We visited the tropical gardens Papiliorama in Kerzers ! It was an amazing experience to discover the butterflies, but also sloths, bats, night monkeys and anacondas in the darkness of the Nocturama dome.
We had wanted to visit Papiliorama in Kerzers since we went to the temporary butterfly exhibition at Schilliger garden centre over the summer, so we decided to stop off on our way home from Interlaken last weekend.
There is free parking a short walk away from the entrance where tickets cost CHF19 per adult and CHF9.50 for children between the ages of 4 and 15 (the smaller children were free!). We left our many bulky coats at the cloakroom area and headed to the Nocturama where we started our visit.
Being one of those strange people who loves the gloom and early dark, I absolutely ADORED this place!! It is indeed pretty dark in there so it takes a while for your eyes to adjust, but then you can start to glimpse the wealth of wildlife scurrying around before you and the bats flying about. This was pretty thrilling as they zoomed quite close to our heads on a few occasions - we (okay, mainly me) were all squealing with excitement as we went through the bat cave where there we lots of them all zipping about in a small space.
We had the amazing chance of seeing a sloth making his lazy way along a tree branch crossing the path above us and many other curious nocturnal creatures including an armadillo and night monkeys. It’s really a great fun experience and nicely laid out so you can follow the path over bridges and climb upwards to get a better look at the animals higher up. I actually made the family go round twice as I really loved the other-worldly feeling of the visit.
Through a door off the Nocturama tour there is a breeding area which provided lots of information about the preservation of endangered species and the role of such foundations in their continued existence which was really interesting.
From there we headed down to the Jungle Trek which was also pretty cool. Again, there are a series of paths around the dome and although some involved climbing stairs, there was always a second route for those in push chairs like our young Elio.
Like Nocturama, the whole area is open so you are surrounded by plants and trees housing animals going about their business in front of you. We were really delighted to see a beautiful toucan up close and a flamingo obliging us with a great photo opportunity
From there we went over to the Zoé zoo which is a mini zoo with goats, chickens, rabbits, birds etc. That takes you outside so you’ll need your coat on again if you left it at the cloakroom.
Back inside again and off we went to the main butterfly dome. This was a lovely tropical feeling place full of beautiful plants and stunning butterflies. Jude was really hoping one would land on his finger but he couldn’t allow himself to keep still for long enough to tempt any of them to pay him a visit.
We followed the path around the tent and took turns to climb the stairs to get a better view from from above where Alba really enjoyed watching and following the butterflies. It was harder to get around with the push chair as it started to get busy so I think it’s probably easier to take a carrier or visit during the week if you are able.
Papiliorama is an association and as well as being a really lovely experience, there is information everywhere so we came out feeling that we had learned a lot. There is a café, space for picnics and they also organise events, guided tours, children’s birthdays and school visits.
We all really loved it and Jude came home with lots of (never going to happen) new « pet for Christmas » ideas.
Information
Parking : Yes
Toilets : Yes
Baby Change Facilities : Yes
Accessibility : Suitable with a push chair - baby-carrier recommended