Halpewatte Tea Plantation Tour in Ella, Sri Lanka
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Sri Lanka
- 1 hour (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
What's Included
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Uva Halpewatte Tea Factory TourUva Halpewatte Tea Factory, Badulla Road, Hela Halpe, Ella, Sri Lanka 90090, Sri Lanka
Travelers need to come to Uva Halpewatte Tea factory, following the google map location and come to sky café which is in roof top to purchased the tickets to go for plantation tour.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours
- 02/06/2023 - 06/10/2027
Monday - Sunday : 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Itinerary
1
Uva Halpewatte Tea Factory Tour
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Anthea_V
As a passionate tea drinker I found this experience to be informative and so interesting. You soon appreciate the stamina and challenge involved for the tea pluckers working in the fields all day. We met Maria an older and highly skilled tea plucker which really added to the experience alongside our lovely guide Sallay.
Reviews
4.8
based on 364 reviews
Lawrence_B, Dec 2025
Who'd have thought that there was so much to learn about tea?
The actual tour was interesting but limited to the outside, not the processing/manufacturing part. Guide was informative and passionate.
The reception staff and ticket cashier could do with a quick visit to charm school.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your thoughtful feedback! We're glad you found the tour interesting and enjoyed learning more about tea, as well as informative and passionate guidance.
We also appreciate your honest comments regarding the tour access and your experience with the reception and ticket staff. Your feedback is valuable, and we will certainly take it into consideration as we continue to improve our service and overall visitor experience.
We hope to welcome you again for an even better experience in the future!
Ashleigh_R, Aug 2025
It was a lot of fun picking the tea leaves and a cool experience. Our guide was lovely and also very funny.
Anthea_V, May 2025
As a passionate tea drinker I found this experience to be informative and so interesting. You soon appreciate the stamina and challenge involved for the tea pluckers working in the fields all day. We met Maria an older and highly skilled tea plucker which really added to the experience alongside our lovely guide Sallay.
Jonathan_W, Mar 2025
This was such an enjoyable experience with an excellent and most informative talk by Sallay followed by some tea picking and tea tasting. He kept it interesting throughout and all of our group really enjoyed themselves. It was definitely one of the highlights of our stay in Ella.
I would recommend going early in the morning before it gets too hot (and too busy) and definitely do the factory tour as well afterwards as this completes the whole story of the tea making process.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you had such an enjoyable experience with Sallay and that the tea picking and tasting were highlights of your stay in Ella. Great tip about coming early in the morning and combining it with the factory tour — we truly appreciate your recommendation!
RobHamish_J, Nov 2024
This was a lovely experience, despite the torrential downpour that halted it halfway through, as is typical in Sri Lanka! I really enjoyed learning about the history of the tea trade in the country, before getting dressed up in traditional tea picking wear, and getting the opportunity to learn how to pluck fresh tea leaves. The tasting in the factory shop afterwards was short, but enjoyable nonetheless, as we got to try different varieties of tea.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback!
Derome_A, Aug 2024
It was a great and enjoyable experience learning about the daily life in production of tea! Even the tea tasting was interesting 😊
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your kind feedback! We’re delighted you enjoyed learning about tea production and the tasting experience as well. Hope to welcome you again for another enjoyable visit!
Oriol_Q, Jun 2024
It was good, not the best experience on Sri Lanka nor the most authentic. The explanation was really interesting and the taste was ok, compared to other tours we did on Sri Lanka the prize was acceptable and the relation quality-prize as well.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your honest feedback! We’re glad to hear you found the explanations interesting and felt the experience offered fair value. We also appreciate your perspective and will take your comments into consideration as we continue improving our tours. We hope you enjoyed your time in Sri Lanka!
Trina_P, Mar 2024
There’s no time specified but they have tours every 30 minutes. Instead of waiting for the next tour they threw me into one that had already started. This meant that i got about 5 minutes of explanation and then gave me a basket and told me to start picking. It was still an interesting experience and i enjoyed it. Note that the outfit is not included in the price it’s an extra $6. The women who helped me were so kind and gentle. There is also an option for the factory that is another $10 that i did not partake in. At the end of the tour there is a tea tasting. I was the only one from the whole group that stayed to do it and i felt they were a bit rude to me. It’s a cheap tour and I still felt it was worth it. It makes you feel a bit more appreciative of your tea after being apart of the work that goes into it.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for sharing your experience and honest feedback.
We’re glad to hear you still found the tea estate experience interesting and enjoyed the kindness of the staff and the tea picking activity. It’s also great that the tour helped you appreciate the work behind every cup of tea.
At the same time, we’re sorry that the timing and organization of the tour, as well as the tea tasting experience at the end, didn’t fully meet your expectations. Your comments about the outfit being an additional cost and the way the tasting was handled are noted and valuable for improvement.
We appreciate your balanced view and hope that, despite the issues mentioned, you were still able to take away a meaningful and memorable experience.
Kelly_A, Mar 2024
Our guide, Nari was very knowledgeable and we learnt so much from him. We enjoyed picking the tea leaves and have a deeper appreciation for our tea after seeing how hard the pickers work.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your lovely feedback!
Umberto_E, Feb 2024
Beautiful experience
Recommended to all
You start with an explenation of the tea and from where it comes (CHINA IS THE ANSWER) and then you go to the plantations with maria and take the tea leaves.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your wonderful feedback!
Miroslav_M, Jan 2024
We learned how tea is grown, how it is harvested, dried and stored. Types of tea - black, green, white. The different tea grading - OP, BOP, FBOP etc.
Degustation of four tea grading
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your lovely feedback!
Tiffany_S, Jan 2024
A nice stop overall. The plantation tour and tea picking I’d give five stars. The Sallay (guide) was very knowledgeable and Marietta (picker) was really friendly and helpful. Such a unique experience to pick the tea and it was worth it for this part alone.
The tea tasting part afterwards was a bit underwhelming. Four cups were made ahead of time and had been sitting out, and the guide just gave us the names without any information about them. We asked some questions but didn’t get much of an answer about what the difference was between each tea we tried.
Overall, I would recommend coming here because the tea picking was really unique and worth the visit.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your honest and detailed feedback.
We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed the plantation tour and tea picking experience with Sallay and Marietta, and that it felt unique and worthwhile. At the same time, we’re sorry the tea tasting experience did not meet your expectations, especially regarding the level of explanation provided.
Your comments are appreciated and will be shared with the team as we continue working to improve the overall experience. Thank you for visiting and for your recommendation.
Anna_R, Nov 2023
You learn a little about harvesting tea and get a chance to try plucking some leaves yourself. The experience ends with tea tasting in the factory. The plantation tour works well as a follow up to the factory tour.
Note regarding the "What to expect" section: not sure what Ella Rock, Nine Arch Bridge and Ravana Falls are doing there, you don't visit these places during this tour. You only go to a tea field right outside the factory.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews and for taking the time to share your experiences
We’re truly delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tea factory and plantation tours, learned about the tea-making process, and had fun with the tea picking and tasting experiences. It’s especially heartwarming to know that our guides and team members made your visits informative, engaging, and memorable.
Your kind words, recommendations, and support mean a lot to us. We hope to welcome you all again to Uva Halpewatte Tea Factory in the future for another great experience.
Justine_H, Oct 2025
We liked to put ourselves in the skin of pickers but the picking was a bit long compared to the visit to the factory. The tea tasting was very nice.
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Maria, Aug 2024
Estupenda actividad para conocer un poco más la cultura ceilandesa. Se hace muy amena. También tienes la posibilidad de comprar té en su tienda a muy buen precio.
Response from Host, May 2026
¡Muchas gracias por su amable comentario! Nos alegra saber que disfrutó de la actividad y de la experiencia cultural. También nos complace que haya encontrado nuestra tienda de té a buen precio. ¡Esperamos volver a verle pronto!
frederique_l, Mar 2024
Uniquement 1/2h à récolter des feuilles guide peu efficace et prestation rapide il faut repayer pour visiter l’usine visite un peu plus intéressante mais on est plutôt dans une usine à touristes pour vous faire acheter du thé à des prix exorbitants pour le pays
Response from Host, May 2026
Merci pour votre commentaire. Nous sommes désolés d'apprendre que certains aspects de votre expérience n'ont pas été à la hauteur de vos attentes. Nous vous remercions d'avoir partagé vos préoccupations concernant les activités de la plantation, les guides et les tarifs, et nous tiendrons compte de vos remarques afin d'améliorer nos visites. Merci de votre visite.
Inga_R, Jan 2024
Sally hat uns viel interessante Fakten erzählt und das Tee pflücken war anstrengender als gedacht. Eine wirklich tolle Erfahrung und absolut zu empfehlen.
Response from Host, May 2026
Vielen Dank für Ihr wunderbares Feedback! Wir freuen uns sehr, dass Sally so viele interessante Fakten mit uns geteilt hat und dass Ihnen das Teepflücken gefallen hat, auch wenn es etwas anstrengender war als erwartet. Schön zu wissen, dass Sie einen so positiven und unvergesslichen Besuch hatten. Wir schätzen Ihre Empfehlung sehr und hoffen, Sie bald wieder bei uns begrüßen zu dürfen!
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