VISIT
Outside visitors are welcome to visit the Estate to learn more about our organic farming
and artisanal product-making, or just to enjoy the views and hikes around the valley.
We also have a cafe, where you can taste a range of Amba's home-made goodies, and the farm-shop
sells our whole range of teas, tisanes, coffees, spices, jams and chutneys, as well as handicrafts made by our neighbours.
The main daily farm-tour and tea-tasting takes place at 11am every day, and you are also welcome
to book private tours any time from 9am to 4pm every day except Sundays and national holidays.
The shop and cafe are open to outside guests from 10am to 4pm, every day except Sundays and national holidays.
Outside guests are welcome to take self-guided hikes around the estate at any time,
but guides and maps are only available during shop opening-times.
Tours & tastings
Most visitors want to visit the estate to learn more about our organic farming and our artisanal product-making.
Visitors can join our daily public tour at 11am every day, or they can book to do a private tour and tasting at other times. And for guests who want to try their hand at plucking and rolling their own tea, peeling cinnamon, roasting coffee or making jams and chutneys, we offer a range of hands-on experiences, ranging from 1 to 5 days in length.
DAILY FARM TOUR AND TEA TASTING
We offer regular tours of our organic farm and our artisanal tea and coffee production every day at 11am.
We charge $5 per person for the regular 11am tour, including a tasting of 5 or 6 AMBA Teas
($15 per person on Sundays and national holidays).
No need to book ahead – just turn up.
PRIVATE ESTATE TOURS, TASTINGS & FOOD-PAIRINGS
Outside visitors are welcome to visit the farm during other times (from 9am to 4pm every day except Sundays
and national holidays), but we do charge $15 per person for extra tours before 11am or in the afternoon.
Visitors can also book our exclusive "Teaology" experience, with an extended tour of the estate,
followed by a private tasting of 6 of Amba’s hand-made teas, each paired with appropriate food courses,
with an explanation of tea-food-pairing principles. We also offer special packages,
combining a private tour and tasting with a guided hike to our natural swimming pool
in the river above the Ravana-Ella waterfall, followed by a delicious farmhouse lunch.
Please contact us to book a private tour or to find out more about availability and prices.
hands-on artisanal product-making experiences
For guests who want to learn more about our artisanal processes, we also offer a range of hands-on experiences.
These range from a 2-day course, where guests participate in the entire tea-making process from plucking to
withering, rolling and drying their own batch of tea, to 4-5 day "Farm and Village Experiences" where guests
spend time with village families learning about local food and handicrafts, explore the farm to learn about
organic farming,help to collect honey and kithul treacle from the forest, as well as making their own tea,
coffee and jam. Please contact us to find out more about these hands-on experiences.
hikes & swims
Visitors are also welcome to use our hiking maps to do some of the hikes around our valley. We have more than half a dozen well-marked and mapped trails, ranging from easy strolls through the tea-fields to more strenuous hikes down to the waterfall pools or up Ella Rock. Some of the favourites include:
Eagle Rock:
Only 20-30 minutes to the top, the last hill before the plains, with views 50km south towards the sea
(our own superior version of Mini Adam’s Peak!)
Factory & River-Pool Loop:
1-hour loop; great way to see tea-fields and the views over the Ella Gap, Mini Adam’s Peak, Ella Rock, the top of the Ravana Ella waterfalls, and the 100-year-old tea factory on top of the falls; and finish with a refreshing swim in the river
Forest & Cave Walk:
30 minutes each way; a cooler, shady path, leading down through Amba’s private forest reserve, home to monkeys, porcupine, wild boar and more; see forest-grown coffee and fruit trees along the way; end the walk at our secret cave, 20 meters up a cliff-face with an opening looking out over the forest canopy
Ella Rock:
3-4 hour hike, strenuous, but beautiful views; either walk over the rock to Ella town, or walk up and back. If you want to enjoy the views from Ella Rock, but don’t fancy the 3-4 hour walk, you can also hire a village tuktuk to the monastery near the top, and then it’s a 2km stroll along the top to the viewpoint.
amba café
If you are hungry for lunch after your hike or a snack before your tea tour,
Amba's "Te Kopi Kadé" offers a delicious farm-fresh menu.
Alongside the full range of Amba's famous teas, coffees, tisanes and juices,
guests can enjoy a choice of salads fresh from our herb garden,
hearty soups and pies made with vegetables from the farm,
sandwiches and traditional Sri Lankan snacks and "short eats".
And of course there are plenty of yummy pastries, cakes and cookies,
as well as home-made ice-cream ands and lollies.
