Camping by Lipton’s Seat in Haputale

Contributing author: Sivagnanasundaram Bhagiraj
Location: Badulla District, Uva Province
Date of visit: January 2011

Bhagi and his friends explore Haputale, a town in Sri Lanka’s hill country. A place truly “off the beaten path” you are unlikely to see any foreign tourists and guaranteed to catch some breathtaking landscape views. Best of all, all of natures treasures enjoyed at Haputale, including the views from Lipton’s Seat, are free!

Getting There

“Hey machang (Sinhalese for ‘buddy’) wake up!” were the friendly words from my friend, waking me up from a deep slumber. I wiped the mist off the windows and looked out, it was dawn and we were at the Haputale railway station. We had journeyed for 9 hours over a distance of nearly 200 km from the Colombo Fort railway station and through the scenic highlands of Sri Lanka.

Sir Thomas Lipton

The first objective during our 2 day trip was to visit Lipton’s seat, the highest point of the mountain ranges out there and named after the famed tea planter, Sir Thomas Lipton.

Sir Thomas Lipton was a Scottish Tea Barron whose name is found in the hot beverage isle of most grocery stores worldwide. From 1870 to 1888, he rapidly expanded his parents’ single grocery store in Glasgow to nearly 300 stores across the United Kingdom. Realizing the potential to cut-out the middlemen at the London Auction Market, he visited Sri Lanka in the 1890s to partner with James Taylor (father or ‘Ceylon tea’) and import directly from the growers. This inspired the popular advertising slogan “Direct from the tea garden to the tea pot.”

It is said Sir Lipton would come to the Lipton’s Seat look-out point to survey his burgeoning empire of tea plantations at the Dambatenne Estate.

The Drive to Lipton’s Seat

The Haputale train station is located right in town and soon as we got off we went for some breakfast at a decent bakery. Our group of six then hired a mini-van from a nearby bus depot and set-off to Lipton’s Seat.

Our journey snaked us through hills and turns. I won’t forget being completely surrounded by the misty mountain ranges, cool breeze and the rustling of tall trees. The landscape around was dotted with lines of local tea plucking women carrying baskets on their shoulders and groups of school children waving as we drove by. In the background we had birds chirping and the hum of our old mini-van engine. There was no chatter amongst us since we too busy admiring the beauty of Haputale. We did also bring along a few local boys as our tour guides who explained the many places we were passing through.

“Get There Before 7 am”

A thirty minute ride took us to a small but busy village surrounded entirely by green mountains and tea estates, not too far away from the main Dambetenne factory. Most people we came across were mainly Tamils with a few Sinhalese around, but foreign tourists were far and few. Another 30 minutes brought us to Lipton’s Seat, a cliff with views rivaling those at World’s End in Horton Plains.

At first glance, we were surrounded by mountains. It is said that on a clear day you could see the entire southern country towards the coastal edge. Unfortunate for us we could only see a few stretches of land as the entire place was covered by thick mist. We had been advised by the locals to get there before 7 am since the mist sets in quite thick after 8.

Outdoors Lunch Taking in the Scenic Beauty

It was 11:30 and one of my friends shout “Shall we cook machang?” Our meager morning breakfast didn’t hold us for too long. We setup campfire and started preparing lunch at a corner near Lipton’s seat. It was quite hard locating good drinking water so we headed to a nearby village to ask the locals. They were more than helpful, even letting us charge our phones and use the toilet facilities.

As the only one with a camera, I had a free pass from any cooking and was charged with documenting the trip. I couldn’t resist the urge to go around the hills of Lipton’s seat and photograph its magnificent views, the likes of which i have never seen before.

After an hour of photography, I returned just in time when my friends had served lunch. Having an outdoor lunch prepared by ourselves at one of Sri Lanka’s most beautiful places, and having it while taking in the scenic beauty and cool breeze is something words cannot express — you have to experience it yourself!

Evening Campfire

As dusk set in the mist settled and daylight faded away. We started setting up camp but it was quite a challenge as it was extremely windy and the temperature dropped significantly. We didn’t expect the sudden change, although we later learned it was quite normal after 5 pm. Se we decided to descend down to a lower level, walking down a gravel road which was almost completely covered by the mist. It was extremely difficult to see what was ahead and a hazard to any driver.

Fifteen minutes walking through the windy mist brought us to a small building used by the locals as a resting spot and thats where we decided to camp. We were thankful to two kind townies who volunteered to keep us company in the unfamiliar place. If you decide to camp there be sure to bring your sweaters as we sure wished we did. The night continued with a blazing camp fire, a delicious BBQ, jovial singing and great conversation. Each and everyone enjoyed every minute, being out in nature by Lipton’s seat made it so.

Paradise for Nature Lovers & Photographers

The next morning, I was the first up at around 6:30 am and I didn’t want the mist obstructing the view from Lipton’s Seat as it had the previous day. By the time we got our stuff together and ran through the bypass road back to the top of it was nearly 7:45 and the southern coastal line had already faded away.

However we did see far more hills, rivers, roads and towns that we missed the previous day. Its clear why the Great Sir Lipton chose this point as a lookout — I am sure it wasn’t just to survey the lands but also to take in its beautiful panoramic views. All I could say about being in the middle of heavenly nature is that it was truly as relaxing as meditation!

The sun was bright that day. We spent a few hours taking group shots and then got ready to head back down to Haputale town. I really didn’t want to leave the place that truly was paradise for nature lovers and photographers alike, and not to forget a nice romantic spot.

Our Descent Back Down

The descent wasn’t easy with the mist low and the sun bright. We had a 7 km hike back down along the main road and few bypassing shortcuts. Each landscape we passed has us craving to visit again.

As we got halfway down, we came across a truck loaded with fresh vegetable produce plucked from nearby villages and a few minutes later it was loaded with us as well. In about an hour we were soon aboard a bus to Bandarawela, a large hill country town from where we could get another bus back to Colombo. I have traveled to quite a few places since but I am yet to find one equally interesting, mesmerizing, and unforgettable as I did Haputale.

Travel Tips to Remember

A few things to keep in mind when you make your trip to Haputale:

• You can get to Haputale by train or bus. However going by train will give you a chance to take in the scenic views of Sri Lankan highlands. See our links page for the railway website.
• You could negotiate a good fare on a vehicle rental to take you to Lipton’s Seat at the Haputale bus depot. You can also take a bus from Haputale to Dambetenna Tea Factory and then walk the 7 km hike from there.
• Get a professional guide or a local to help you navigate. You can also ask the tea factory for instructions.
• Bring enough food and water. Don’t rely solely on the water from local villages, if absolutely necessary be sure to boil it!
• Bring an umbrella or raincoat, the rain suddenly pours out of nowhere!
• Locals are very friendly and quite helpful. Don’t hesitate to ask for help if needed.
• To catch the complete panoramic view of the south coastal line from the top of Lipton’s Seat, be sure to get there before 7:30 AM.
• Avoid being on top after 5 pm as the temperature drops rapidly with high wind currents. The mist greatly reduces visibility, posing a hazard for vehicles.
• Haputale is not only about Lipton’s Seat. You could also visit St. Catherine’s Seat, another look-out point and several waterfalls nearby. Be sure to take in the beauty of tea estates, the factory and local villages.

References:
1. “Thomas Lipton”, Wikipedia