Farma of Rhodes | Petting Zoo

Farma of Rhodes, located in Epano Kalamonas, Greece, offers a unique blend of a zoo, tourist attraction, and farm experience. This establishment provides visitors with a highly interactive encounter with various animals, distinguishing itself from traditional zoos. Based on recent visitor feedback, it's a place where animal lovers can get up close and personal with many species, though some areas could benefit from improvement.

What to Expect: Highlights and Interactions ✨

The primary appeal of Farma of Rhodes lies in its hands-on approach to animal interaction. Visitors consistently highlight the ability to feed and pet a wide variety of animals, which is a significant draw. This direct engagement fosters a memorable experience, particularly for families and those passionate about wildlife.

Star Attractions: Lemurs and Ostriches 🐒🥚

Without a doubt, the lemurs are the undisputed stars of the Farma. Visitors rave about the unique opportunity to enter their enclosure, feed them, and even have them sit on their shoulders. These charming primates are described as "adorable" and "stealing hearts," with staff providing engaging stories about them. This personal interaction with the lemurs is frequently cited as the best part of the visit.

The ostriches also provide a memorable experience. Guests can feed these impressive birds and even participate in a unique demonstration where they can stand on ostrich eggs, showcasing their surprising strength. For many, it's a novel and exciting first-time encounter.

Beyond the lemurs and ostriches, visitors can also interact with and pet goats, camels, donkeys, and various birds, making for a truly immersive petting zoo experience.

Visitor Experience and Staff 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

The personnel at Farma of Rhodes receive high praise. They are consistently described as very friendly, kind, and well-informed about the animals. Their willingness to share stories and facilitate interactions significantly enhances the visitor experience, contributing to a welcoming and engaging atmosphere.

Most visitors find they can comfortably spend 1-2 hours exploring the farm, depending on feeding times and how much time they dedicate to interacting with each animal. The overall atmosphere is generally positive, with some calling it a "paradise for anyone who loves animals."

Practical Information 💰

Admission for adults is typically around 12€. For those keen on feeding the animals, cups of food are available for 2€, with three different types of food to choose from, catering to various animal diets.

The Farma also features a mostly vegetarian cafe and a gift shop, providing amenities for visitors to relax and purchase souvenirs.

Areas for Consideration and Improvement 🚧

While the interactive aspects are widely appreciated, some visitors have raised concerns regarding the animal enclosures and their environment. One review specifically mentioned that the "zoo is so empty, there is nothing to do for the animals, the places they’re in are kinda small and just looks like plain desert." This suggests a potential lack of environmental enrichment and space for the animals, which could impact their welfare and overall presentation.

Another minor point noted was the food from the restaurant, which was described as "a little bit of taste," indicating room for improvement in the culinary offerings.

Additionally, while the direct interaction is a highlight, some guests have noted that the "scope of species" might not be as wide as in larger, more traditional zoos.

Conclusion ✅

Farma of Rhodes offers a genuinely unique and interactive animal experience, particularly for those who cherish direct contact with animals like the ring-tailed lemurs and ostriches. The friendly and knowledgeable staff contribute significantly to a positive visit. While the opportunity for close interaction is unparalleled, potential visitors should be aware of the observations regarding animal enclosure conditions and the limited variety of species compared to larger facilities. Despite these points, many visitors highly recommend this place for a memorable and hands-on encounter with wildlife on Rhodes Island.

Was such an amazing day out. Would love to return. The animals seemed so happy and calm and they were so gentle when feeding them. The staff there are lovely and super chatty too. There’s 2 cafes on sight all at a great price. The entry fee was €20 each for me and my partner which seems a bit pricey but worth it and €2 for feed. If you book tickets online it is cheaper. The only negative was that the rabbits were very frightened and was hiding away when we went into their inclosure so we didn’t stay in their inclosure as we felt awful however we do not know these animals history and the rest of the farm animals were super happy.

What an experience that was! It was one of the most memorable days of my life! I 100% recommend visiting this petting zoo if you're in Rhodes! The staff are friendly and they care deeply for the animals, you can tell by the way they so lovingly speak about them and take care of them. They're talkative and share interesting information about the animals.There is a variety of animals, from pigs to cows, goats, sheep, ostriches, ducks, bunnies, peacocks, kangaroos, lemurs and so many more. You can interact with most of the animals, feed them, pet them and even get to go into their environment. You can enter the goat environment and feed the goats. But the best part is the environment of the lemurs. You get to go in, feed them, pet them and take pictures with them on your head. The lady taking care of the lemurs is a sweetheart and loves the lemurs as if they're her own kids. It was such an amazing experience which I'll treasure forever.On the downside, I'd like to mention that you can buy cups of food (corn, vegetables and carob) to feed the animals, however, I believe that they were very overpriced for what they had to offer, coming at 2€ for each cup, meaning you'd have to spend 6€ for the three different food cups and you'd still not be able to feed all the animals as they don't offer a big amount of food in the cup.Also, I'd like to mention that the souvenir shop was very expensive as well.Another thing that I find displeasing is that the place isn't accessible by bus. We were lucky to be driven there but if you don't have a car, there isn't a bus station for the petting zoo. The bus would have to leave you far away and you'd have to walk a lot in order to reach the farm. I wouldn't recommend doing that during the hot months of summer.There was no waiting line and it wasn't crowded.Overall, it was a lifetime experience and I would visit again for sure!

The place was clean, organised and easy! The staff were so friendly. The animals seemed happy and well kept! I have never petted lemurs before and the lady was so informative and inviting. Best animal encounter ever!!! Such a variety of animals and lots of interaction to feed them10/10!!! Thank you very much!

We were there for the second time. It was a really good experience feeding the ostriches and sitting with the lemurs. The staff was really kind and helpful in the entire zoo.

If you travel to Rhodes and love animals this is definitely a place I would recommend! The animals were gentle when being fed and petted, our favourite experience was the lemur enclosure where you can interact with them, the lady in the enclosure was fantastic, very informative and friendly! In fact all the staff were great!