Dambatenne Tea Factory
Dambatenne Tea Factory
3.5
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- Peter MMelbourne, Australia1,293 contributionsDambatenne Tea FactoryT This is only 6 miles from Haputale and buses pass the factory every 30 minutes. Sir Thomas Lipton of Lipton teas built this factory in 1890. It is a very comprehensive tea-factory tour. There is a fee but afterwards you can sip a cuppa.Visited June 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 29 September 2023
- Max G8 contributionsQuite basic but definitely worth it - the bus journey there alone is spectacularFor 1000 LKR it's worth it. Not the most informative tour (the factory noise made it hard to hear the guide), but you get to explore through the heart of the factory, touching, smelling and tasting the tea. Note - you can easily get here for 90 LKR on the bus from Haputale, but tuk tuk drivers will try and convince you that you can't !Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 16 February 2024
- Sally DRoyal Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom45 contributionsOne highlight of Sri Lanka was HaputuleThis place is real. I mean it’s a working factory with tourists as a sideline. The other comments are all true about the guide being touchy but he was like that with everyone, helping up stairs and warning of dangers. The reason we loved it was because it seems like it has not changed over the years and it’s in the middle of beautiful scenery that is not to be missed. Think of it like fawlty towers! Have funVisited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 7 March 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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3.5
390 reviews
Excellent
84
Very good
116
Average
85
Poor
45
Terrible
60
Dugmac
7 contributions
Mar 2022 • Couples
If spending 1000 rupees each for a 20 minute tour with a very unfriendly and rude guide who barks “come!” at you to move from room to room as soon as he’d finished providing the very limited explanation about tea production (mostly read from the pamphlet given out at the beginning) - questions are NOT encouraged - before you finish up in an office with a big sign saying “Tasting Room” where ironically the tasting of any actual tea is strictly not possible at which point he plonks two boxes of tea on the table with no further words apart from the price before looking at you accusingly whilst seemingly blocking your exit until you buy something (we didn’t) all sounds like fun then this tour is for you!
We’d been on two other tea tours whilst we’d been in Sri Lanka (Handunugoda and Uva Halpewatte). Both were excellent. Save your money for them.
We’d been on two other tea tours whilst we’d been in Sri Lanka (Handunugoda and Uva Halpewatte). Both were excellent. Save your money for them.
Written 19 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kateřina L
Roudnice nad Labem, Czech Republic7 contributions
Mar 2022 • Couples
The place has a history and the building is nice. But it is the last nice thing. Ticket is expensive and the guide WAS MOST UNFRIENDLY PERSON within 3 weeks in Sri Lanka. He do not explain you anything, just read the paper which he gave you, bullying you with instructions (“come!”, “stay here!”). No tasting tea. Guide did not even say goodbye to us. Do not go there and save money for friendly people in Sri Lanka.
Written 12 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
chanchu p
5 contributions
Feb 2022 • Friends
Don't visit this tea factory
1. Entrance fees are over priced. (1000 pp) . If they produce good quality tea they can earn money from it not over charge from tourists. there are lot of factories offer free visites
2. Factory Guide is not friendly. Visite is very fast and cant understand what he is talking.
3. Inside the factory they put tea on the floor and walk on it.
4. You can't take PHOTOS
5. for the toilets you have to PAY again. Even you brought tickets for the factory
1. Entrance fees are over priced. (1000 pp) . If they produce good quality tea they can earn money from it not over charge from tourists. there are lot of factories offer free visites
2. Factory Guide is not friendly. Visite is very fast and cant understand what he is talking.
3. Inside the factory they put tea on the floor and walk on it.
4. You can't take PHOTOS
5. for the toilets you have to PAY again. Even you brought tickets for the factory
Written 20 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dziedzic P
Torun, Poland2 contributions
Mar 2022
You visit this place not to see but to smell. Smelling the interior is an epic experience which makes you realise how much the manufacturing process can change the taste and flavour of the raw tea leafs. Yes, a little too expensive as benchmarked agains other attractions on the island. The guide was harsh but okay - you need to remember that tourists are differend and his job is priceless.
Written 6 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yolanda S
Jaco, Costa Rica7 contributions
Mar 2023 • Solo
Not worth going there. Too expensive (1000Rps) for almost nothing The guide could not speak very good English and was almost impossible to understand him, Contrary to other tea factories, you couldn´t take pictures. Also not evern a cup of tea at the end, as it is offered in other tea factories, where you don´t even pay for the entry. In summary you can save the visit and go to other tea factories that offer more value for money.
Written 29 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Csilla
Budapest, Hungary13 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
We have visited the tea factory after a nice walk in the tea fields. (That was amazing)
You need to pay a fee to enter the factory. Our feeling was they asked a price as much as they want, but not an affical rate. You cannot make any pictures in the factory and we felt they are just giving some information about the process, but we did not feel this is valid.
After a tour you can try some teas, but it was left there for a while and you can try with a spoon only, not like a cup of tea. Was not charming at all.
You can also buy some teas, but only just the powder one.
I would not go there again. Walking through the tea fields was a better experience.
You need to pay a fee to enter the factory. Our feeling was they asked a price as much as they want, but not an affical rate. You cannot make any pictures in the factory and we felt they are just giving some information about the process, but we did not feel this is valid.
After a tour you can try some teas, but it was left there for a while and you can try with a spoon only, not like a cup of tea. Was not charming at all.
You can also buy some teas, but only just the powder one.
I would not go there again. Walking through the tea fields was a better experience.
Written 1 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Max G
8 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
For 1000 LKR it's worth it. Not the most informative tour (the factory noise made it hard to hear the guide), but you get to explore through the heart of the factory, touching, smelling and tasting the tea. Note - you can easily get here for 90 LKR on the bus from Haputale, but tuk tuk drivers will try and convince you that you can't !
Written 16 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jirka Kotek
Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic150 contributions
Feb 2022 • Couples
Nice but bit surreal.
First of all the factory is quite hard to get to. We self drove and got there from Nuwara Eliya. Last 8km were tough, especially due to buses. The views along the way were magnificent though.
After parking which is easy to get we were immediately surrounded by guys offering us a tuktuk to Liptons Seat. We declined and went for factory only. It costed 1000lkr per person. You get a covers for your shoes and must leave your bags outside (guarded). Also its forbidden to take a pictures inside.
The guide was appearing really strict which looked very funny to us. But obviously he was into his job. At the beginning he read us some safety rules, gave us a brochure and the tour proceeded. We were firstly afraid that he will just read from the brochure he gave us, but eventually he started adding more information and the tour turned out to be pleasant. It took around 30 minutes.
In the end you can buy local produced tea. We got 250g of leafs for mere 350lkr.
Worth the visit if you have a way nearby.
First of all the factory is quite hard to get to. We self drove and got there from Nuwara Eliya. Last 8km were tough, especially due to buses. The views along the way were magnificent though.
After parking which is easy to get we were immediately surrounded by guys offering us a tuktuk to Liptons Seat. We declined and went for factory only. It costed 1000lkr per person. You get a covers for your shoes and must leave your bags outside (guarded). Also its forbidden to take a pictures inside.
The guide was appearing really strict which looked very funny to us. But obviously he was into his job. At the beginning he read us some safety rules, gave us a brochure and the tour proceeded. We were firstly afraid that he will just read from the brochure he gave us, but eventually he started adding more information and the tour turned out to be pleasant. It took around 30 minutes.
In the end you can buy local produced tea. We got 250g of leafs for mere 350lkr.
Worth the visit if you have a way nearby.
Written 14 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emily
O'Fallon, IL41 contributions
Mar 2022 • Couples
This place was weird yet fun. We got a taxi from ella for $40USD (there and back) to go out to see this factory and lipton’s seat. When we arrived, we had to wait a bit for the last tour to be done and then we were given a 20-30 min tour. “Joseph” aka tour guide that barks orders at you, was actually very enjoyable if you don’t take him too seriously. We asked lots of questions and sometimes he answered them and sometimes he didn’t lol. It wasn’t the most expansive tour i’ve ever been on but it was food learning. After, the views up to lipton’s seat were amazing however the ride is rough (road is terrible).
Written 25 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Janidu D
Colombo, Sri Lanka12 contributions
Jan 2023 • Friends
Worst ever Place vicit in Sri Lanka..Had visited to many places including tea factories..All the places treat us with great hospitality .Infact Sri Lankan people are great example for the hospitality ...This factory and its staff from gate keeper to others do not no the word hospitality . All other tea factories give free guided tour..free cup of tea and Free sanitary facilities ...Here they charge rs 1000/ fees and also additionally charge for using toilets..No cup of tea...Please dont visit this horrible place when u visit lipton seat..its distroy The hospitality of Sri Lanka
Written 2 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No I don’t think they offered tea picking, just tea factory
Written 3 February 2019
If you want to see the whole Factory working go there early in the morning. We were two and we didn't need any approval to visit.
Written 24 August 2016
Do we have to get prior permission to visit the Dambatenna factor?
Their fee of Rs 250.00 is for a person or for the whole team?
Written 19 February 2016
The walk down from Liptons Seat to the tea factory in the early morning is spectacular. The Kids running past you on the way to school, and locals heading off to work in the tea fields. Sadly, no cup of tea at the tea factory though!
Written 20 February 2016
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