Nuwara Eliya tea factory tour: Ramboda Falls and two estates

Two working tea estates and a tall waterfall in a morning

A private tour from Nuwara Eliya through two tea factories (Oak Ray and Bluefield) with tastings and guided walks through the plantations, ending at Ramboda Falls in the Central Highlands. Pickup from your hotel or station is included. The waterfall entry fee is separate. The route covers the tea-making process from leaf to cup and the colonial history of Sri Lanka's tea industry.

Step-by-step itinerary

Nuwara Eliya Tea Factory and Waterfall Tour

• Pick up from Nuwara Eliya location
• Visit Oak Ray Tea Factory and Museum
• Explore Ramboda Falls
• Tour Bluefield Tea Gardens
• See Nuwara Eliya Post Office
• Visit Central Market of Nuwara Eliya

The experience

The tour starts with pickup from your hotel, station or an agreed point in Nuwara Eliya. Oak Ray Tea Factory and Museum comes first, where a guide walks you through the tea-making process, from leaf picking to packaging, and shows displays on Sri Lanka's tea history. You taste several blends in the middle of the working plantation before moving to Bluefield Tea Gardens, founded in 1841 by Maurice Worms and still operating today. The second factory gives you a different angle on the same industry: Bluefield's story spans nearly two centuries of harvests and challenges that shaped Ceylon's tea trade.

Ramboda Falls, at 109 meters high and the eleventh tallest in Sri Lanka, sits at 945 meters elevation in the Pussellawa area along the A5 highway. The waterfall is formed by the Panna Oya, a tributary of Kothmale Oya, and the setting is in the Central Highlands where the landscape is steep and green. The entry fee to the falls is not included in the tour price and costs 200 Sri Lankan rupees per person. Private transportation and bottled water are included throughout.

The Nuwara Eliya Post Office, a red-brick Tudor-style building from 1894 with a clock spire, and the Central Market on New Bazaar Street (a crowded hub of vegetable stalls, flower sellers and tea vendors) are also on the route. The market is where locals negotiate prices and buy supplies. It is the working center of the town, not a tourist zone.

What’s included

• Private transportation throughout the tour.
• bottled water.
• entry to Oak Ray Tea Factory and Museum with guided tour and tastings.
• entry to Bluefield Tea Gardens.
• hotel, bus station or train station pickup in Nuwara Eliya.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day6 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 14:00

Book up to4h before

GroupPrivate

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 2 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 4.06

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by DMJ Tour’s

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English and leads the commentary on the tea-making process and plantation history, so you follow the details of what you are seeing. The four-hour length fits between breakfast and a late lunch, leaving the afternoon free for the town market or other sites in Nuwara Eliya.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★

106 verified traveler reviews

5 ★106

4 ★0

3 ★0

2 ★0

1 ★0

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What is the Oak Ray Tea Factory tour actually like?

Oak Ray conducts guided tours through the factory floor where you watch the tea-making process from leaf to packaging, then move into the museum to see artifacts and displays on Sri Lanka's tea industry history. You taste various tea blends in the plantation surroundings before leaving.

How tall is Ramboda Falls and what is the landscape like there?

Ramboda Falls is 109 meters high and sits at 945 meters elevation in the Pussellawa area of the Central Highlands. The waterfall is formed by the Panna Oya tributary and the setting is steep, green terrain along the A5 highway.

What does the tour include and what costs extra?

Private transportation, bottled water, and entry to both Oak Ray and Bluefield tea factories are included. The Ramboda Falls entry fee of 200 Sri Lankan rupees per person is separate. Pickup from your hotel, bus station or train station in Nuwara Eliya is included. Additional charges apply if your pickup location is more than 10 kilometers from the agreed point.

How long is the tour and what time does it start?

The tour runs four hours. Pickup happens at an agreed time from your hotel or station in Nuwara Eliya, and the route covers two tea factories and Ramboda Falls before returning.

When was Bluefield Tea Gardens founded and why does it matter?

Bluefield was started in the early 1800s by Maurice Worms, who acquired forest lands in 1841 and began tea cultivation. It is one of the oldest tea gardens in Sri Lanka and represents nearly two centuries of the country's tea industry history, from the pioneering era through modern harvests.