When we visited Penang last year, we decided to take things easy, and didn’t visit many tourist attractions. We loved the Purrfect Cat Cafe, and Noah really enjoyed his experience at the Penang Butterfly Farm.
To be honest, we thought it was a little pricey, at RM27 per adult and RM15 per child (4-12 years old). We planned to take a slow walk around the farm, but it started raining shortly after we arrived, and we ended up rushing to the indoor area instead. I liked that there were information boards all around the farm, and I think older children can really learn quite a bit from being there. Noah was busy trying to spot all the butterflies around, and not at all interested in me trying to tell him more about the butterfly’s life cycle.
Spot the butterflies!
All about butterflies
We happened to arrive just as the staff were allowing visitors to release butterflies which had just emerged from their pupas, and Noah was given a small cup with a butterfly in it. His butterfly didn’t seem very keen on flying out, and we had to give the cup a few light shakes and taps, to encourage it a little. Just as we thought it wouldn’t be flying out, it suddenly did, and hit Noah in the eye on its way out. That really left a lasting impression on him, and he still talks about it every now and then, months after it happened.
Butterfly in the cup
The staff also allowed him to hold another butterfly on his finger, and although he was a little hesitant at first, he was soon proudly showing it off to us.
Look! Butterfly!
Because it started raining quite heavily, we ducked into the mini theatre to watch the short animated films there. Noah was quite amused by them, and was quite reluctant to leave. I had to carry him out of the theatre, so that we could around a little more to look at the indoor displays. Noah was quite scared of the live scorpions and giant millipedes, and so was I, to be honest.
Before we left, I picked up a copy of the Insects book that was on sale in the gift shop. It was quite cheap, and the text is printed in three different languages! Noah just likes looking at the different insects at the moment, but he picks it up from the bookshelf quite frequently, so I think he likes it. If you do visit the Penang Butterfly Farm, this would be the perfect souvenir to get, I think.
Insects
Penang Butterfly Farm No. 830, Jalan Teluk Bahang, Teluk Bahang, 11050 Penang. Malaysia. Tel: 60-4-885 1253 Mondays to Sundays (including Public Holidays, except CNY Eve) 9am to 6pm (Last entry at 5pm) Website here
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