Tickets
Hotels
Tours
Insurance
Trains
Sri-LankaDescription and is it worth a visit
Lipton's Seat observation deck, perhaps the best such attraction in all of Sri Lanka. In order to visit it or even meet the dawn here, tourists specially stop at Haputale. Although if you wish it will not be difficult to visit this place from Ella or Badulla for one day.
This observation deck was once used by Sir Thomas Lipton to review his tea plantations, which is why it received its name-Lipton's seat. It is located at an altitude of 1970 meters at cloud level, and from here you can enjoy views almost equal to the famous The end of the world on the Horton Plateau, but much cheaper. In addition, they say that in clear weather you can see the ocean from here.
Upstairs there is a simple cafe where tea is brewed and breakfast is prepared, so if possible, come here as early as possible, meet the dawn, and then you can have breakfast. True, you have to wait a little for the opening of the cafe, it does not open so early. If you do not wait for the opening of the cafe, you can take a snack with you, there is a gazebo with a table. Dress warmer in the morning, it's cold upstairs.
In addition to the species themselves, you can walk along the slopes through tea plantations, because almost all of them are covered with tea bushes. Along the way, you can make a few more stops in places with great views, see how the tea pickers work, and even visit their temporary village, where they live seasonally during the harvest.
🕐 Working hours
From 05:30 to 17:30. Try to get here in the morning, because after lunch the top is often in the clouds.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
100 rupees per person (0.3 USD, see currency of Sri Lanka), 50 rupees for entry on a motorbike, 100 for a car and a tuk-tuk.
🚶 How to get there
The observation deck is located 15 kilometers from haputale (observation deck on the map). You can get from the center of Haputale by tuk-tuk, starting from 800 rupees one way. You can also take the bus number 326 to the entrance gate (ticket office) at the foot of the hill, and then climb on foot in 15-20 minutes. Another route option is to get to the Dambatenne Tea Factory, see it, and then to the Observation Deck 6 kilometers on foot. Some tourists go to the top on a tuk-tuk, and back to Haputale go on foot, this is a very picturesque route.
From Ella, a round trip will cost from 3000 rupees, but you need to bargain. Ideally, it is best to come here on a rented motorbike or car from Haputale or Ella. The road is not very good, but it will not be a problem to drive, the asphalt leads to the very top. The last 6 kilometers of the way after the Dambatenne Tea Factory is a narrow serpentine road up, on which two cars warm up only on special platforms, so be careful. You can get to the very top, but sometimes there are traffic jams from cars and tuk-tuks that can't leave, so it's best to come here on a motorcycle.