Australian Butterfly Sanctuary
4.5
Australian Butterfly Sanctuary
By Australian Butterfly Sanctuary
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
About
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 0-99
Duration: 30–60 minutes
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Written guide: German, Italian, French, Spanish
Print or digital reading material such as a guide, map, brochure, etc.
More
- Free guided tours daily
- Free behind the scenes laboratory tour
- Free Guided Foodplant Walk
- Admission Fee
- Entry/Admission - Australian Butterfly Sanctuary
What's not included- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Wheelchair accessible
- Pushchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 5457BS- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Sanctuary closes at 3 pm
- Most travellers can participate
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 5457BS
From
AU$25.00
per adult
Select date and travellers
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Similar experiences
Itinerary
- 1Wander the tropical rainforest aviary where jewel-coloured butterflies float in the air. See the fluorescent green and yellow Cairns birdwing, the vibrant Blue Eggfly and more! The sanctuary is home to more than 1,500 butterflies that have all been hand reared on the premises. Visit the laboratory and learn about the breeding cycle, see how the butterfly eggs are collected and cleaned, and then hand raised into caterpillars before turning into beautiful butterflies. The museum displays many different species from around the world. Don’t forget to see the moth exhibit, home to the Hercules moth with a wing span reaching up to 14 inches (36 cm).
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Karyn S0 contributionsLovelyThis is a lovely place to visit, very relaxing. I recommend just taking some time to slow down her and take note of the beauty around you.Written 17 December 2024
- jendH4603VC0 contributionsUnsuitable for those with disabilitiesNot suitable for wheelchairs or anyone with mobility issues. Extremely narrow, steep, uneven and cracked paths, stair access only to all breeding areas and information and staggeringly in 2024….. no accessible or disabled toilet on the premises. Not even the entry or exit doors are manageable without help and I struggled to push a wheelchair through. We visited yesterday and whilst staff asked me to check out the area first and accepted our companion card, the only other interest shown to us was in asking me to complete a survey before leaving! At $24 a ticket, my manual wheelchair bound husband was only able to access a very short amount of the viewing area and sadly felt in the way of everyone else visiting. The sanctuary itself is tiny, in need of a massive upgrade to bring it into the 21st century and whilst Mother Nature is unpredictable, we saw very few butterflies at all and only two with any significant colour. Overpriced and incredibly disappointing, I’m unable to recommend it as it’s in need of a major refurb.Written 16 October 2024
- SeeTheW0rld620 contributionsLots of butterflies to seeI've been to a few butterfly exhibits and this was by far the best. There were several types of butterflies and a lot of them.Written 3 October 2024
- Eden545140 contributionsReally prettyBeautiful butterflies and a lot to.learn about them. Receptionist was nice but she didn't tell me I could get a discount of I went to Bird World afterwards and there was no sign saying so either, so I didn't get a receipt, when I needed one. They should probably address this as the Bird World cashier said it's a common issue. Liked the greenery and not too humid like some butterfly houses can be.Written 5 September 2024
- X5371AIandreaj0 contributionsBeautiful butterliesThis place was fabulous. It was a rainy day and the butterflies were a little less active bit still it was einderful. Such an informative day learning all about butterflies, you just walk through beautiful gardens enjoying the butterflies and moths, just wonderful.Written 22 August 2024
- Bronte S0 contributionsSo beautiful!!Absolutely amazing! There are thousands of butterflies in this aviary; you are guaranteed to have one land on you. The aviary is big enough so that there is enough room to stop and admire the butterflies, even in peak times. The pamphlet handed to you at the reception desk includes a photo of all the butterflies you will see, plus a butterfly landing pad which if you hold out, the butterflies will land on. I loved the little information signs around the aviary. I also loved how beautiful the whole aviary was; the bridge, the plants, the fairy garden. I had so much fun at the beautiful butterfly sanctuary!Written 22 July 2024
- Sightseer627206053530 contributionsColourful buttefliesWe saw lots of colourful butterflies there. The guide was friendly and knowledgeable. The lab was an interesting place to visit, too.Written 11 July 2024
- arlenef1330 contributionsWonderful experience for the whole family.LOVED IT. The whole family loved interacting with the butterflies and learning about all the different types. It was a lovely experience. Recommend going at the end of the day when it's quieter.Written 4 July 2024
- Sandie B0 contributionsBeautiful butterflies!Beautiful butterflies in a well kept tropical garden layout. Don’t forget to pick up your discount voucher from the Information Centre.Written 17 June 2024
- emmahE1087YE0 contributionsBeautiful Butterflies and Kind StaffThe staff were very kind and helpful, and the butterflies were amazing! It's a lovely enclosure for them, and we easily spent an hour hanging out and admiring the butterflies. Easily could have spent more time there if we didn't have other plans! They also had a very cute gift shop. The caterpillar/breeding rooms for the butterflies were also amazing and it was cool to see the science in action!Written 30 May 2024
- Travel8240340 contributionsPEACEFUL, SURREAL & CALMING - A BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE.A MUST SEE & DO when in Kuranda Qld. Very well worth it. If you Love Butterflies then you WILL Love this place. Wear white and bright fluro colours or lime green or pinks. If you stand still one or more WILL land on you. Enjoy a delightful place to visit. Stay as long as you like. I can actually say, I've been kissed by a butterfly.... SO gentle, don't be scared it's a beautiful experience. ENJOY Every minute there.Written 27 May 2024
- 266lornam0 contributionsIf you love beauty and you love butterflies go hereIf you love beauty and you love butterflies you will really enjoy this Sanctuary. The butterflies are flying free and sometimes land on you. Really enjoyed the experience. Have previously been here many times and will be going againWritten 22 May 2024
- Ashley K0 contributionsEnjoyed this. Recommend :)Had a great time. Some lovely butterflies to see. Staff were lovely as well. Lots of interesting facts to learn. Enjoyed the butterflies landing on usWritten 24 January 2024
- 558alixv0 contributionsBeautiful butterfliesA beautiful place to visit while in Kuranda. Butterflies are in abundance as well as educational resources through to breeding programs. Staff were friendly & knowledgeable and the sanctuary was well looked after. You can tell how passionate all the people who work there are. Several benches to just perch on while you relax and enjoy.Written 6 January 2024
- atsukoj1400 contributionsLovely little placeButterfly Sanctuary is the a lovely little place to visit just for viewing beautiful butterflies but you can have an educational tour that you learn a lot more than you think!Written 10 December 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
19 reviews
Excellent
14
Very good
3
Average
1
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Kylie
1 contribution
Sept 2020 • Family
There were so many different colours & shapes of butterflies. It was so cool to have them flying around you.
Take your time to soak up the experience, however if you're on a tour make sure you keep an eye on the time.
My teenage daughters loved it just as much as I did.
And the staff were friendly too.
Take your time to soak up the experience, however if you're on a tour make sure you keep an eye on the time.
My teenage daughters loved it just as much as I did.
And the staff were friendly too.
Written 22 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi,
Thanks so much for visiting the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary and for taking the time to leave a review.
It's fantastic to hear that you and your daughters had a wonderful time- it certainly is a magical experience!
Written 30 September 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
margiel885
59 contributions
Nov 2024 • Couples
Fantastic! What a place to see beautiful butterflies!🦋 they wee gorgeous! Enclosure was warm so bring water. The butterflies land on you. Great photo ops. There is also a butterfly museum with some gorgeous big butterflies and moths. Really well worth the visit.
Written 7 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Margiel, we are so happy that you had a fantastic time at the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary and had the opportunity to be up close with the beautiful butterflies. Thank you for your review and we hope to see you again soon.
Written 7 November 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Julia J
Sunshine Coast, Australia6 contributions
Apr 2021
Butterflies Butterflies everywhere! What an amazing Sanctuary and so beautiful inside to walk around. Take your time and move slowly through the Sanctuary and you will see more than you could ever imagine. So great to see the Butterflies being looked after so well. You will leave with a better respect for these colourful and gentle beauties.
Written 4 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to write us this review! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the largest butterfly flight aviary and exhibit in the Southern Hemisphere, Australian Butterfly Sanctuary. We work hard to meet expectations like yours, and we’re happy to hear we hit the mark for you. Come back and see us soon. Cheers!
Written 11 October 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
NickyP54
Bargara, Australia1,545 contributions
Aug 2020
I would thoroughly recommend a visit to this Sanctuary if visiting Kuranda village. As well as getting up close to a wide range of species, the centre is a good educational experience as well. Your ticket lasts all day, so you can pop in and out any time. Great work guys!
Written 18 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Nick,
Thanks so much for visiting the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary and for taking the time to leave a review.
It's wonderful to hear that you enjoyed meeting our stunning butterflies and that you found the experience to be educational too.
Written 27 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
David J
Southwold, UK10 contributions
Pleasant sanctuary to visit but hot and took less than 20 minutes to complete. Did see a few lovely butterflies which we might not otherwise have seen.
Relatively expensive compared with other trips. Okay if money is not an issue.
Relatively expensive compared with other trips. Okay if money is not an issue.
Written 26 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi David, we are sorry to hear that you were disappointed with the butterfly activity. There are around 1200 free flying butterflies in the aviary on any given day and around 13 species on display including the vibrant Cairns Birdwing and the stunning Blue Banded Eggfly. There are free guided aviary tours where our knowledgeable guides will take you through the aviary, detailing a butterfly’s life cycle and behaviour and also provides an opportunity to view first-hand the breeding laboratory through special viewing windows.
It is summer here in Australia and the weather could be very warm in Far North Queensland here. Drinking lots of water is important when travelling during this season.
Tropic Wings do offers tours filled with many activities. We appreciate your feedback as we strive to provide the best experiences possible.
Written 28 January 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
funkyhughes23
Melbourne, Australia303 contributions
Jan 2020
A lovely little butterfly house with many butterflies (unfortunately they are having real trouble with the big blue Ulysses butterflies so none there, though we spotted a few around Kuranda Village). Plenty of birdsongs and other varieties and some interesting information and trivia along the way. The Goliath moths in the separate enclosure were something to see, along with the caterpillars and cocoons showing the lifecycle stages. A touch pricey for the time it takes but a good experience.
Written 19 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi,
Thanks for visiting the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary and for taking the time to leave your review.
It's fantastic to hear that you enjoyed meeting our beautiful, tropical butterflies. The bright green Cairns Birdwing Butterfly certainly is a show stopper! The Goliath Moth is one of the largest on the planet, so they are always incredible to see.
With regards to our entry price, we are a local family-run business that does not receive government funding like other wildlife parks or zoos. We also breed all of our species on site, which means that we have to cover all these breeding expenses ourselves, such as growing and sourcing all of the caterpillar food plants, and paying our staff to feed and look after the caterpillars and pupa in our onsite laboratory.
Further value is added to the admission price by offering 30 minute informative guided tours through the aviary and laboratory, so hopefully you experienced these and they enhanced your visit.
Thanks again,
Amanda
Written 20 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
JoMick
Cooloola Cove, Australia55 contributions
Sept 2020
Despite it being busy and Covid rules (and this was managed well) we found our visit to be a delight. After chasing butterflies all around Nth Qld for photos, they were all here, flitting around and providing us with so many photo opportunities. So many butterflies including lots of Ulysses butterflies right in front of us, many landing on us whilst we were wandering. A very enjoyable experience, for adults and kids.
Written 5 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi,
Thanks so much for visiting the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary and for taking the time to leave a review.
It's fantastic to hear that you enjoyed your visit and meeting our beautiful, colourful butterflies.
The aviary is a great place to take photos and we hope that you were able to get some amazing ones.
Written 7 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
woorana
Sydney, Australia9 contributions
Sept 2023 • Family
Our Family loved it! The girls wore bright clothes to attract the Butterflies, it worked! Ricky gave an excellent explanation of what goes on in the facility. Very interesting! Thank you all!
Written 24 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, we are so happy that you had a wonderful time at the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary and enjoyed the opportunity to see lots of amazing butterflies. Thank you for your review.
Written 12 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
GB01
Temuka, New Zealand188 contributions
May 2023
Not a lot of stunning Butterflies around and it was nearly lunchtime in the sunshine and heat thought more would of been flying around. Only saw 3 different ones that were impressive and worthy of photos.
The walking path was a bit tricky in places being uneven surface and wet too
Feel the 1 in NZ down Southland is more impressive
The walking path was a bit tricky in places being uneven surface and wet too
Feel the 1 in NZ down Southland is more impressive
Written 25 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, we are sorry to hear that you were disappointed with the butterfly activity. There are around 1200 free flying butterflies in the aviary on any given day and around 13 species on display including the vibrant Cairns Birdwing and the stunning Blue Banded Eggfly. It is hard to predict the activity of the butterflies and they are usually more active on warmer days. There are free guided aviary tours where our knowledgeable guides will take you through the aviary, detailing a butterfly’s life cycle and behaviour and also provides an opportunity to view first-hand the breeding laboratory through special viewing windows. Tropic Wings do offers tours filled with many activities. We appreciate your feedback as we strive to provide the best experiences possible.
Written 13 June 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lucinda W
1 contribution
Feb 2020 • Family
Amazing can spend as much time as you like and free re entry all day to go back as many times as you like
Written 24 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Showing results 1-1 of 1
Buy it with
Top rated
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.