Entopia, Penang, REVIEW: much more than a butterfly garden

Originally opened as Penang Butterfly Farm in 1986, Entopia has become one of the most popular and visited attractions on the island, and is often voted one of the best things to do in Penang. With two different areas to explore, the park combines outdoor and indoor spaces to showcase various species of butterflies, insects, reptiles, and much more besides.

Arriving to Entopia, Penang

Entopia is located on the northwest tip of Penang Island, close to Penang National Park and almost next door to Escape.

The 101 and 102 buses drop-off and pick-up from outside Escape, which is only a couple of minutes walk away from the entrance to Entopia. Buses run every twenty minutes although and the fare starts at RM1.40 for adults.

If you have your own vehicle, there’s free parking at Entopia, otherwise the easiest way to arrive is via a Grab taxi and you’ll be dropped directly outside the ticket office.

The well-organised ticket office accepts payment by cash or card. Opening times are 9am-6pm with last admission at 5pm. Entopia is closed every Wednesday.

How much does it cost?

Standard/MyKad entrance prices to Entopia for adults are RM75/65 and children RM55/45. Various family packages are available that save a few ringgits.

Check here for more information on prices.

What to expect

As its original name (Penang Butterfly Farm) suggests, Entopia began life focused on all things butterfly before undergoing an extensive rebrand and rebuild in 2015. Since then, Entopia has grown in stature and prominence and is now a much larger tourist attraction split into two distinct areas: Natureland and The Cocoon.

The flat walkways are accessible, which means a visit here is suitable for visitors with limited mobility or those visiting with young children in buggies. There aren’t any stairs to navigate and access to the upper-level areas are via moving walkways.

The butterfly garden (Natureland)

What you might think of as the butterfly garden is now known as Natureland, reflecting the fact that there’s so much more to see than our colourful winged friends. But don’t worry, there are still plenty of butterflies to observe floating around the covered dome, some of whom might even come to rest on your arm or hand. Apparently, they’re only interested in your sweat, which they use to feed and take nutrients from.

After scanning your ticket and entering the park, you follow a path through Natureland and its six separate areas. Weaving indoors and outdoors, the exhibits and displays showcase a range of insects, lizards and reptiles including snakes, monitor lizards, tarantulas, butterflies and other flying insects.

Keep your eye out for opportunities to climb up steps and peer through plastic domes to get an eye-to-eye view of monitor lizards and other reptiles.

Even when you’re not checking out the insects, the path is interesting walk along, with plants and trees giving the impression you’re walking through a rainforest.

Natureland does have a roof to stop the insects escaping but it does let in rain when the weather turns watery. It adds to the atmosphere, but don’t expect to stay completely dry.

Beyond the butterfly garden (The Cocoon)

At the end of the Natureland walkway, you’ll find the entrance to The Cocoon, which is set on two levels (accessible by a moving walkway). This indoor area has a very modern feel with clever neon lighting throughout and plenty of preserved frames full of insects and butterflies on the walls. Cocoon is split into different sections, each showcasing a different aspect of the natural world, including metamorphosis, breeding grounds and underground life.

It’s in here that the nature-based learning comes to the fore and, if you’re visiting with children, there are some interactive displays to entertain and educate.

There’s a strong focus on explaining the lifecycle of plants and animals, often using digital displays, short films or cabinets full of preserved insect specimens. It goes into a great amount of detail and just about manages to stay on the right side of interesting rather than repetitive. Although by the end, you might feel like you’ve had your quota of insect displays.

Gift shop and restaurant

As usual, no visit to a tourist attraction is complete without an obligatory tour of the gift shop. This one sells the usual pens and fridge magnets but also a stocks a few books (they’re not all animal related, some are Penang-related books).

The Tapestree Restaurant, located between Natureland and The Cocoon, serves a mixture of Western and Asian dishes. The setting amongst the foliage is pleasant, although expect tourist-inflated prices.

How long should you spend at Entopia, Penang?

After an hour and a half at Entopia, we felt ready to head for the exit. If you’re especially interested in insects (especially butterflies), you might want to spend longer here though.

The park is well laid-out and the path takes you through a logical route, so it’s easy to find your way around the exhibits. Unless you’re particularly keen on nature, you might find the displays of preserved insects slightly repetitive towards the end.

After your visit

This small patch of land in the northwest corner of Penang Island is quite the tourist enclave, with Escape, Penang National Park and the Tropical Spice Garden all within a few minutes drive from each other, as well as Penang Tropical Fruit Farm a bit further up the road towards Balik Pulau.

You could combine a visit with Escape, although as the theme park is one of the best activities in Penang, it really deserves a full day to itself. Penang National Park is a better option as you only need a half-day to visit Monkey Beach.

Alternatively, take a short farm tour at Penang Tropical Fruit Farm and then enjoy lunch or a fruit smoothie overlooking the rainforest views from their café after your visit to Entopia. Although please take note that it’s almost impossible to get a Grab back from Penang Tropical Fruit Farm. Ladies on reception there will be able to order you a taxi if needs be.

Final thoughts on Entopia, Penang

Entopia is a fun and informative activity in Penang, perhaps one to keep up your sleeve on a rainy day (although do keep in mind that part of Natureland is exposed to the rain, albeit filtered somewhat by the mesh dome roof).

Both Natureland and The Cocoon are well laid out and well thought out, with a clever balance of education and enjoyment. The stroll along the walkway past trees, waterfalls and flying insects is a relaxing way to spend an hour or so, with the indoor exhibits and displays providing insight and information on part of the natural world we sometimes take for granted.