Kipandi Butterfly Park, Sabah
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Yesterday (16 September 2008) was a public holiday here in Sabah. Not wanting to waste my holiday sitting at home, I called up a few of my friends to arrange for an outing. Our initial plan was to head down to Kundasang. However, after doing some searching on the Internet, we decided to head down to the butterfly park here in Sabah. Not many people are aware of this place and only a few Internet sites mention about the Kipandi Butterfly Park.
We would be travelling in two cars, Devana and myself would be in one car, Fred, Coralie and Stella would be in another car. We all met up in Dongonggon town for our breakfast and to stock up on some snacks. After having our breakfast, we drove towards the butterfly park. None of us know the place and Internet search for the map proved futile. All we know was it was along the road leading towards Tambunan town. The only information that we had on the park was that Kipandi Butterfly Park is located at Kg. Kipandi, Moyog . About 36km from Kota Kinabalu city via the Penampang - Tambunan road. With that in mind, we made our way towards the butterfly park.
The drive from Dongonggon town was approximately 30 minutes. The scene along the was beautiful. Lots of greenery's and beautiful river along the way. All of us had no idea where the butterfly park is located. Luckily, as we were approaching the park, there were signboards.
There was an entrance fees to be paid and the charges as the following.
1) Visitors 18 years old and above | Mykad holders | RM10.00 |
|
| Group | RM7.00 |
|
| Non-Mykad holders | RM20.00 |
|
| Group | RM15.00 |
| 2) Visitors below 18 years old | Mykad holders | RM5.00 |
|
| Group | RM3.00 |
|
| Non-Mykad holders | RM10.00 |
|
| Group | RM7.00 |
| 3) School Children with uniform |
| RM3.00 |
After paying for our ticket, we were given a leaflet, explaining what Kipandi Butterfly Park is all about. Below are some of the texts that can be found on the leaflet.
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About The Park
The Park is surrounded by the hills of the Crocker Range and lies at 700m altitude and rich entomofauna. Many butterflies come into the gardens to suck nectar from the many flowering shrubs.
Over 100 species have been recorded and those inside the enclosure can be easily photographed. This includes the troides brookianan (Raja Brook's Birdwing), troides amphrysus (Golden Birdwing) and the papilio karna (Peacock Swallowtail).
The Insect Museum
This insectarium has over 800 butterfly specimens and over 1800 beetle specimens, which includes many endemic species which can only be found in the Crocker Range like the cyclommatus chewi.
Visit The Plant Collections
Special enclosures have been constructed to house some of the rare and endangered orchids and pitcher plants of Sabah. This is a joint conservation project with the Sabah Wildlife Department.
The plants have been saved from trees felled in land clearing for development and agriculture. To date, the collection contains 400 species of native orchids, 28 species of Hoyas, 5 species of lipstick flowers and medicinal plants. There is also a new collection of pitcher plants and to date, we have about 15 species.
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Below are some shots taken at the Kipandi Butterfly Park.
:::... Entrance to the butterfly garden ...::: 
:::... Map of the butterfly park ...::: 
:::... Butterfly park enclosure ...::: 
:::... Cafeteria ...::: 
:::... Insectarium display ...::: 
:::... Clean and well maintained garden ...::: 
:::... Some of the butterflies that can be found there ...::: 
:::... Pitcher Plant ...::: 
:::... Breathtaking view from the butterfly park ...::: 
:::... Map to Kipandi Butterfly Park ...::: Additional Information on Kipandi Butterfly Park.
Opening Hours
Opens daily (Including Public Holiday) 9.00am - 4.00pm
Contact
Telephone No : 013-8689830 / 019-5302298 / 019-5308883
Fax : 088-272672
E-mail : kipandipark@hotmail.com
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