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The main reason we decided to stay in Haputale was to visit Lipton’s Seat. We had read amazing things about World’s End, but we decided the cost was too high and visited Lipton’s Seat as an alternative and boy were we glad we did!
We were collected by a tuk tuk at 5:30 am in the morning to make the journey in the chilly morning air. It took about 45 minutes to make the journey from Haputale to near the top of Lipton’s. We got a view of World’s End from the road on the way. Our tuk tuk dropped us at a barrier which is approximately 1km from the top, and we walked the rest of the way. It was absolutely stunning to be there very early in the morning and see the beautiful early morning mist rising from the tea plantations as we walked to the top.
When you reach Lipton’s Seat we were astounded by the incredible views. You can see 360 degree views across Yala and Udalawe National Parks.
There is a statue of Lipton and you can take an obligatory seat with him where he reportedly decided to develop the hills into tea plantations.
At the top is a small cafe where you can buy a cup of tea made with tea leaves and enjoy the views. Above the cafe is an extra high platform for more incredible views.
We were really glad to arrive so early as we hardly saw another person and the mist hadn’t yet developed to mask the view.
At about 7am we started the walk back down to the tea factory. This walk is approximately 7km, but there are lots of short cuts down steps through the tea plants. 
There are lots of interesting quotes on signs as you walk down through the plantation.
This walk was one of the highlights of our Sri Lanka trip as we saw children walking on their way to school which are within the tea plantation. We saw lots of pickers leaving their villages and walking to work in the plantation. The whole site is enormous and includes accommodation for the workers, hospitals, schools and temples, it is an amazing insight into the way of life here.
As we neared the village at the bottom we saw milk being collected from villagers. Lots of the workers also grow their own vegetables. They are only paid about $3 per day so they have to try and subsidies it in other ways.
We reached the tea factory at the bottom at about 8am which cost 250 rupees each (approx. £1.25). This is quite a short tour, but it was really interesting to see the whole process from the tea leaf collection to the final products.
When we finished our tuk tuk driver had come back to collect us (we paid him 1500 rupees in total), but you can get a bus very cheaply which takes about 25 minutes to Haputale. The journey back was a lovely trip through more tea plantations with lovely views. This was an amazing start to the day!
