The butterfly house
Walk through the tropical glasshouse as hundreds of butterflies fly free around you, among exotic plants and themed gardens. It is the centrepiece of the visit and is warm and humid whatever the weather outside.
Tropical World
4.7 (1,477)
See all
See all
About
Tropical World is a butterfly house and licensed mini zoo on the edge of Letterkenny, where hundreds of tropical butterflies fly free around lemurs, meerkats, sloths and parrots. It is almost entirely under cover, so it works rain or shine.
Things to Do
Meet the mini zoo animals
The mini zoo holds ring-tailed lemurs, meerkats, Geoffrey's tamarins, pygmy marmosets, cotton-top and white-lipped tamarins, fennec foxes and a sloth, alongside raccoons.
Exotic birds and aviaries
Walk-through aviaries are home to lorikeets, parrots, cockatoos, conures, turacos, owls and toucans, with birds from Australia, Africa, New Zealand and the Americas.
Jurassic Land and Bug World
Two newer themed areas add a glimpse of the Jurassic past with dinosaur displays, plus a live collection of bugs, spiders, beetles and insects in Bug World.
Indoor play park and picnic area
The Monkey Swing Play Park is a covered indoor play area, free to zoo customers at no extra charge, and there is a picnic area and a birthday party cabin. Picnics are welcome in designated areas.
Café, shops and garden centre
Next door, Alcorn's Garden Centre has the ThymeOut vintage café and tearooms (open Monday to Saturday, closed Sundays). Drinks, ice cream, coffee and snacks are also sold in the Tropical World souvenir shop.
Plan Your Visit
- Hours: Monday–Saturday 10am–5:30pm; Sunday 1pm–5:30pm. Last admission 4:00pm. Open every day including bank holidays through the season; closed over winter.
- Admission: Adults €12, children under 14 €9.50
- Parking: Free parking available on site. Google's listing also records a paid car park.
- Food: The ThymeOut vintage café and tearooms at the garden centre serves teas, coffees, treats and home-cooked lunches Monday to Saturday (closed Sundays). Drinks, ice cream, coffee and snacks are available in the souvenir shop, with tea and bean-to-cup coffee from reception; picnics are welcome in designated areas.
Watch More
See it on the map
Load the interactive map to explore this place location.
