Papiliorama

Papiliorama
So we were in search of Zermatt. Our plan was to pack up the pups, jump in the car, and drive there. After all, a trip to Switzerland isn't complete without a view of the Matterhorn, right?
Then we mapped it. Turns out, it is a little far from us. Also, a cable car ride is needed to get up into the town because cars are not allowed.
So we made other plans. :)
We decided to go to the rainforest instead!
Well, not really. But we did cruise on over to a place called Papiliorama, named for the genus of the butterfly. It's a pretty cool place: combination nature center and petting zoo. It is a hands on museum for kids where they have re-created a couple of different habitats around the world for kids to experience. My kids needed a kid-type experience.
We went on a dreary, cloudy, cold Sunday so it was the perfect indoor Sunday activity especially for my kids. (They had seen enough Medieval European villages for a little while) Of course, every other family in CH had that idea too so it was a little crowded!
The first part we checked out was the cafe....it was lunch time, okay? Super expensive food, but good and warm and it hit the spot. We paid about 50 CHF for four sandwiches and some pretzels. ;)
Next we went into the nocturnal animal zone. This was pretty cool. I have never seen anything like it before. We wandered through  a very large enclosure that is completely dark and lit only with black lights. I have to admit, most exhibits were hard to see but we did get a glimpse of several key animals. One of them was an Agouti. This is particularly advantageous because believe it or not, we just studied the Agouti after reading about it in The Swiss Family Robinson! We also saw an Anaconda, Owl Monkey, Armadillo, Spectacled Owl, and a tank FULL of huge Catfish! I really enjoyed the nocturnal habitat except for two things. One: it smelled very bad. Two: There were bats flying around! I mean freely flying around my head! Ahhhh! That was a little crazy.
After the nocturnal habitat we went into the rain forest habitat. There were fewer animals in there to view, but there were lots of plant specimens to look at and trails to follow, including one that takes you over the top of the rain forest up to the canopy. We saw a few really beautiful birds including a spoonbill and a Rainbow Toucan!

We found this guy wandering around...not sure what he is.

Spoonbill

The girls in the rainforest habitat. It was so humid in there that Natalie's hair began to curl. ;)

This Rainbow Toucan did a drive by right above Jeff's head!

There was one part of the rainforest habitat that I did not go into....the bat cave! Yuck! My family had a good time going in there though, and subsequently making fun of me for not partaking! Thanks anyway. Bats are NOT for me!
We left the rainforest habitat and went across the way to learn about Butterflies. It was a little hard, because it was in French but we could make most of it out. They had displays about the life cycle of the butterfly, its natural and man made enemies, and a large display of butterflies and their corresponding caterpillar bodies. We followed that display outside into the back area where there is a very large Butterfly house. Unfortunately, it was empty because it is the wrong time of year. I'm sure in the spring and warm summer weather, this place is hopping! Or buzzing, whatever the case may be!

All in all, it was a great day for the kids to kick back and have some fun. Katie really loved the nocturnal habitat. The bats flying around her head did not even bother her! Natalie, on the other hand, is like her mom and ran out screaming lol. They also have a small petting zoo outside with donkeys, peacocks, pot belly pigs, and small goats. I would recommend a visit here. Very fun!