“Lipton”.
Perhaps the most recognisable name among all tea brands. Did you know that it all started in Sri Lanka?
In 1890, Sir Thomas Lipton saw an opportunity to market to tea to the masses instead of limiting it as something only the elite could afford. He bought miles upon miles of tea plantations in Sri Lanka, cut out middlemen, hired indentured Tamil workers from India, packaged and shipped them back to UK at low costs and sold his tea in packets with the advertising slogan: "Direct from the tea gardens to the teapot”. Selling his tea at a fraction of the price it had been, Lipton tea became an immediate success especially in the United States.
Thanks to him, the Sri Lankan highlands today is surrounded by tea plantations everywhere.
And up in the hill near Haputale, lies a seat once used by Sir Thomas Lipton, where he looked over his tea empire. Today, visitors make their way up the hill for that exact same view, while you can see across emerald hills and tea estates with endless shining rows of leafy bushes in various shades of green, from the brightest to the darkest.
The place is popular among tourists and if there is only one tea plantation you can visit in Sri Lanka, this is the one.
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Getting To Lipton Seat
The nearest town to Lipton Seat is Haputale, a small little town in between
Nuwara Eliya and Ella (6 stations from Nanu Oya, 7 stations from Ella) and it only takes about half an hour to reach Lipton Seat from Haputale.
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| Haputale Railway Station |
However, you can also get to Lipton Seat from Ella like did. To do that, you just need to take the train from Ella which takes just one hour.
Haputale Railway Station
Address: Haputale, Sri Lanka
Train from Ella to Haputale: 1 hour (train bound for Nanu Oya / Kandy, alight at Haputale), LKR 25 per person (third class)
From Haputale Railway Station, you can hire a tuk tuk for LKR 1500 for a round trip or about LKR 900 one way. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes to get there with a tuk tuk.
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| Our tuk tuk driver of the car |
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| Sri Lanka's tuk tuk fits maximum of only 3 people |
You can also get the local bus (about LKR 50 one way) to and from Lipton Seat which is much cheaper than a tuk-tuk, but the first bus doesn’t run until around 8:30 am and only drops you at the Dambatenne Tea Factory (1 hour bus ride). From there you must get a second bus that runs every hour to take you to the entrance gate of Lipton Seat, and walk another 1.5km. Alternatively, it’s a 7km walk up to the top between rows and rows of tea bushes. Scenic but a long journey.
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| View on the way up to Lipton Seat |
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| Look at the lush green plantation |
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| Beautiful isn't it? |
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| You can also hike up if you don't have a transport |
All the money saved doesn’t justify the time and effort needed to reach Lipton especially if you are going to reach late in the day and risks getting a foggy view at the top, something that tend to happen at midday. If you are really into the scenic hike, I would still recommend going up with a tuk tuk (for one way journey) and take the walk down.
Lipton Seat
Address: Dambethenna Estate, Lipton Seat Rd, Haputale, Sri Lanka
Opening hours: 6am to 5pm, daily
Car entrance: LKR 50 per vehicle
Admission fee: LKR 100 per person (tuk tuk driver excluded)
Tuk tuk from Haputale to Lipton’s Seat: 1 hour, LKR 1500 round trip (sharing by 3 persons)
Recommended time at Lipton’s Seat: 1-2 hours, 3-4 hours including travel time from Haputale Railway Station
Things To Do in Lipton Seat
See the same view as Mr. Thomas Lipton
The view at Lipton Seat is undoubtedly spectacular as you can see across emerald hills and tea estates with endless shining rows of leafy bushes in various shades of green, from the brightest to the darkest. It is also said that you can see as many as seven provinces when the weather is clear. Along with the seven provinces, you are also rewarded with the sights of Handapanagala Lake, Chandrika Lake, Udawalawe Lake, Wedihitikanda Mountains, and even the Hambanthota harbor from the Southern coast.
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| Lipton seat from far |
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| Hi! Mr Lipton |
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| A photo is a must |
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| View from Lipton Seat |
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| Zoom in |
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| One word ~ Beautiful! |
If you stay in Haputale, you can even make it up to Lipton Seat before sunrise for the best view. As the sun shows its face and the thick mist flees the heat, the carpet of greens tea bushes is revealed along with with the colourful tea pickers who were making their way to work.
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| Let's take a walk around the tea fields near by |
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| This is from my camera and my fav shot of the day |
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| Unfortunately my travel mate couldn't replicate the same |
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| So more photos to see if there is any nice one to pick from |
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| Candid shot |
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| A clearer shot of both of us |
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| Shot by Han Fung |
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| I like this one |
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| Okay, this is approved too |
As we travelled from Ella, we couldn’t make it for sunrise but the view is still stunning nonetheless. However, be sure to make it up there before 10 am to get a reasonably clear view as it is known for having mist that moves in late morning and stays all day.
Enjoy some tea and breakfast
Just right next to the viewpoint is a small restaurant where you can purchase tea (or coffee) and other local Sri Lankan foods. Although we already had breakfast, we couldn’t resist having a second round. For LKR 550 and we got a pot of tea, roti, vadais and samosas. The tea wasn’t as good as the ones we got to try at
Nuwara Eliya’s Damro and perhaps they are from some cheap tea bags.
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| Time for breakfast |
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| Tea with a view |
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| Cheers! |
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| View from the restaurant |
Time seemed to pass slowly as we enjoyed our breakfast and view.
Walk around the tea fields
A trip to Lipton Seat is not complete without taking a walk around the tea fields. As I didn’t get to do it while in
Nuwara Eliya, so Haputale was my last chance to do so. However, as we had a tuk tuk with us, we didn’t walk all the way to Dambatenne Tea Factory which is about 7km long. Instead, we get out tuk tuk to stop at lots of places along the way in order to see the tea fields, and it is no less beautiful!
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| Saw this beautiful field and asked to stop |
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| Love the straight line |
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| And a path to walk down |
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| Yay~ |
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| Shot #2 |
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| Nice weather |
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| Saw tea pickers working as we drove down |
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| And we stopped to look at them |
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| Are you cooking for lunch? |
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| Tea picking in action |
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| Another photo of me |
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| Bareface = pale, maybe I should have at least applied some lipstick |
Bonus: Dambatenne Tea Factory tour
At the Dambatenne Tea Factory, you can take guided tour of the factory, possibly no more than 30 minutes where you get to see the entire process of making tea before it gets sold to large buyers such as Lipton. The tour is not free (like Damro) but costs approximately 250 rupees. It runs run as soon as someone has arrived between 8 am to 5 pm.
As we have been to two factory tour, we had no intention to go on another tour and instead just made our way back to Ella. Therefore we can’t vouch for the tour but from what I read online, it was quite interesting. If you haven’t been on any tea factory tour yet, this worth checking out. Do note that photos are prohibited inside the tea factory.
The Dambatenne Tea Factory is located at the bottom of the tea field and any one of the tea pickers or workers at Lipton Seat can point you in the right direction. You will also drive past it on your way up to Lipton Seat.
Getting out of Lipton Seat
To get back to Ella, you will need to head to Haputale Railway Station, either with a tuk tuk or by taking local buses, just like how you would get to Lipton Seat from Haputale Railway Station, in opposite direction.
Since we had a tuk tuk with us, we didn’t need to hike down, but I recommend walking as the view is splendid and the cool climate in the highland will most definitely guarantee a pleasant hike (unless it rains).
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| This view = love |
From Haputale Railway Station, we took the train to Ella and continue our adventure there.
Haputale Railway Station
Address: Haputale, Sri Lanka
Tuk tuk from Lipton’s Seat to Haputale: 1 hour, LKR 1500 round trip (sharing by 3 persons)
Train from Haputale to Ella: 1 hour 15mins (train bound for Badulla, alight at Haputale), LKR 25 per person (third class)
Final Words
With Lipton being hours away from Ella, many might come to doubt whether it is worth doing this side trip from Ella if they are not staying in Haputale. Based on my experience, I’d say it’s definitely worth the hassle to get there even if you are staying in Ella as the early morning train ride will reward you with spectacular views and you do get to hog the train to yourself and choose your desired seat since it’s most likely empty during the first morning train, like what we experienced. The tuk tuk ride up to it from Haputale is really beautiful on a nice day as it wends its way through beautifully manicured cascading plateaux of tea plantations, something you don’t experience in Ella nor Nuwara Eliya. Either you are staying in Haputale or Ella, it’s a trip worth doing and I strongly recommend slotting Lipton Seat in your Sri Lanka itinerary!
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