As everyone travelled out of town over Independence weekend, we decided to stay. We needed a family fun day out and Gaborone was distinctly quiet. So I reckoned it was time to finally visit the much talked about Lily’s Petting Farm. I had seen it on Family Gems but what was it really like?
So off we trekked out past Oodi to meet up with a friend, her two little ones and some unsuspecting animals. We travelled down some well-signposted dirt track and I found it easily. It looked fabulous.
We were greeted at the entrance, paid our money (P50 each) and given two buckets of animal fodder. My 1 year old and I walked straight past some well-manicured lawn and pretty flower beds and headed for the animals.
Although my toddler might be too young to fully appreciate the exciting differences between peacocks, Guinea fowl and chickens, he thought his bucket was a winner. He banged that into the dirt a lot. He did think that the bunny rabbits were fantastic though and even tried to give one an over enthusiastic hug.
My friend’s 5 year old fully understood how cool the animals were. She spent a good hour explaining who was who. From some gorgeous calves to some very funny looking ducks she eagerly told us some wonderful stories. Lily herself was also there for extra nuggets of information. She patiently answered any questions that popped into people’s heads.
Having done the tour of the pens and snuggled with up with some guinea pigs we were a little hot and bothered and in need of a sit down. I went and bought some drinks and snacks from the kiosk and we headed to some well-shaded picnic tables. My friend had also brought a picnic so we paid an extra P10 each for bringing in our own food and ate our lunch. This I think is a winning idea.
We got more energy from eating so off we headed to the jungle gym. All of this area is also under shade netting which is great with summer already turning into a scorcher. We had a fun swing, slide and a good dig in the sand pit.
Then the maze was spotted. Yes, Lily’s Petting Farm even has a maze! It’s not huge but it was a fun way to pass some time. Discovered in there was the greatest of all excitements: a rabbit not in a pen! Yes we spotted this free-loving, grass-eating creature whilst navigating our way around. We then spent the next 30 minutes endeavouring to catch and cuddle the white fluffy bunny. Unfortunately we failed in all attempts at capture and the bunny was eventually left eating up the garden to its hearts content.
From the overzealous bunny moments we exhausted and it was sadly time to head home. Will we be back? ABSOLUTELY! Will we chase a bunny again, probably not.
Top tips from our visit
• Take a hat and sun cream. It’s amazing how quick the sun catches you between pens.
• Pay the P10 and bring your own food.
• Some wet wipes are always useful as animal droppings are about.
For more information about Lily’s Petting farm click here or other Days Out ideas.
