Lipton Seat Sri Lanka – Dambatenna Estate
Lipton Seat - Dambetenna Estate, Sri Lanka
Distance
Nuwara Eliya – 57 Km
Haputale – 16 Km
Ella – 27 Km
Best Course
from Haputale via Dambetenne Road
Why Visit
Beautiful Tea Estate Scenery
How much time do I need
Half a Day
Lipton Seat, in Sri Lanka, is a popular view point surrounded by the Dambetenne Estate in Haputale With impressive viewpoints and lush greenery fused with clear blue skies it is a trip worth your while.You will have to visit it in the morning or otherwise the mist will ruin your views. It is named after The Scottish tea baron Sir Thomas Lipton is told to have sat here marveling at the scenery and estate empire he was building.
Green Tea Leaves & Blue Skies
How do I reach Lipton’s Seat?
Note: Tuk-tuks might be telling the truth to you when they say certain road conditions will be difficult for cars. My experience is a jeep can make it because of higher ground clearance, and tuk-tuks are the versatile preferred mode of transport. Stop and take advice if your lost or unsure. If your self-driving have a tire pump in the boot and your spare tire ready. (Be weary of google maps and shortcuts)
Option 1: Haputale to Lipton’s Seat
Haputale, already a popular destination, is the closest city with accommodation to make your trip to Lipton’s Seat. 45mins by tuk-tuk it is smooth drive in the morning. Remember that the best time of day to visit is the early in the morning. So you got to arrange your ride the day before and wake early to make it there. Tuk-tuks can be arrange through the hostels and there are plenty of tours offering round trips. The price will depend on it being a round (usually) and whatever detours you wish to take. It can range between a couple of thousand rupees. ($11-$20)
The route from haputale will be along the Dambatenne Road.
There is also a Bus from Haputale but it will reach Dambatenne town. The you will have to switch buses and then get off at lipton seat.
You can also so on your trusted scooter if you have hired one.
If your self driving it is best if it is a small car to easily navigate the winding road and to squeeze through tight spots, where you need to know where your tires are from the cliff edge.
If you cannot get to the Lipton’s Seat as the gate is closed, remember it is only 1.5km, which you can easily cover.
Option 2: Ella to Lipton’s Seat
As Ella is one of the most popular destinations in the country, most visitors will make the trip from there.
We did the same during our first trip to Lipton’s seat. We were driving our car there.
You can arrange a round trip from Ella and head to Lipton’s Seat early in the morning. It is a longer trip than from Haputale.
Advice: Certain routes are tough for your self driven vehicles. We encountered one such road on our way from Ella. We had to park the car and hitch a ride on a tuk-tuk till Lipton’s Seat but we thoroughly enjoyed the scenery and not having to worry about flat tires, damages undercarriages. So my recommendation is to travel by tuk-tuk and enjoy being care free.
Things to do
Enjoy the road
Enjoy a breathtaking view of the sunrise
Have breakfast at the Lipton Cafe
Walk and explore the Teas trails
Visit Dambatenne Tea Factory
One of the highlights of my trip was the road trip. Our manic driving to us only so far and then we switched and rented a tuk-tuk to take us up there. The tuk-tuk driver was young kid who was in high spirits, joking and chatting all through the trip. We heard many of his memorable stories.
The scenery is absolutely beautiful. The tea bushes forms a green coloured blanket over the landscape and the clear blue skies decorated streaking white clouds, and they meet each other in a harmonious embrace as we observe from mobile vantage points. The road is uneven, bumby and at time you feel the pain of the engine of the tuk-tuk as it laboured to move our weight upwards. There were several time where we had to get down so that the tuk-tuk could finally jump over the uneven obstacles. As you move forward the vegetation take new forms and as do the landscape, either side of the of the road you find lush green tea,woodlands and steep cliffs plunging hundreds of feet. I must say it is never comfortable when the tuk-tuk tilts towards the cliff edge because some stones seem to be hell bent on toppling us over. 😀
