Dambatenne Tea Factory In Sri Lanka
Tea is the national drink of Sri Lanka! They produce tons of the stuff and all over the world everyday people drink tea that comes from Sri Lanka. A great place to see where it comes from is the valleys and hills at Haputale in the hill country! Haputale is home to the famous Dambatenne Tea Factory which was opened by Scottish man Thomas Lipton more than a century ago! The tea is all grown locally in the mountains![]
The Dambatenne Tea Factory is actually up in the mountains at Haputale and hard to get to. If you are an avid tea drinker, I assure you however that it is worth the trip!
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 visiting Dambatenne Tea Factory cost?
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.
How long does the tour of Dambatenne Tea Factory take?
Your tour will be split into three main parts and should take around 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. Visiting the downstairs room where the tea goes through different levels of refining and is eventually left out to rest before being heated.
3. The tea is heated and then cooled and put into bags ready for shipment.
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 else is the tour about?
The tour is short and once it's over that's you done! Yes really there is no restaurant, cafe or tea room to even have a sample of the Sri Lankan tea. Your only consolation will be being able to buy a packet of Dambatenne tea direct from the factory in a small box.
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 a sparse hilly region so activities are not vast, however I pinpoint these four things in the nearby area, it's also easier if you have a driver (car or tuk tuk) as they can stop for you anywhere you want:
1. Admire the views of the mountains
2. Walk round the tea plantations
3. Have a cup of tea with a great view over the landscape
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!
I'm heading to get a cup of tea...a lifestyle of travel!
The Dambatenne Tea Factory is actually up in the mountains at Haputale and hard to get to. If you are an avid tea drinker, I assure you however that it is worth the trip!
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 visiting Dambatenne Tea Factory cost?
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.
How long does the tour of Dambatenne Tea Factory take?
Your tour will be split into three main parts and should take around 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. Visiting the downstairs room where the tea goes through different levels of refining and is eventually left out to rest before being heated.
3. The tea is heated and then cooled and put into bags ready for shipment.
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 else is the tour about?
The tour is short and once it's over that's you done! Yes really there is no restaurant, cafe or tea room to even have a sample of the Sri Lankan tea. Your only consolation will be being able to buy a packet of Dambatenne tea direct from the factory in a small box.
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 a sparse hilly region so activities are not vast, however I pinpoint these four things in the nearby area, it's also easier if you have a driver (car or tuk tuk) as they can stop for you anywhere you want:
1. Admire the views of the mountains
2. Walk round the tea plantations
3. Have a cup of tea with a great view over the landscape
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!
I'm heading to get a cup of tea...a lifestyle of travel!
About the Author:
To read more articles like Sri Lanka Tea Factory head to Jonny Blair's brilliant website on his Travel lifestyle for more advice and stories.
Comments
Post a Comment
Put your fingerprint cold building