Now that summer vacation is almost here, here is an ideal outing for the under-8 category - the Butterfly Park at Bannerghatta National Park.
The Butterfly Park is located at one corner of the national park. Trees and shrubs line the path which has interesting signage on either side with information on butterflies. The path leads to a huge, transparent dome housing the butterflies. The dome itself is quite remarkable, with a controlled environment inside. A tropical garden grows inside with bright, colourful flowers; there is a pond with a bridge and even a waterfall – quite a perfect setting for butterflies.
We saw lots of different types of butterflies and my daughter was completely fascinated to see them eat (there are holders with sticky food, and many butterflies cluster around these areas). We spent a good amount of time looking at the fish in the pond (that’s kids for you – we go to the Butterfly Park – but spend most of the time admiring the fish). The dome leads into a museum that exhibits larvae, lifecycle of caterpillars, moths, butterflies and so on. The eggs and cocoon were appropriately gawked and ooh-ahhed at by my daughter!! An audio-visual room that screens an English presentation leads to the exit.
The Butterfly Park is located on Bannerghatta road, approximately 20-30 minutes from IIM-B. Plan to spend 1-2 hours in the park. Eatables are not allowed inside – so we snacked in the car after we were done. The park timings are 9 am to 5 pm – presentations start from 10 am. Tickets are priced Rs.10 for kids over 5 and Rs.20 for adults. You pay extra for taking a camera (I think it was Rs.30 or so) or a camcorder (Rs.100 approximately).
Overall, a fun trip for a kid. If you have a pre-schooler, make sure you read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle before you take them to visit the Butterfly Park.
