A famous roadside tea estate and factory with free guided tours and a cafe overlooking the tea gardens.

Overview

Perched among sweeping tea gardens on the Kandy-Nuwara Eliya road, the Damro Labookellie Tea Centre (formerly Mackwoods) is one of the hill country's most photogenic stops. Free guided tours walk visitors through withering, rolling, oxidation and firing in the working factory, after which the tea lounge serves freshly brewed Ceylon tea and cake with panoramic estate views. The iconic hillside sign and rows of tea pluckers make it a favourite photo spot.

History

The Labookellie estate is one of the oldest and best-known tea plantations in the Nuwara Eliya highlands, with tea grown here since the British planting era of the late 19th century. The visitor tea centre and lounge were developed to open the working estate to travellers on the busy hill-country route.