When our driver told he would be taking us to New Zealand farm, I was bit confused. It was not in my itinerary and I was not very interested in visiting farms. But our driver said that it looks like New Zealand and completely out of this world. That looked exaggerated as I had always seen people comparing the local places to the world’s best locations. Nevertheless, I did not say anything at that point of time allowing driver to proceed towards the farm. Chaya and Tanu were very excited.
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| Scenery near Ambewela |
Very soon, I had to correct my understanding as we were in for a pleasant surprise. The picturesque Kande ela reservoir made its appearance. With no people around, it looked very serene.
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| Kande ela lake |
The landscape changed as we entered into Ambewela farm area. Having visited New Zealand before, I had to agree that the scenery in that part of Sri Lanka was indeed comparable to New Zealand!! The cows grazing peacefully in the grasslands looked very beautiful.
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| Cows grazing in Ambewela |
In the earlier photo, I had carefully ensured that the frame contained only cows and grass. But there were also windmills!!
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| Wind mills in Ambewela |
At Ambewela village, we took the deviation to Ambewela farm. This should not be confused with New Zealand farm as both are same!! Due to partnership with New Zealand Government, the farm is also called as New Zealand farm.
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| A lake near Ambewela |
On the way we crossed the beautiful Amebewela reservoir.
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| Outlet of Ambewela reservoir |
Having enjoyed the scenery so far, it was now time to enter into the farm. There is a separate entry for tourists. The crowd was very thin in spite of Christmas holidays as it was quite early for many tourists.
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| Inside Ambewela farm |
The farm itself is typical where there are separate section for various activities. The main shed housed milking cows. I did not get answer on how they would milk hundreds of grazing cows we had seen on our way. It looked like the place was mainly setup as tourist attraction while the main facility being located elsewhere.
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| Milking cows |
Another shed housed weaning cows.
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| Weaning cows |
And there were calves.
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| Calves |
There was a section for pregnant cows too. They had extra chain put around their necks.
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| Pregnant cows |
Stud bulls also had a section. Considering the widespread practice of artificial insemination, I was not sure about their roles!!
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| Stud bull |
In general, it was a nice experience though I do not like the animals in cage. It would have been good if there was a guide to explain the process. Even in cheese factory, there was no one to explain. But still it is a good place to understand the dairy process. Of course, icing on the cake is the scenery between Nuwara Eliya and Ambewela. That should not be missed.
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| Ambewela farm |
Note
This place is about 17 kms from Nuwara Eliya and is on the way to Hortons plains national park.
Labels: farm, Sri Lanka, travel
