Haputale Places to visit

Posted on by Sanjeewa Padmal (Seerendipity)

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Haputale is a laid-back city in the mountains of Sri Lanka. This hill country tourist resort is very popular among the local travellers and it offers many interesting places for trekking, hiking and mountain climbing. The most important places in Haputale are categorised under natural attractions or eco-attractions. The most important tourist attractions of Haputale are blessed with large forest covers, cascading waterfalls, rivers, lakes and streams. Haputale is included in many Sri Lanka hill country tour packages and adventure tour packages.

The city is picturesquely located on the southwest slope of the central mountain range. Haputale is a popular health resort and the weather of Haputale is mild shows a lot of similarities to the weather of Nuwara Eliya and Bandarawela.

There are many places coming under the list of Haputale places to visit, however, Haputale is not a place to travel to if you fancied of historical and cultural attractions. Haputale attracts a large number of local leisure travellers, it might not be included in most Sri Lanka road trips that are meant to be the used by foreigners.

However, still, the number of foreign travellers is very low in Haputale. Only a few foreign travellers inquire about Haputale. Few travellers are sending emails to us and asking questions like “what are the Haputale places to visit?”, “what can we see in Haputale?.” Haputale is not a major tourist attraction for foreigners, and therefore it is not included in most Sri Lanka tour packages meant for foreigners. However, we do include them in customized Sri Lanka tour itineraries at the request of the customers.

Lemastota Ella

This beautiful waterfall is 30 meters in height and located about 6 km from Haputale. The most convenient route to reach the waterfall is via Kotagala. Dobatenna is 4 km from Haputale via Kotagala and the waterfall, it is about another 2 km from Dobatenna.

Hospital building Haputale

This magnificent building was built during British rule in Sri Lanka. And it shows the typical British architecture built-in 1895. Today it is being used as the general hospital of Haputale. The hospital building was built at a cost of Rs 69000.00 by the British colonial rulers.

Beragala

Beragala is one of the most beautiful areas in the Badulla district, located near Haputale. It is popular among the local community as a holiday destination. The beautiful landscape in Beragala consists of many mountains and escapements.

Being a village in the wet zone it records a very high yearly rainfall. Beragala is popular among tourists as an adventure holiday destination in Sri Lanka. There are many places suitable in Beragala, suitable for Mountain climbing, Walking, Hiking, mountain biking, jungle tours and trekking. Several beautiful waterfalls are located within easy access from the Beragala.

Tangamale nature reserve stays on the list of Haputale Places to visit

One of the important catchment areas in the Uva province and located near the Adisham bungalow. This forest is categorized under the mountain forest and consists of patches of secondary and primary forests. The tangamale nature reserve is frequently visited, by bird lovers.

Nature reserve harboured many types of birds. Tangale nature reserve houses many species of butterflies in Sri Lanka. Several types of endemic butterfly species can be seen here. Tangamale is one of the last remaining patches of mountain forest in the area and expands over 130 hectares in the Uva province. This forest was first declared as a nature reserve on 18th May 1979.

Tangamale nature reserve is located in the central mountain range of Sri Lanka. It is conveniently located in the Badulla district in the Uva province, Sri Lanka. Tangamale forest reserve is located near Haputale city and it is about 3 kilometres from the city. Haputale is a popular health resort among the local community due to its unique landscape and weather. One can enjoy the pure and invigorating air in the surroundings of Haputale.

This Montane forest is located around 500 feet above sea level. The borders of the Tangamale nature reserve are Horton plains, Ohiya and Idalgashinna.  It occupies an area of 131 hectares in the mountains. The vegetation of Tangamale nature reserve mainly consists of the type of montane forest. But a portion of the forest is consisting of secondary forests mainly pine trees. The natural forest cover in this part was removed to make room for the plantation during the British colonial era. The forest reserve is inhabited by many species of animals, birds and butterflies. It was declared as a nature reserve on 18th May 1979.

The forest reserve is hidden in the moist atmosphere most of the time, Due to its location on one of the huge upheavals in the central mountain range. The forest reserve is located on the irregular surface of hills and peaks of varying elevation, deep ravines, grassy plains, dense forests and open valleys and gentle streams. The forest reserve is surrounded by Pidurutalagala, Diyatalawe, Udupussellawa range,  Hakgala, Totapola Kanda, and Namunukula.

Tangamale forest reserve has a rich bio-diversity and it harbours a large number of fauna and flora species. It is categorized under the montane forests on the island. One distinct characteristic of this evergreen tropical forest is the frequent presence of low-level clouds. Sometimes the upper part of the forest is hidden in the clouds. The annual rainfall in the forest is measured to be more than 2500 mm/year. Compared to the trees in the tropical forest in the lower part of the country such as the Sinharaja rainforest, and Knuckles rainforest, the trees here show a reduced tree stature and high stem density.

Tangamalle forest reserve is inhabited by a large number of Butterfly species, some of the butterflies here, are recognized as endangered species. Some of the commonly seen butterfly species are Tawny Coster (Acraea terpsicore), Tree Nymph (Idea iasonia), Common Bush-Brown (Bicyclus safitza), White Four Ring (Ypthima ceylonica), Crimson Rose (Atrophaneura hector), Dark Grall Blue (Zizeera knysna), Blue Mormon (Papilio Polymnestor), Ceylon Blue Glassy tiger (Ideopsis similis),  Common Leopard (Phalanta phalantha), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Red Helen (Papilio helenus),   Oak Leaf (Kallima inachus), and Ceylon Tiger (Parantica taprobana).  Tangamle nature reserve is a popular sanctuary in the mountain among bird lovers as well.

Tangamale nature reserve is under the purview of the department of wildlife and forest conservation department of Sri Lanka. One needs to obtain permission before coming to the forest from the relevant authorities.

Adisham Bungalow

By far Adisham bungalow is the most attractive tourist attraction coming under, Haputale places to visit, and it is one of the most sought Haputale places to visit. Adisham Bungalow is a stunning nineteenth-century bungalow located in an alienated piece of land at an elevation of about 5000 feet above sea level.

This Bungalow is located in a rocky mountainous region of Sri Lanka known as Tnagamale. Haputale is a destination for local and foreign holidaymakers, Adisham bungalow has become a leading tourist attraction on the island. Today the Bungalow is occupied and maintained by a group of priests. The view from the castle is magnificent.

The beautiful castle is surrounded by a cloud forest, which is called Tangamale nature reserve. Access to the Bungalow is granted only at selected times and dates.

The bungalow was built by a rich planter of British origin. It is a pleasant life memory of a rich British planter and his success story is carved into every stone of the magnificent palace. The owner of the bungalow wanted to have a peaceful place for his Bungalow and came across this ideal place in Haputale with a peaceful surrounding.

Initially, the piece of land, where the bungalow is located, had been a forested area. The owner had to clear the forest and make a new road to pave the way to the ten acres of land. But its remoteness was not a reason for Mr Thomas to give up his dream home. This piece of land commands the view across the mountain and valleys of the highest mountain range of Sri Lanka. The travellers can have an awe-inspiring view over the surrounding area on clear days from the bungalow.

The original construction was started in 1929 and it was built in the typical British style. It was the home of a British planter known as Mr Thomas belongs to the Carrington family, and later became a successful Politician and company director. The bungalow was used as the temporary residence of Mr Tomas in the early 19s.

The bungalow was built after the exact pattern of his childhood country home in Kent. The stone-built bungalow gives the onlooker a sense of permanence, solidity and stability. The materials for the construction were imported from Britain and India while the furniture of the luxury bungalow is of British origin.  Indian masons were brought from India to build the Bungalow at a very high cost. The spacious rooms of the bungalow are equipped with handsome fireplaces. The wind turbine fixed on the roof sends the fresh wind down to the fireplace maintaining the temperature at the desired level.

The garden of the bungalow is beautifully designed and landscaped. Flowering plants are dominating the gardens adding beauty to the surrounding area. The garden attracts a large number of species of butterflies and birds from the area, due to the abundance of flowers.

The ownership of the bungalow was changed in 1951, and it was sold to a Sri Lankan company by Mr Thomas. Later the palace was bought by Benedict’s type monks. Today it is primarily a monastery run by Benedict monks. This magnificent bungalow is a reminiscence of the luxurious life of British citizens, who lived live in Sri Lanka as it was under the British crown.

Lipton Seat

The Hike to Lipton seat is a remarkable experience and it should be on the bucket list on your holiday to Haputale. Located in the Dambatenna tea estate, Lipton’s seat is a panoramic viewpoint giving you a wonderful bird’s eye view over the surrounding tea estates, mountains, and valleys. Dambatenna tea estate is one of the very first tea estates acquired by Thomas Lipton. Thomas Lipton had been a nature lover and he used this place to entertain his visitors. It is possible to see a huge area from the Lipton Seat and the view spreads over 4 provinces. The view from the Lipton seat even covers the international port of Hambantota, which is located at the southern border of Sri Lanka.

When is the best time for a hike at Lipton Seat?

Undoubtedly the best time for the hike at Lipton seat in the early morning to witness the sunrise. However, in the early morning, the sky can be cloudy and your view can be disturbed. Since the Lipton seat is located in a high-altitude area, frequent rain and cloudy sky are very frequent in this area.