Begin your tour at 7:30am with pickup by your chauffeur at your hotel in Nuwara Eliya. The drive to the Dambatenne Tea Factory will take approximately 1.5 hours, with some changes based on weather conditions. You will arrive at around 9:00am.
The tea factory has a long history, having been built by the famous British tea production figure Sir Thomas Lipton in the late 19th century. The factory is now one of the production centers under Lipton Tea. You will receive an hour long tour of the factory and will be learning more about the tea production process. You will also get an opportunity to have a hot cup of tea, or even purchase some fresh tea leaves right from the factory.
After viewing the tea factory, you will be visiting the viewpoint Lipton’s Seat that is a half hour drive away. The place is so named as it was the place used by the previously mentioned Sir Thomas Lipton to survey his huge tea empire. The observation place is located at the summit of Poonagala Hill. On your way up to Lipton’s seat you will also be stopping by Catherine’s Seat, another smaller viewpoint, and the Lemasthota Waterfalls. Once you get to the top, you will be able to see stupendous views of the Uva, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Eastern provinces. On a clear day, the view extends up till the Southern coast of Sri Lanka. You will be spending an hour at Lipton’s Seat.
At 11:30am you will be coming down from the hill to have an early lunch. You can choose a place of your preference and affordability. You chauffeur will be happy to advise you of some the best places in the area, in order to help with your choice.
After lunch you will be travelling to the Benedictine Monastery of Adisham, which you will reach by 1:30pm. The monastery is a Tudor mansion designed after the style of the Castle of Leeds. It was built in 1931 and named the Adisham Bungalow after the hometown of its first owner and builder, Sir Thomas Lister Villiers. Villiers spared no expense in making it look as English as possible from its lines of architecture to its gardens to the furniture and interior of the mansion. After his return to the United Kingdom, the mansion was taken over by a group of Benedictine monks. They put in a lot of effort and quite a bit of stonework, and converted it into a more austere monastery. Now the monastery runs a little fruit preserve cottage industry there, while also allowing occasional tour groups. You will be touring the areas of the monastery which are open to the public, as well as the exterior; such as the perfectly maintained garden. You may be able to catch glimpses of rare birds such as paradise flycatchers, hornbills, golden orioles and etc. They come from the bird sanctuary bordering Adisham Bungalow. You will be leaving the place at 3:30pm.
You will get back to your hotel in Nuwara Eliya at 5:00pm, completing your tour.