By Lydia Lau
Saturday April 18, 2009
Misty Fields
Offering close-to-nature activities, lush greens, coupled with amazing views of Mt Kinabalu, Sabah Tea Garden is a great place to get close to nature and have a relaxing holiday — all in one place.
Nestled in the lush tropical wilderness of Mt Kinabalu on 2,509ha and at 692m above sea level, Sabah Tea Garden’s cool and refreshing atmosphere renders it perfect for anyone who wants to get away for the weekend or a holiday.
Here are some six must-dos while there:
The tea experience
We reached Sabah Tea Garden after flying into Kota Kinabalu from Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines and were ushered to the Tea House where we were treated to cups of chilled tea — a perfect respite from the hot weather.
My Sabah Tea with ginger was a blend of black tea with slices of ginger. It was refreshing.
To make the whole tea experience even more authentic, we tried the Tea Pancakes. These are made using tea leaf extract, flour and eggs. We had ours served with honey and it was delicious — a great way to start our “totally tea” experience.
Stay at the Sabah Tea Longhouse
Visitors who opt to stay at The Sabah Tea Longhouse can enjoy an authentic “tribal” experience. Built about 1m-1.5m above ground, this longhouse has 10 rooms and took 10 men to complete in a month. Each room sleeps two to three adults.
If staying in a longhouse is not your cup of tea, Sabah Tea Garden also offers chalets with three rooms, a living room, kitchen and bathroom.
Try organic tea
Sabah Tea Garden is the only organic tea plantation in Malaysia and one of few in the world to produce its own special blend of tea.
They are especially proud of their organic tea, as it is grown without pesticides or fertilisers, and it is certified organic by SKAL International B. V. of the Netherlands, an independent international non-profit organisation that performs inspections and grants certification for organic production methods.
Apparently, the Garden’s organic tea was not planned, but a happy accident.
“The insects choose to eat from the other trees instead as tea leaves are actually bitter!” our guide explained with a smile.
Hence, there was no need to use pesticide on the plants.
Madras tea is a specialty of the Sabah Tea Garden
A tea adventure
The Sapaon Recreational Area is where visitors can take part in obstacle races, swim in cool mountain waters and picnic at the waterfall.
I consider myself to be reasonably fit, but jungle trekking up Kamunsu Hill shot that perception to pieces.
We huffed and puffed up the steep jungle trek with the assistance of our guide who explained the various rainforest flora and fauna we saw along the way.
When we finally reached the peak, we knew it was well worth the effort — the view from the top (2,271m above sea level) was mesmerising and everything looked tiny.
Those less physically inclined can also opt to do a night walk among the tea bushes after dinner, but prior booking is recommended.
Catch a view of Mt Kinabalu
On our third and final morning in Sabah Tea Garden, we woke up early again, determined to see the mountains before we left. This time, we were rewarded with a clear view of Mt Kinabalu. The mist surrounding the highlands was breathtaking and gave the scene a surreal touch. In the cool air, I felt as if I was walking on clouds!
Visit the tea factory
We had one more place to visit: the tea manufacturing factory. This is where selected tea leaves that are plucked from the fields are dried, fermented, sorted and packed into tea bags. To preserve its freshness, all tea leaves that come in are processed within 24 hours.
Saying good-bye
Over the last two days, we had walked through several tea plantations, which covered about 404ha of land but little did we know that there were another 2,023ha of untouched forest in the area! It’s certainly worth a repeat visit and perhaps on my next trip, I can add scaling Mt Kinabalu to my itinerary.
For now, I will have to be content with a few boxes of organic Sabah Tea which I picked up on my way out. So next time I have guests, I will be ready to serve up some Malaysian hospitali-tea!
For more information, call tel +6088 440 882, fax +6088 423 448 or visit www.sabahtea.net
-- The Star Lifestyle
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