Food & Drink
1 hour
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 91% of travelers
91% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$10
per adult
Halpewatte Tea Factory Tour
Halpewatte Tea Factory Tour
4.5
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Full view
About
Almost every tourist who visits Ella or Bandarawela area pays a visit to our tea factory for its popularity as the largest tea factory in Sri Lanka's Uva region. Our premises offer you an opportunity to experience a guided tour of a tea factory par excellence.Go around in the tea factory with an excellent guide and Learn everything there is to know about Ceylon tea. And enjoy a tea tasting session where you will experience the art of tea tasting and manufacturing. Tourists also have the opportunity to purchase factory-fresh teas, while gazing at the panoramic views from our factory.
Tours and Tickets by Halpewatte Tea Factory Tour
Private Sightseeing Tours
2 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 100% of travelers
100% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$30
per adult
Observation Decks
1 hour
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 95% of travelers
95% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$10
per adult
Travelers talk about
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,410 reviews
Excellent
1,018
Very good
261
Average
79
Poor
29
Terrible
23
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Mansour A
4 contributions
Jan 2024 • Couples
TLDR version
1. 10$ per person for tea plantation tour.
2. Lesson about how tea is planted.
3. Picking up tea leaves by yourself while wearing the traditional basket.
4. Taste the 4 types of teas available and understand the difference. Included in the tour.
5. Enjoy sky lounge with amazing view.
6. Buy tea if you want.
We were lucky when we arrived at the tea plant that the tour was just starting, we paid for our tickets and joined the other people.
The guide, Mohamed Sallay was such a wonderful person, he’s a local living just buy the factory and explained the whole process of growing and harvesting tea in such detail and excitement that you can feel his passion for his Job. After his explanation our wonderful guide introduced us to Pushparanie, a local lady working as a harvester in the farm. She helped us in wearing the traditional baskets and guided us into the farm where we started our competition to see who can collect the largest number of tea leaves. It was amazing seeing her work and it was such a unique experience being there and getting guidance from these two wonderful people. All in all we had a blast and would recommend this to our friends and family.
1. 10$ per person for tea plantation tour.
2. Lesson about how tea is planted.
3. Picking up tea leaves by yourself while wearing the traditional basket.
4. Taste the 4 types of teas available and understand the difference. Included in the tour.
5. Enjoy sky lounge with amazing view.
6. Buy tea if you want.
We were lucky when we arrived at the tea plant that the tour was just starting, we paid for our tickets and joined the other people.
The guide, Mohamed Sallay was such a wonderful person, he’s a local living just buy the factory and explained the whole process of growing and harvesting tea in such detail and excitement that you can feel his passion for his Job. After his explanation our wonderful guide introduced us to Pushparanie, a local lady working as a harvester in the farm. She helped us in wearing the traditional baskets and guided us into the farm where we started our competition to see who can collect the largest number of tea leaves. It was amazing seeing her work and it was such a unique experience being there and getting guidance from these two wonderful people. All in all we had a blast and would recommend this to our friends and family.
Written January 28, 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.
TonyDJnr
6 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Really interesting tour. We went in the afternoon so missed the tea in production but still walked through the factory and saw the machinery after a sit down session talking through the process and showing leaves in dofferent stages and various end products. Our guide Rajha was full of enthusiasm and explained the process very well. Lots of opportunity to ask questions. Very much recommend!
Written January 1, 2020
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.
Christina W
15 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
Super interesting tour. The employee spoke in good English and explained in detail how the tea is made. It was also very descriptive. The tour through the factory was impressive. The harvesting on the tea plantation was also very interesting and impressive. Our guide was called Sellewei and the tea picker Bushbarani, she does a remarkable job. We can only recommend the tour.
Written November 1, 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.
Kevin S
Pontypridd, UK6,889 contributions
Jan 2022
We visited here on a Saturday as we were passing, which was a bit disappointing as while their website says they were open, no actual staff apart from presentations or the shop, are working. Therefore any descriptions of the process would not be accompanied with action, which we had seen earlier in our trip at Damro Labookellie Tea Lounge, and for free, whereas here they wanted 600 rupees each for the presentation. To be honest being empty on a Saturday it looked a little abandoned and there were not good photo opportunities around the factory for rolling hills of tea bushes.
Written February 15, 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.
Alfredo R
Olhao, Portugal164 contributions
Feb 2022
We had a great visit with a guide from Halpewatte tea factory. Best choice is to grab a tuk tuk and get yourself a ticket inside with a guide from the building. We had a very enthusiastic one that knew all the details about production as well as the engineering behind the machines. You could see the passion of the guide regarding his job while he talked about the factory. They will give you different teas in the end for you to taste the difference of the several types of extractions.
Written February 11, 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.
Lori L
7 contributions
Mar 2023 • Solo
I did both the field tour and the factory tour. I learned so much valuable information from Sallay about the tea picking process and also the harvesting schedule. It was such a rewarding experience to pick tea leaves alongside veteran picker Mariathal. During the factory tour Rajha gave a very detailed description with actual products from each stage before taking us into the factory to see the machines and employees at work. Both were very educational and worth every minute.
Written March 30, 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.
Benzien L
Hilsenheim, France4 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
We visited the factory on a Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately there was no production. The Sivanathan guide was there and he make to us a truly exceptional visit. He knows his subject, he shows us everything and explains it in detail.
Thanks to him we are aware of the whole process of making black tea. Thanks to Sivanathan for the work you do.
Thanks to him we are aware of the whole process of making black tea. Thanks to Sivanathan for the work you do.
Written October 23, 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.
Smithyneal
Derbyshire, UK25 contributions
Feb 2020
We were apprehensive that this tour would be a step too far for our two year old granddaughter but she actually got very excited by the tea being produced and was a big hit with the workers.
The guide was very informative and answered questions well. Good value!
The guide was very informative and answered questions well. Good value!
Written February 28, 2020
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.
Me_Husz
Leipzig, Germany3 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
LOVED Siva's intelligent way of explaining the world of tea to us. Would absolutely recommend a visit.
We walked all the way from Ella to the tea factory which was quite a nice stroll with lovely views.
We walked all the way from Ella to the tea factory which was quite a nice stroll with lovely views.
Written January 2, 2020
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.
Sam S
London, UK3 contributions
Jan 2020 • Friends
Very informative and engaging tour of the tea factory by our knowledgeable guide Rajha. We learnt about how tea is made and were able to see three steps of the process happening within the factory during our 3pm tour. If you wish to see the entire process happening, it is recommended you arrive at 8am.
Written January 7, 2020
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.
Hello
I livre un France
How can I buy some white tea
Thanks to answer
Written June 16, 2020
Hi,
Does anyone know how much would be a tuk tuk from Ella to the Tea Factory?
Written February 18, 2020
Hey, it is 600 rupees, its about 20-25min journey. However usually you can ask them to take you there, wait and bring you back this is 1000 rupees. This is what one guy knew exactly when the tours ran and how long to wait.
Written February 20, 2020
What’s the price for a tour for two people including tasting?
Written July 14, 2019
I went in March 2019 and the tour cost 525 Rs (3 USD) per person, including tasting of 6 varieties of teas.
The teas they sell at their shop is reasonable. They range from affordable simple packaged varieties for own consumption to more expensive ones in gift packaging.
Written July 15, 2019
Hi, where can I see ladies picking tea leaves in Ella ? Thanks a lot in advance.
Written July 16, 2018
You can see them picking tea on the hillside near the tea factory or i saw them everyday between Ella and the junction for the road to Bandarawela
Written July 17, 2018
Is het mogelijk een rondleiding of bezichtiging te doen, en zo ja , zijn er vaste tijden, van te voren boeken ens?
Written July 13, 2018
Yes, there are tours. Just show up! You don't need to make a reservation in advance!
Written July 27, 2018
verykk
Brno, Czech Republic
Hello, are you open on sunday morning? Or on saturday afternoon at 4pm? we would like to visit the tea factory but we will stay there just saturday night... Thanks!!!
Written April 4, 2018
The tea factory is open from 8-5pm but not sure if there is a cut off time for tours. Sunday there is no tea production so i would not bother visiting, but i believe it is not even open on Sundays
Written April 5, 2018
Hi we are planning to visit the tea factory on the 13th of April in the afternoon what time do the afternoon tours start and do we need to book in advance
Thanks
Laura
Written March 31, 2018
13th is a Friday so the tea factory should be up and running unless it is a national holiday. No need to book tours, just turn up and wait .
Written March 31, 2018
I am travelling to Ella on 14th February, what would be the best time and day to take the tea tour so i may plan to extend my stay if required.
Written February 4, 2018
So the tour last about 1-2 hours. And cost only 450rs pp.
I do believe they pick all the leaves on a Monday meaning the factory floor is empty, I went on a Monday and production was not in full swing then, so was just an empty factory, but still good to see it all. So I would advise to avoid Mondays and Sunday’s so you get to see everything working.
Written February 5, 2018
haroldfernando10
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Do we have to pay to visit the tea factory? then how much per person for a 30 minute visit?
Written December 8, 2017
Yes you do pay if you want a tour. Or you can just visit the tea shoppe without paying. The tour takes at least an hour.
Written January 6, 2018
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