Butterfly World

The other day I did a blog post on my food blog about expos and festivals where I made reference to expos that overcharge for their tickets but never stop selling, even when the venue is so full you can’t move. We were planning on attending an event this past weekend but after seeing the terrible reviews under the Facebook event we decided it give it a miss. Of course, the kids were looking so forward to going out, that we decided to rearrange our plans a bit.

We’ve visited Butterfly World Butterfly World a few of times over the last 10 years but it’s one of those places that you don’t get tired of because once you step through the doors, and find yourself surrounded by butterflies, you feel like you’ve been transported to a tropical destination.

You can find Butterfly World on the R44 just off the N1 near Stellenbosch. We found that ticket prices had increased quite a bit since the last time we were there but fortunately there is an option of buying a “family package”, which covers 2 adults and 2 children under 12 years old for just R167. The great thing about the ticket is that you can leave the butterfly area any time the heat and humidity (that the butterflies love) gets a bit much and you can find relief in the restaurant. The ticket allows you to go in and out as often as you need to so there is no pressure to leave after a few hours. We found that the butterflies were a lot livelier after we had had lunch, so it was nice to be able to visit their home at different times during the day.
Speaking of the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they offer a buffet on Sunday afternoons for just R68. When the waiter takes your order (for anything else from the menu including kiddie’s meals) all you need to do is mention that you would like the buffet option and he will arrange a ticket for you. This ticket entitles you to a plate piled high with things like farm style chicken pie and 3-4 hot veg options as well as salad. In terms of kiddie’s meals, you can choose from options like burgers, chicken nuggets and hot dogs with chips for R28. We found that our 10 year old needs to eat a lot more than what is offered on most kiddies menus so he enjoyed an adult sized burger all by himself.

Butterfly World seems to have grown in leaps and bounds since we last visited and there are a lot more birds, reptiles, guinea pigs, fish, spiders, scorpions, tortoises and even meerkats than there were before. You can easily wile away many hours there with the kids getting to watch these creatures in a natural habitat. The parrots were particularly fascinating with a number of them looking for a shoulder to ride around on. I had a really curious one who wouldn’t leave me alone thanks to my sparkly earrings and Z1 had one that wanted to pick his teeth every time he grinned. Z2 managed to get one of the parakeets to sing along to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star which, the bird enjoyed so much he started dancing.

So, if you’re looking for something to do with your kids that won’t have to be called off because of bad weather, consider Butterfly World. It’s a great way to spend a day with your family that won’t make your wallet beg for mercy.

I will share the full price list on our Instagram account in a few days, so why not follow us for more pictures from our latest family adventures?