Top House Weligama is a beautiful, working cinnamon estate of 25 acres, just inland from Weligama. The resident British owners have restored the plantation and now produce true Ceylon cinnamon plantation, which grows on the steep slopes of a high hill. The plantation house is perched on the hilltop with spectacular views over the jungle to the north and the Indian Ocean to the south. The owners have also built an artisan distillery where they extract pure cinnamon leaf oil according to age-old techniques fine-tuned with modern technology.

The Top House Cinnamon tour is an entirely private event and is unique in Sri Lanka. It’s led by the owner and is intended for couples and families and smaller groups. It’s an informative and fun tour, designed to teach you all about Ceylon cinnamon farming as well as give an impression of the life of an expatriate farmer in Sri Lanka.

Tours require booking in advance. Tours can be done any time between 9 am and 4 pm and on any day (except Sundays and Poya days).

The Cinnamon tour entails a ride along with the paddy in a tractor/trailer and a short walk. It covers the nursery, the Cinnamon plantation, the cinnamon peeling hut, and the cinnamon oil distillery. It explains the history of Ceylon cinnamon as well as shows the planting, harvest, peeling, and preparation of quills.

We also demonstrate cinnamon leaf bundling and the process of cinnamon leaf oil steam - extraction, as well as the surprising uses of this very special essential oil.

The tour shows an eco-friendly and perfectly self-sustaining farming process, with every part of the plant used or recycled, and a completely natural and health-giving result.

Children enjoy the cinnamon tours as much as adults. The tour itself generally lasts around an hour but can vary depending upon your level of interest and participation.

It’s followed by a ride up to the cinnamon plantation house for tea and refreshments with your hosts in this spectacular hilltop setting.

Alternatively, there is an excellent home-cooked lunch, also hosted by the owners, for those who want to make a longer day of it and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, birdlife, and garden. Refreshments/lunch up-top take between 1-2 hours.

Finally, for those who would like to live the life of a cinnamon farmer at first hand, we offer a unique cinnamon experience that encompasses evening drinks and home-cooked dinner, a comfortable overnight stay as our guests, an early start to watch the harvesting and the firing-up of the oil furnace, and then a well-deserved breakfast, followed by leaf-tamping and cinnamon peeling.

Charges for the tours vary according to number of guests and what guests would like to do but a minimum charge of $200 applies for a tour with morning or afternoon tea and $300 for a tour with lunch.

 

CONTACT

To discuss or book a tour, call owner Rupert on 0770 340 489 or email rupert@tophouse.lk.

Top House is a kilometre inland from Weligama Bay, 45 minutes along the coast from Galle, and just 6km from the Expressway. As such it’s a perfect stopping-off point on the way to or from Tangalle and the National Parks or whale-watching in nearby Mirissa.