In Sri Lanka, tea is the national drink. Well it has to be! Every day almost every nationality in the world will sip a liquid that was made from leaves grown here in the mysterious hills of Sri Lanka. I made the trip to the valleys and hills at Haputale in Sri Lanka to the impressive Dambatenne Tea Factory, opened by Thomas Lipton over 100 years ago. It is currently a source of tea for Scottish based company Lipton Tea amongst other worldwide tea companies and distributors. All the tea is grown locally here in the gorgeous mountains and valleys of Sri Lanka's inland region.[]
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!
Getting to Dambatenne Tea Factory
To be honest it's not easy. There are no trains or direct buses up in this hilly region but what you will need will be to hire a car or a driver. A local driver knows the roads and will ensure you get there without incident. It could be easy to get lost in this part of Sri Lanka. So basically hire a local driver to take you! []
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?
It can be split into three parts and takes about 20 - 25 minutes, here are the three parts:
1. A visit to the rooms upstairs where the tea arrives in from. They are put into machines to begin the refining process.
2. Next you visit a massive downstairs room where the tea is refined in different stages before it is finally heated.
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 else is the tour about?
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 else is there to do nearby?
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. 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)
There you have it - the tour is short and over quickly but is worth a trip and provides you with great travel memories.
I'm heading to get a cup of tea...a lifestyle of travel!
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!
Getting to Dambatenne Tea Factory
To be honest it's not easy. There are no trains or direct buses up in this hilly region but what you will need will be to hire a car or a driver. A local driver knows the roads and will ensure you get there without incident. It could be easy to get lost in this part of Sri Lanka. So basically hire a local driver to take you! []
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?
It can be split into three parts and takes about 20 - 25 minutes, here are the three parts:
1. A visit to the rooms upstairs where the tea arrives in from. They are put into machines to begin the refining process.
2. Next you visit a massive downstairs room where the tea is refined in different stages before it is finally heated.
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 else is the tour about?
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 else is there to do nearby?
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. 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)
There you have it - the tour is short and over quickly but is worth a trip and provides you with great travel memories.
I'm heading to get a cup of tea...a lifestyle of travel!
About the Author:
For further fantastic articles like Dambatenne Tea Factory visit the marvellous nomadic lifestyle site by Jonny Blair for endless nomadic advice!
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire