Tea is a national obsession in Sri Lanka and here where it is grown is a great spot to visit on your travels. Sri Lankan tea is famous the world over and when in the country you should head to the Hill Country and visit tea factories and plantations. It's just marvellous! Head to Haputale which houses the impressive Dambatenne Tea Factory, built and created by Thomas Lipton who came from Scotland and made it his base over one hundred years ago. You can get a tour of the factory up in the hills![]
The Haputale valleys and Dambatenne Tea Factory are in the middle of nowhere! It's a hard place to get too but if you love tea then you need to find a way to get here!
How do you get to the Dambatenne Tea Factory?
Getting to the Dambatenne Tea Factory is tricky for tourists. Up in the mountains and valleys there is no rail system here. The bus system does run, but the roads are so narrow you are better off finding a local driver. Get a local driver to take you and save the hassle! He will know what he is doing! []
What price is it to visit Dambatenne Tea Factory?
The entrance fee is a simple 250 Rupees, payable in cash only at the front door. You may have to wait until one of the workers is available to take you round. It's not busy at all - despite being a great place to visit and one of my travel highlights, this is still well off the normal traveller's trail - worth getting out to.
What length of time is a tour of Dambatenne Tea Factory?
The tour is basically split into 3 parts and takes roughly 25 minutes:
1. First of all you visit a room upstairs where the tea has just arrived in from the mountains. Here the tea leaves are put into machines ready for the process.
2. Secondly you are in a large room downstairs to watch the process of the tea being refined before it is heated at the end.
3. Finally the tea is heated, later cooled and put into large bags ready to be shipped worldwide!
No photos are permitted during parts 2 or 3. The below photo is from the upstairs room. The workers are hard at work while you're walking around, for this reason I respected the "no photos" rule. With regards to opening hours, check and ask around at the time, as a general rule it's normally 9 - 5pm but don't take my word for it.
What other things are there on the tour?
The tour is fast and will be over in a flash but it's still really worth doing. There is no shop to sit and have a tea though which I found incredible - I wanted a cup! There isn't even a souvenir shop but you can buy packets of Dambatenne Tea to take away with you, which I did. The only real souvenir.
To buy a packet of Dambatenne tea is 300 Rupees. The more expensive tea for sale is Simondou which costs a ridiculous 1,100 Rupees. You might actually be better buying them in the towns and villages in markets.
What other things can you do in the area nearby?
The region is very hilly so admiring the view is the best thing to do, if you hire a driver they can stop wherever you like:
1. Admire the views of the mountains
2. Stroll along the hills of tea plantations
3. Enjoy a cup of tea in a cafe with an impressive view
4. Visit Haputale town and stay in a hotel, check out the markets and shops (there is also an ATM in the town)
There you have it - the tour is short and over quickly but is worth a trip and provides you with great travel memories.
Time for a cup of tea!
The Haputale valleys and Dambatenne Tea Factory are in the middle of nowhere! It's a hard place to get too but if you love tea then you need to find a way to get here!
How do you get to the Dambatenne Tea Factory?
Getting to the Dambatenne Tea Factory is tricky for tourists. Up in the mountains and valleys there is no rail system here. The bus system does run, but the roads are so narrow you are better off finding a local driver. Get a local driver to take you and save the hassle! He will know what he is doing! []
What price is it to visit Dambatenne Tea Factory?
The entrance fee is a simple 250 Rupees, payable in cash only at the front door. You may have to wait until one of the workers is available to take you round. It's not busy at all - despite being a great place to visit and one of my travel highlights, this is still well off the normal traveller's trail - worth getting out to.
What length of time is a tour of Dambatenne Tea Factory?
The tour is basically split into 3 parts and takes roughly 25 minutes:
1. First of all you visit a room upstairs where the tea has just arrived in from the mountains. Here the tea leaves are put into machines ready for the process.
2. Secondly you are in a large room downstairs to watch the process of the tea being refined before it is heated at the end.
3. Finally the tea is heated, later cooled and put into large bags ready to be shipped worldwide!
No photos are permitted during parts 2 or 3. The below photo is from the upstairs room. The workers are hard at work while you're walking around, for this reason I respected the "no photos" rule. With regards to opening hours, check and ask around at the time, as a general rule it's normally 9 - 5pm but don't take my word for it.
What other things are there on the tour?
The tour is fast and will be over in a flash but it's still really worth doing. There is no shop to sit and have a tea though which I found incredible - I wanted a cup! There isn't even a souvenir shop but you can buy packets of Dambatenne Tea to take away with you, which I did. The only real souvenir.
To buy a packet of Dambatenne tea is 300 Rupees. The more expensive tea for sale is Simondou which costs a ridiculous 1,100 Rupees. You might actually be better buying them in the towns and villages in markets.
What other things can you do in the area nearby?
The region is very hilly so admiring the view is the best thing to do, if you hire a driver they can stop wherever you like:
1. Admire the views of the mountains
2. Stroll along the hills of tea plantations
3. Enjoy a cup of tea in a cafe with an impressive view
4. Visit Haputale town and stay in a hotel, check out the markets and shops (there is also an ATM in the town)
There you have it - the tour is short and over quickly but is worth a trip and provides you with great travel memories.
Time for a cup of tea!
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