Receive a morning pickup from your hotel in Nuwara Eliya, enjoying a drive up into the hills near Haputale. Make your first stop at the Dambatenne Tea Factory.
Learn about the origins of Sri Lanka’s tea industry during this stop at a factory associated with the famous Lipton brand. Enjoy a tour of the factory, learning about the tea production process and exploring its construction by the 19th-century by British tea magnate Sir Thomas Lipton. Guests can also enjoy a hot cup of tea and purchase tea-related merchandise.
Leave the factory and drive to reach Lipton’s Seat, a scenic viewpoint where the famous tea proprietor once stopped to survey his vast collection of plantation lands. From the top, visitors can see the island’s southern coast on clear days, as well as the Uva, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Eastern Provinces. On the way to the top, pause to explore Catherine’s Seat and to admire Lemasthota Waterfalls.
Take a break midday for lunch (own expense), coordinating with your chauffeur who can help recommend an eatery. Then head to the Benedictine Monastery of Ashidam. Explore this Tudor-style mansion built by Englishman Sir Thomas Lister Villiers, learning about its eventual conversion by a group of Benedictine monks. Explore the monastery’s elegant gardens visited by rare birds like paradise flycatchers and golden orioles, and get a look at its beautiful exterior. Then head back to your hotel in Nuwara Eliya.
