Travel Review : Penang Butterfly Farm

Running out of ideas on places to bring your family during the school holidays? Why not visit the Penang Butterfly Farm? It's open daily from 9am - 5:30pm (or 6pm on weekends). Located in Teluk Bahang (near the famous Batu Ferringhi), this is an ideal place to bring your kids to. Not only do they get to learn about nature and develop an appreciation for living things, they can also join in various tours and get up close and personal with nature. This outing can easily take up at least half a day if you look at all the sections and spend time to observe the flora and fauna in the farm.

Rice Paper Butterfly - a beautiful black and white butterfly species

Priced at RM20 for adults and RM10 for children, at first the entrance price seems quite steep. But no worries, if you are a Malaysian citizen, just produce your MyKad to get a 50% discount on the entrance fees. They also give the 50% discount for Jusco and Sunshine member cards. :)

The famed Rajah Brooke Birdwing - Malaysia's national butterfly

Besides butterflies, there are also other insects like the leaf and stick insect section -try to spot them as they camouflage into the greenery! They also keep squirrels, monitor lizards, iguanas, scorpions, toads, tarantulas and tortoises among others. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list - there are many other types of animals there. Walk several rounds in the enclosure, you may have missed something on your first round.

A regular branch.. or not? Spot the leaf insect and how many?

If you feel too hot and need to cool down, head for the mini cinema which has air-cond and shows a 15-minute documentary every 30 minutes. There are also live shows where the handler will bring in some small animals and insects - the gecko, some beetles and the stick/leaf insects. You'll be able to touch and hold them with the handler keeping a watchful eye.

Our friendly neighbourhood gecko

On your way out, do stop by the souvenir shop where you can look for some good bargains and pretty trinkets as a remembrance of your trip to the Butterfly Farm. As a final reminder, please remind your children not to litter the grounds and to treat the free-roaming butterflies gently.