Black-and-white cows graze on open green slopes, with egrets at their feet and mist on the hills. The pastures around Ambewela look so unlike the rest of Sri Lanka that people call the area “Little New Zealand”. Ambewela Farms is a working dairy estate on the high ground between Nuwara Eliya and Horton Plains, Part of it, the New Zealand Farm, lets visitors in to walk among the herds.
Treat it as a stop on the Horton Plains road rather than a day out. It is flat and easy, good with children, and an hour is plenty. Don’t come expecting a polished attraction: this is a farm, and what you see depends on the day.
A dairy first, an attraction second
The dairy dates from 1943 and was privatised in 2001. It is a commercial operation. In 2024 the Daily Mirror and the Daily FT reported that it was producing around 40,000 litres of milk a day. It was also building up its visitor side, with a tourist programme launched that year and 9,000 visitors on one busy day.
There is more than one farm in the area. Recent visitors (2025–26) report that only the New Zealand Farm is open to the public.
What you can do
- See the herds and sheds. Visitors are taken to selected areas, such as the cow sheds and the stud-bull sheds.
- Watch the milking. Visitors describe an automated milking parlour. Milking runs at set times of day, so ask at the gate when the next session is.
- Buy fresh milk. A sales outlet near the entrance sells the farm’s dairy products.
- Take photos. Photography is reported to be allowed. The open fields and misty hills are what most people photograph.
Crowds, fees and closures
Recent visitors (2025–26) report big crowds on public holidays and school-holiday weekends. A weekday morning is the quieter choice.
There is a small entry fee, paid at the gate. No official price list or opening hours are published, so bring rupees and check on the day. Visitors also report that the farm can close for long periods during animal-disease outbreaks. Ask your guesthouse before you drive out.
Getting there
Ambewela is on the road from Nuwara Eliya towards Horton Plains, about 45 minutes’ drive from town. Sri Lanka Tourism lists this road, via Ambewela and Pattipola, as one of the routes into Horton Plains National Park. So the farm fits neatly into the same day: the plains at dawn, cows and a glass of milk on the way back.
Hill-country roads can be blocked after heavy rain, so check conditions before you set out.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Where is Ambewela Farms?
On the road between Nuwara Eliya and Horton Plains, about 45 minutes by car from Nuwara Eliya town.
Can you visit Ambewela Farms?
Yes, the New Zealand Farm takes visitors. Recent visitors (2025–26) report that the neighbouring Ambewela Farm does not. Access can change, because it is a working dairy.
How much is the entrance fee?
Visitors pay a small fee at the gate. No official price list is published, so bring rupees.
What can you do at Ambewela Farms?
See the cattle and the sheds and watch the automated milking. The outlet near the entrance sells fresh milk and other dairy products.
Is it open all year?
It is reported to close for long periods during animal-disease outbreaks, so check before you go.
Header photo: A-wiki-guest-user / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
