Dambatenne Tea Factory
The historic tea factory on Sir Thomas Lipton's old Dambatenne estate near Haputale, where you can see how high grown Ceylon tea is withered, rolled and dried.
Dambatenne Tea Factory sits in the middle of the estate that Sir Thomas Lipton, the Scottish businessman whose name is still on tea boxes around the world, bought in 1890. Lipton built his tea empire on estates like this one, and the factory still processes the leaf plucked from the steep slopes around it, high above Haputale.
A visit usually takes the form of a short guided walk through the factory. You follow the leaf from the moment it arrives fresh from the fields, through the withering troughs where it is dried by warm air, to the rolling machines, the fermentation stage, the dryers and finally the sorting room, where the tea is graded by size. The machines are noisy, the air smells of tea, and the guides explain each step clearly. Visits are best on a working day, when the factory is running.
The factory sits on the road up to Lipton's Seat, so the two go naturally together. Most people take a tuk tuk up to the viewpoint at sunrise, then walk down through the tea estate and stop at the factory on the way, which is one of the nicest mornings you can have in the hill country. On the walk you will pass tea pluckers at work and small estate villages; be polite and ask before taking photos of people.
Photography rules inside the factory change from time to time, so ask your guide before you take pictures. Wear closed shoes, since the floors can be dusty and uneven.
At a glance
- Entry fee: A small fee is usually charged for the factory tour. Check the current rate at the gate.
- Opening hours: Working hours on weekdays, roughly morning to mid afternoon. Check locally, as hours change.
- Time needed: About 1 hour
- Best time: A weekday morning, after sunrise at Lipton's Seat
How to get there
On the Dambatenne estate road, about 10km from Haputale. Take a tuk tuk or the local bus towards Lipton's Seat; the factory is on the way up.