Can you walk through the tea fields alone.

Yes, you are generally perfectly allowed to walk freely through the massive tea plantations in Nuwara Eliya and Ella. While the estates are technically private property, the estate managers and the local tea pluckers are incredibly friendly and completely accustomed to tourists hiking along the dirt pathways that wind through the bushes. It is highly recommended to stick to the established dirt paths, smile at the workers, and politely ask for permission before taking any close up photographs of them working.