With the summer days finally here in the Netherlands, what better a way to spend the day than surrounded by beautiful butterflies! But where can you find these butterflies? At a butterfly park of course! Let’s venture to five of these exotic locations…
1. Passiflorahoeve – Harskamp
Passiflorahoeve doesn’t just have one butterfly garden, oh no… It has five! That’s right, five different butterfly gardens and on top of that it even has a butterfly museum! Visiting this establishment will certainly not leave you disappointed, that’s for sure.
So, these five gardens, there’s a European butterfly garden, a European butterfly nursery, a tropical butterfly garden and nursery, and a butterfly and insect outdoor garden. In these gardens, more than 90 different kinds of day and night butterflies flutter about, snacking on the nectar of the plants and fruits laid out for them.
The butterfly park is open from May 18 until October 5, so there’s plenty of time left to visit. Parking there is also free and entry is 9 euros for those above 10 years-of-age and 6,50 euros for kids between four and 10. You can visit from Monday to Saturday from 10am until 4pm.
2. Vlindertuin Vlindorado – Waarland
Vlindertuin Vlindorado is one of the biggest butterfly gardens in Europe (not the biggest, we’ll come back to this later). Due to the tropical temperatures and exotic flora and fauna surrounding you on your visit, it’ll feel like you escaped to the tropics. Each week, hundreds of butterfly pupae arrive at Vlindorado, around 500 to 800! These come from Costa Rica, The Philippines and Malaysia. Vlindorado also cultivates some tropical butterflies itself.
Ready for a visit? The park is open from Monday to Saturday from 10am until 5pm and on Sundays from 11am until 5pm. It’s even open on public holidays from 11am until 5pm. Parking is free and getting in won’t cost you an arm or leg at 8,50 euros for adults and 6,50 euros for kids between two and 12.
3. Orchideeën Hoeve – Luttlegeest
The Vlinder Vallei (Butterfly Valley) at Orchideeën Hoeve is the biggest butterfly garden in the whole of Europe! That’s right, here in the little country that is the Netherlands. In this garden you’ll be able to see more than 2.000 butterflies flapping their wings.
The butterfly park has its own nursery where it cultivates a few tropical butterflies; however, it also imports more than 55 kinds of tropical butterfly from Costa Rica and the Philippines weekly. These are sent to the Orchideeën Hoeve by post in their pupae form. It only takes a couple of days (up to 10) in the hatchery before the cocoons burst open and the butterflies take their first flight.
Here, the butterfly garden is not only home to butterflies, but you’ll also be able to see turtles, an iguana, parakeets and other tropical birds and animals during your visit. Orchideeën Hoeve is open all year round, apart from New Year’s Day. You can take a trip there from Monday to Saturday from 9am until 6pm and Sunday from 10am until 6pm. Parking at the facility is free and entry costs 14,50 euros for adults and 8,50 euros for children between four and 12.
4. Vlinders aan de Vliet – Leidschendam
There are hundreds of beautiful butterflies to admire at Vlinders aan de Vliet in Leidschendam. They cultivate 15 percent themselves and 85 percent is purchased in pupae form from nurseries in tropical countries. The garden is open from the end of February until October 28. After this, it becomes too dark and cold in the greenhouse for the butterflies.
The park is actually a hobby that just got out of hand and transformed into a jungle / butterfly garden, with hundreds of butterflies, birds, water animals - like turtles and fish, and unusual plants and flowers.
This tropical butterfly jungle is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am until 5pm. On Sundays, you can visit from 12pm until 5pm. The park is shut on Mondays and has varying opening hours during public holidays - so it’s best to check the website if you plan on going then. Entry costs 9,50 euros for adults and 6,50 euros for children between three and 12.
5. Klein Costa Rica – Someren
Klein Costa Rica is home to more than 400 butterflies. If you’re lucky; one might even land on your shoulder while you’re there. New butterflies are shipped in weekly from Costa Rica and Malaysia and hatched in Klein Costa Rica in the hatchery. You’ll also find plenty of interesting and unusual plants and flowers in the butterfly garden.
The butterfly park is not only home to butterflies, but also tropical fish and turtles in the Tropical Pool area. The freshwater pool is the perfect environment for species of fish from different continents, such as America, Asia and Africa. Walk across the rope bridge to enjoy the garden and tropical pool from above. You might spot an iguana and some birds while you’re up there!
Fancy a visit? This beautiful butterfly park is open Wednesday to Friday from 10am to 5pm. It is shut on Monday and Tuesday. To get in you’ll need to pay 8,50 euros as an adult. For children between three and 12 it is only 5 euros.
Which butterfly park will you be visiting?
We could go on and on about the beautiful butterfly parks in the Netherlands, but then we’d be here all day! In any case, we have only mentioned five, but there are a few more in the country. Don’t fancy visiting a park full of these mesmerising flying insects? You could take a trip to a botanical garden instead and admire the plants…
So, which butterfly park will you be visiting? Let us know in the comments below!