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![]
It's in the middle of nowhere in fact so visiting Dambatenne tea factory is an off the beaten track gem. If you've grown up on drinking tea it's a place not to be missed though I must say.
How do you get to the Dambatenne Tea Factory?
It's not going to be easy to get there. There are no rail or bus links directly, so your best bet is to get to the mountain village of Haputale first and get a local bus over to Dambatenne. Tuk tuks/three wheelers are also available. You can also go with a tour group. A local driver was my preferred option and worked a treat. []
How much does it cost to visit Dambatenne Tea Factory?
It's a simple 250 Rupees fee payable at the door and in cash only. There might be a slight delay to wait until one of the workers is available to show you around but it will be worth it - this place is off the beaten track!
What length of time is a tour of Dambatenne Tea Factory?
It can be split into three parts and takes about 20 - 25 minutes, here are the three parts:
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. Visiting the downstairs room where the tea goes through different levels of refining and is eventually left out to rest before being heated.
3. Lastly all the tea will be heated then let to cool. Once cooled, it goes into bags to be distributed around the globe!
You can't take photos inside during parts 2 and 3 which is fine as it's their system. The staff will all be working hard in the background so it's important to respect that. The opening hours of the tours seemed to be 9-5 but double check before you visit.
What other things are there on the tour?
It's a very basic and quick tour and that's really all there is to it. I was surprised to learn that there is NO tea shop or even souvenir shop there - I'd have thought they would have made money from something like that, but alas the only thing you can do is buy a fresh packet of Dambatenne Tea!!
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 else can you do near to the Dambatenne Tea Factory?
It's such a mountainous region so there are four other things to do which is best done with a driver:
1. Marvel at the epic mountain views
2. Stroll along the hills of tea plantations
3. Stop at a cafe for a cup of tea with a view
4. Visit Haputale town and stay in a hotel, check out the markets and shops (there is also an ATM in the town)
I was just trying to see if the post could be stretched out any more and extra details added, but basically like I said, it's a short and basic tour and that's really all there is to it. If you have any questions on it, do leave a comment below or get in touch. They don't even have their own website, despite the enormity of their production, and for once I'm not even going to bother linking to a site about it!
OK it's tea time!
It's in the middle of nowhere in fact so visiting Dambatenne tea factory is an off the beaten track gem. If you've grown up on drinking tea it's a place not to be missed though I must say.
How do you get to the Dambatenne Tea Factory?
It's not going to be easy to get there. There are no rail or bus links directly, so your best bet is to get to the mountain village of Haputale first and get a local bus over to Dambatenne. Tuk tuks/three wheelers are also available. You can also go with a tour group. A local driver was my preferred option and worked a treat. []
How much does it cost to visit Dambatenne Tea Factory?
It's a simple 250 Rupees fee payable at the door and in cash only. There might be a slight delay to wait until one of the workers is available to show you around but it will be worth it - this place is off the beaten track!
What length of time is a tour of Dambatenne Tea Factory?
It can be split into three parts and takes about 20 - 25 minutes, here are the three parts:
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. Visiting the downstairs room where the tea goes through different levels of refining and is eventually left out to rest before being heated.
3. Lastly all the tea will be heated then let to cool. Once cooled, it goes into bags to be distributed around the globe!
You can't take photos inside during parts 2 and 3 which is fine as it's their system. The staff will all be working hard in the background so it's important to respect that. The opening hours of the tours seemed to be 9-5 but double check before you visit.
What other things are there on the tour?
It's a very basic and quick tour and that's really all there is to it. I was surprised to learn that there is NO tea shop or even souvenir shop there - I'd have thought they would have made money from something like that, but alas the only thing you can do is buy a fresh packet of Dambatenne Tea!!
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 else can you do near to the Dambatenne Tea Factory?
It's such a mountainous region so there are four other things to do which is best done with a driver:
1. Marvel at the epic mountain views
2. Stroll along the hills of tea plantations
3. Stop at a cafe for a cup of tea with a view
4. Visit Haputale town and stay in a hotel, check out the markets and shops (there is also an ATM in the town)
I was just trying to see if the post could be stretched out any more and extra details added, but basically like I said, it's a short and basic tour and that's really all there is to it. If you have any questions on it, do leave a comment below or get in touch. They don't even have their own website, despite the enormity of their production, and for once I'm not even going to bother linking to a site about it!
OK it's tea time!
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