Apart from rare Rajah Brooke butterflies, you can see many other animals at Butterfly Garden.
Entry fees have increased but are still relatively affordable, and this is another reason why they attract visitors easily.
Want to know what you can see here and if the tickets are worth paying for? Personally, we would not recommend coming here. And you can read more about why in this post!
Entrance Fees
Get tickets from the counter beside the road. Then you can go down the stairs to enter the park. They sell animal feed at the counter too.
It costs RM15 per adult to enter the zoo.
PS: TouchnGo payments are accepted here.
What To See Here
Landscaping in Butterfly Garden is lovely even if the paths can be uneven for those with mobility issues.
They have decorative fishponds, and a variety of different plants and flowers that make the mini zoo attractive. Including one section where the floor was covered in many beautiful succulents and mature cacti.
Here are some of the animals we saw in the zoo:
- Geckos
- Rhinoceros beetles
- Rajah Brooke butterflies
- Leaf insects
- Snakes
- Guinea pigs
- Goats
- Hedgehogs
- Different types of frogs
While a bit creepy, and not as interesting as the live animal enclosures, there is also a section of the park where they exhibit various dead insects on the wall.
Summary
We think that the Butterfly Garden is trying to fit a great variety of animals in a small space to impress visitors.
Most kids will enjoy seeing all the different animals here. But it is at the expense of the animals!
To be fair, not all the enclosures are horrible, but for bigger animals (e.g., sheep), we expected them to have larger enclosures at least.
And if you’ve ever kept reptiles before, you’d know that the enclosures here are unsuitable for their occupants.
Besides this, a lot of the usable space in the zoo is taken up by landscaping. The layout of the zoo is clearly not planned with the animals’ welfare in mind.
Pros:
- Doesn’t take long to explore
- Children have an opportunity to see different animals
- Nice landscaping
- Easy to find
- Affordable entrance fees
Cons:
- Some animals in pitiable conditions (e.g. small, overcrowded, dirty, and unsuitable enclosures)
- Staff seem disinterested in the welfare of the animals under their care
- Limited parking
- There are steps to climb – unsuitable for wheelchair users and elders
Tips On Visiting This Place
Butterflies have a very short lifespan (2 weeks after their cocoon stage) in general. You may see less or more butterflies depending on when the staff restock the enclosure.
You can walk into the butterfly enclosure and watch them flit among the flowers. Sometimes they will land on you so don’t freak out!
Watch your feet too, there may be butterflies resting on the floor too.
Private Tour Service In Cameron Highlands (From Ipoh)
Not sure how to get to Cameron Highlands?
Chat with us on WhatsApp and see how you can get your own private tour guide to bring you up to and around beautiful Cameron Highlands from Ipoh!
PS: There’s no limit to the number of places you can visit during your tour
Conclusion
We’re not supportive of any petting or mini zoos in Cameron Highlands in general. And Butterfly Garden is one such example. They have even added exotic animals since our last visit (e.g., meerkats, groundhogs, and wallabies) too.
From what we saw, the main priority is not placed on the welfare animal of the animals, but more on visitors’ overall enjoyment and providing as much value-for-money as possible.
Note that this place is also not wheel-chair friendly at all.
O&R Garden
Just so you’re aware, O&R Garden next to Butterfly Garden also has a small mini zoo with goats, rabbits, and ducks. The animals are not much better off here. The good news is that you can see many nice flowers (including roses) and other plants here.
Agro Market
Of all the petting zoos/ mini zoos we have seen in Cameron Highlands, the most impressive one has been the large aviary and comfortable-looking cat room at Agro Market. Besides a variety of birds, they have sheep and rabbits as well, but their enclosures are not as great. Other reasons to visit Agro Market are for the variety of plants you can see at this spacious attraction.
