Haputale

General information about Haputala

Haputale is a small Highland town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka in the district of Badulla. The population of the city is just over 5 thousand people. Located at an altitude of 1430-1580 meters, 175 kilometers from Colombo and the airport, 40 kilometers from Nuwara Eliya, and 30 from Ella (Haputale on the map). This is the southernmost point of the mountainous part of Sri Lanka, and from here in good weather you can even see the southern coast of the island, and this distance is almost 70 kilometers.

Haputale is not a popular tourist destination in comparison with Nuwara Eliya and Ella, but thanks to its wonderful mountain scenery, which is not inferior to the more popular neighbors, the town's fame is growing. At the same time, you do not need to go somewhere or go hiking, wonderful views of the mountains and tea plantations open directly from the main streets, you just need to find the right viewing point. Therefore, if you want to visit the mountainous part of the island, but do not want to visit Nuwara Eliya with its inflated prices, then Haputale will be a good alternative. Another reason why tourists visit Haputale is the proximity to the popular tourist spot National Park Horton plateau and the "end of the world", which are very convenient to visit from here. The town itself is also remarkable. Founded in 1905, it is imbued with the spirit of colonial architecture, and looks like Nuwara Eliya in miniature.

Infrastructure in Haputala for tourists is poorly developed, but everything you need is available. There are about fifty hotels and hostels, and this, if you count, is one hotel per 100 locals! There are cafes and restaurants, but you will have to eat mainly in restaurants at hotels, or in cheap and not very clean establishments for locals. There are two ATMs in the very center next to the railway station, but we could not find a currency exchange. There is no entertainment for tourists here, except for walks around the city and the surrounding area, and trips to attractions in the district. Therefore, tourists usually stay in Haputala for a couple of nights, no more. This time is enough to visit the two main attractions of the city, the observation deck Lipton's Seat and the monastery of St. Benedict, as well as enjoy the views from other viewing platforms of the city. But it is quite possible to visit Haputale within one day from Ella Or Badulla by train, bus, or rented transport. But you need to go early in the morning to have time to visit at least Lipton's Seat. And if it is possible, then hire a tuk-tuk or rent a motorcycle, and then in one day from Ella it is quite possible to visit demodar loop, Temple of Dov, Lipton's Seat and St. Benedict's monastery, and on the way make a short stop and walk around the city Bandarawela.

You can find and book accommodation in Haputala on these sites or through the search form. All sites have a Russian interface and Russian-language customer support, a lot of reviews from real guests.

• 🛌 Search for hotels in Haputala on Yandex.travel
• 🛌 Search for hotels in Haputala on Trip.com (💥 our choice)
• 🛌 Search for hotels on Ostrovok.ru

Hotels in Haputale on the map

Attractions in Haputala, what to see

There are no attractions in Haputala itself, except for the architecture of colonial times. Be sure to see the building Adisham Bungalow (formerly a village house, and today the building of the monastery of St. Benedict). You can visit the Tea Factory, Lipton's Seat observation deck, climb the highest mountain in the district Prabhawa. Here is a list of the main attractions of Haputale:

• Lipton's Seat observation deck

  

  Perhaps this is the best viewing platform in all of Sri Lanka, and in order to visit it or even meet the dawn here, tourists specially stop in Haputala. Although if you wish, it will not be difficult to visit this place from Ella Or Badulla in one day. The 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 there are views that are almost not inferior 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. Read more Lipton's examination room is here...

  🕐 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 / tickets 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.

• Monastery of St. Benedict

  

  Originally called Adisham Bungalow, the classic English-style house was built by English aristocrat and tea planter Thomas Lester Villiers in 1931. In 1961, after the death of Sir Thomas, the house and land bought the Roman Catholic Church, and founded the Catholic monastery of St. Benedict (St Benedict's Monastery).

  This is a very popular place, so many local tourists come here on weekends that it's just not crowded. The territory of the monastery is well-groomed and very beautiful, decorated with flowers in the European style. Part of the monastery building is open to the public as a museum. Inside there are only two rooms and a library furnished with antique furniture and household items that supposedly belonged to Sir Thomas. The most interesting thing here is a library with old books about travel around the world, which includes books about travel in Russia. Read more about Saint Benedict's monastery here...

  🕐 Working hours: 09:00-12: 30 and 13:30-16: 30.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: 150 rupees (0.45 USD, see currency of Sri Lanka), children-75.

  🚶 How to get there: located 4 kilometers from the center (monastery on the map). You can get there on foot or by tuk-tuk for 100 rupees from the center of Haputale, or for 3000 rupees round trip from Ella. If you come here by rented transport, keep in mind that the last kilometer of the way is a very narrow broken asphalt road leading up. On weekends, large traffic jams can form on it due to the large number of visiting locals, so sometimes it is faster to leave the transport below and walk to the monastery.

• Dambatenne tea factory

  

  Dambatenne Tea Factory is one of the few factories in the vicinity of Haputale available for tourist visits. It was built in 1890 by Sir Thomas Lipton, one of the founders of the tea industry on the island. Here you will learn how tea is made during a short guided tour of the production. The tour ends with a cup of freshly brewed tea. The price for visiting is somewhat inflated, especially since other factories in the vicinity of Nuwara Eliya have generally free factories, but if you have not been to similar places, be sure to visit.

  🕐 Working hours: Monday to Saturday from 07:30 to 18:00.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: Rs 250.

  🚶 How to get there: the factory is located 11 kilometers from the city on the way to the Lipton observation deck (factory on the map). You can get there by bus number 326 for 25 rupees and 30 minutes.

• Haputala viewing platforms

  

  In addition to Lipton's most famous observation deck, there are several excellent and free viewing platforms right in the town of Haputale with views for which this town is so famous. There are simply non-equipped stops along the road with good views, and there are parking lots with cafes overlooking the mountains. Any of them can be visited completely free of charge, you just need to get to them.

  🕐 Working hours: it is best to visit in the morning, because after lunch the views can hide the clouds.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: free.

  🚶 How to get there: there are several lookouts in the city and on its outskirts, we marked some of them on the map (observation deck on the map, observation deck on the map, observation deck on the map, observation deck on the map). You can get from the center and from the railway station on foot.

• Route to Pattipola railway station

  

  14 kilometers from Haputale is the highest railway station in the country Pattipola, and the route to it along the railway tracks is quite picturesque, you will also see several Hindu and Buddhist temples. You can go hiking to this station, it runs through another town of Ohiya( Ohiya), and return by tuk-tuk or train. It is impossible to get lost on this route, you just need to keep to the railway track, but the whole route will take almost a whole day.

  🕐 Working hours: around the clock.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: free.

  🚶 How to get there: walk along the train tracks.

• Mount Prabhawa observation deck

  There is no equipped observation deck on the mountain and no road there, at least not yet. But anyone can climb to the very top of 1750 meters, and admire the scenery and views of the city from there. Also at the top you can look into a shallow cave. The ascent takes an hour and a half, and passes along a narrow winding path that begins in the area of St. Andrew's Church.

  🕐 Working hours: around the clock.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: free.

  🚶 How to get there: the mountain is close to haputale (observation deck on the map).

How to get to Haputala

Haputale is located in a very mountainous area, and it is inconvenient to get here by bus. It makes sense to get here by bus only from nearby settlements: Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Bandarawela, Ella (bus change in Bandarawela). In order not to go around half the country by train through Colombo, from the southern beaches it is best to get by bus with a transfer in the city of Wellawaya

In Haputala there is a railway station where trains stop in the direction of Badulla, following from Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and other cities along this route. From Colombo has 4 trains daily, from Kandy 3. you can view the schedule on the Sri Lanka Railways website - https://eservices.railway.gov.lk.