Ambewela - The Little New Zealand

Ambewela is a small town, or a hill station, located in the Nuwara Eliya District of Sri Lanka. The area is also sometimes called "Little New Zealand". The town is situated approximately 17 km (11 mi) south-east of the district capital Nuwara Eliya. Ambewela is also a service center to the New Galway tea planting district.

Climate and vegetation

Due to the high altitude of 6,064 ft (1,848 m) the mean annual temperature in the area is below 17.5 °C (63.5 °F), while frost is common during Winter. Ambewela is also popular for of being the highest (in altitude) and widest grassland in Sri Lanka. Mammals such as the Sambar Deer, Leopard, Elephant dominate the majority of the forest cover around the area.
Ambewela situated en route to the Horton Plains National Park and is famous scenic landscapes, Rhododendron arboreum flowers, and the World's End, which is a 1,219 m (3,999 ft) deep cliff. Similar to Horton Plains and Ohiya, this site is also one of the Important Bird Areas of Sri Lanka, making the area a popular location for birdwatching as well.

Importance and economic activities

The climatic and economical conditions in Ambewela make it an ideal location for dairy farming, hence the country's only milk powder factory is situated in this area. The two animal husbandries, Ambewela Farm and New Zealand Farm, have Ayrshire cattle and Friesian cows respectively.

Potential for wind energy developments

The geographic location and altitude of Ambewela expose the site to strong Southwest Monsoons, with winds occasionally reaching over 12 m/s (39 ft/s), making the area a favourable location for wind farms and other wind energy developments. As the site is only used for livestock development and similar activities, the site is also an economical zone for erecting turbines, since cattle usually are not affected by wind turbines. These factors have attracted many local and international developers.
In 2003, the area was studied by collaborative effort between the Ceylon Electricity Board and NREL. The study revealed that the wind resource at the site is favourable only during the Southwest Monsoon, which is only a small period per year, and that the Northeast Monsoons does not reach the area due to its extreme altitude.
Transportation of equipments such as wind turbines, is also a very significant challenge due to the extreme logistical conditions to access the site. The study revealed that transportating turbines larger than 600KW to the site would be a near-impossible task. The study also revealed that ignoring this issue and constructing wind farms with turbines smaller than 600KW would be extremely uneconomical to the developer.

Access Methods

• Colombo -> (170Km) Nuwaraeliya -> (18Km) Ambewela
• Railway Station Available
• Main Road

Newly builds Wind Mills 

Boats

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Worlds End Lodge - Lower Ohiya

worlds end lodge Is a tranquil oasis virtually on the roof of Sri Lanka, totally isolated from the everyday world !  A four hour drive from Colombo, you arrive at your destination !

A place to rest and be refreshed.  The swimming pool set against  an incredible landscape with mountain fresh spring water.  For the energetic a trek along spectacular scenery through jungle paths,  Tea Estates, and a gap called "Devil's Staircase" will get you to Horton Plains, Sri Lanka's highest plateau, home to a variety of rare Fauna and Flora.  A short trek or drive will get you to Babarakanda falls, Sri Lanka's highest water fall at 790 ft.  This breath-taking cascade is a sight to behold.  Diyaluma, Dunhinda, Ravana Falls, and the hill country resort towns of Nuwara-Eliya, Bandarawela and Hakgala Gardens,  are a few hours drive.  Kataragama, Yala and Uda-Walawe National Parks are only a day trip.

Comfortable and spacious bedrooms located to give a bird's eye view of Southern Sri Lanka. On a clear day you can view the  Sinharaja forest in Deniyaya mountain range to the placid waters of Uda Walawe; From Dondra light house in Matara to Great and Little Basses, situated off the coast in Hambantota District.

The cry of the soaring mountain eagle; The kaleidoscopic view of the sprawling country side below;  rising mist covering the green rolling hills will be nostalgic memories you will love to cherish, long after your visit.

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Horton plain Sri Lanka

The Horton Plains are located on Sri Lanka 's highest plateau, between altitudes of 2,000 and 2, 300m. The landscape typically consists of undulating lands covered in a tropical cloud of forests or verdant montane savannah grasslands, locally known as patannahs. Visiting Horton Plains or 'Mahaeliya' as it is traditionally named is quite popular amongst locals, who mostly come to admire the views from the park's thrilling escarpments such as World's End at weekends . For this reason we recommend that you try to organise your visit during a weekday as this ensures that you will experience the Plain's isolated serenity. Visitors to the park can follow a 10km loop that incorporates all of the spectacular features, enabling them to enjoy them while adhering to the strict rules for environment protection and nature conservation. The best time to visit is early in the morning as this is when the air is likely to be clearest so that you can enjoy the best of the views. In the afternoons, clouds tend to descend and the area becomes submerged in mist. This is equally enthralling though and provides evidence for the evolution of this forest type. Allowing a half-day should give you plenty of time to enjoy it all at a leisurely pace.

The Plains are actually named after Sir Robert Wilmot Horton, a rather selfish and bloody-minded Brit (no surprise there then) who was singularly responsible for the slaying of all of the elephants in the area between 1831 to 1837. Although there is little hope of elephants ever returning, you can at least walk around in comparative safety admiring the many other interesting creatures around and about. Of these perhaps the most worthy of a mention are the Samber Deer, a common sight at dusk and in the early hours of the morning.

In order to get the most out of your visit we recommend that an expert naturalist provided by Eco-team take you around. These guides are good company and extremely knowledgeable; having their input can add a lot more interest to the trip.

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