Top House is a beautiful, working cinnamon estate of 25 acres, just inland from Weligama.

The British owners have restored the plantation and now produce true Ceylon cinnamon, which grows on the steep slopes of a high hill. The main 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.

We offer a variety of private tour options, designed for couples, families and groups. All tours require prior booking. Tours can be done any time between 9am and 3pm and on any day (except Sundays and Poya days).

STANDARD TOUR

This informative and fun tour covers the nursery, the plantation, the peeling hut and the oil distillery. It explains the history of Ceylon cinnamon as well as showing the planting, harvest, peeling and preparation of quills.

On this tour we also demonstrate cinnamon leaf bundling and the entire 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 this tour as much as adults. It’s led by the English-speaking estate manager and entails a ride along the paddy in a tractor/trailer and a short walk. It generally lasts around an hour. There is also a farm shop selling our cinnamon products.

The fixed cost of the standard tour is US$ 60 per couple or US$ 90 per group of up to 6 people (a tractor-trailer load).

We accept rupees or currencies and can process payments by card.

SPECIAL TOUR

The special tour is intended for couples and families but can also accommodate larger private groups. It is built on the standard tour but is led by the owners in person and includes a visit up to the plantation house. The tour is designed to teach guests all about Ceylon cinnamon farming as well as give an impression of the life of an expatriate farmer in Sri Lanka. The first part of the tour lasts about 90 minutes but can vary either way, depending on your level of interest and participation.

The second part of the special tour entails a ride up to the 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.

Finally, for visitors who would like to live the life of a cinnamon farmer at first hand, we offer a unique 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 special 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.