Himalayan rivers, Rungeet and Rung Dung. On offer is a "Barbeque Weekend" at the colonial Glenburn Bungalow and an action-packed "Camp Out", which includes river rafting on the Rungeet and a hike through the adjoining forests that are a bird watcher's and hiker's paradise. Gardens like Phaskowa Tea Estate and Goomti Tea Estate have also jumped on to the tea tourism bandwagon. Kanwar Deep Singh, who owns the Dooteriah Tea Estate, admits that tourism offers Darjeeling's gardens, many of which are on the brink of financial collapse, a critical lifeline. "Tea planters have traditionally led luxurious lives. It's part of the industry's cultural heritage. Tea garden tourism simply packages this into a marketable form and offers people a chance to see and enjoy the lifestyles of colonial country gentlemen," says Raj Basu, CEO, Help Tourism, an NGO that promotes heritage Tea Tourism in Darjeeling and the Dooars, and even organises individual tours.

"It's a truly royal experience. You get the comforts of a top-end hotel amid lush green nature and wish you'd left your wristwatch back home," says Manishi Mukherjee, Country Head of us software firm Varian India, who recently stayed at one of these tea gardens. Tariffs range from Rs 2,000 for a double room at Makaibari to Rs 7,500 at top-end garden-resorts like Glenburn Tea Estate. Meals are served in sprawling British-era dining rooms by masalchis and drinks by abdars, but room service is also available. On the menu: Continental, Indian and Chinese cuisine, and some exotic local and Tibetan delicacies.

The authorities, for once, have latched on to a good thing. The West Bengal government and the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) are aggressively promoting tea tourism. They are encouraging garden owners to renovate and let out unused bungalows to tourists seeking seclusion in the company of nature. "Tea tourism has enormous potential and we are working to bridge tourism with conservation for the sustainable development of the local community," says Basu.