Excursion to Araksa Tea Plantation
On Monday, November 10, 18 members of the Lifelong Learning Payap community visited the Araksa Tea Garden in Mae Tang. The Araksa Tea Garden was a heavenly little tea plantation situated on the foothills of the rich forest of Banchang, Mae Tang district of Chiang Mai. Araksa was a boutique garden that specialized in producing high-quality organic tea.
Araksa was the first tea garden in Thailand to be certified both USDA and EU Organic for Farm and Factory. The site was one of the oldest tea gardens in Thailand. Left undisturbed, the tea plants had not been exposed to chemical pesticides or fertilizers for over a decade. The property had been left untouched for over 15 years until its new ownership in 2014. Named Araksa, the garden thrived again.
The participants walked through the lush tea garden and learned about the tea-growing process. They were each given a basket and joined resident tea pluckers, watched how tea leaves were processed according to age-old traditions, viewed the factory, and enjoyed a tasting session featuring 4–5 varieties of black tea. Afterwards, they enjoyed a delicious lunch in the beautiful tea room and spent some time exploring the tea shop.
A wonderful time was had by all!
