If you love animals and like getting up close and personal with them, I can highly recommend visiting Slakki Petting Farm in Southwest Iceland, a family-run attraction. It’s the perfect family fun trip to get to know some local animals as you tour Iceland. And it’s not just for families. Oh, no. I went with my friend, Ása, on a day trip from Reykjavík after she told me all about it. So, if you’re asking yourself, “What should I do in Iceland?”, Slakki is a place you need to consider!
I couldn’t resist saying yes, so we went in the beginning of June when the baby animals finally made their public debut. It really was cute overload with calves, rabbits, turtles, guinea pigs, kittens, kids, ducklings, and even an arctic fox. Not only do they have the farm, they also have a playground for younger families (I attempted the electric bulldozer in the sandpit), restaurant, mini golf course, and pool table. Admission is 1000isk per adult and half price- if not free- for teens and younger children. Opening hours are from 11 until 18.
It’s easily reachable from the Ring Road (Route 1) and can be navigated with our Garmin GPS or wifi, both available as add-ons. Slakki can be found in Laugarás, a little over half hour drive from Selfoss when you take Road 30 and then left again on 31. Just drive past the entrance and you’ll locate the gravel parking lot to the right where there is also a toilet, an ideal pitstop before or after the visit. There are quite a few campsites in the surrounding areas if you choose to stay overnight in the south of Iceland before or after your animal adventure.
This is a photo collection of our experience hanging out with some lovely animals.
First impression: Lovely grounds, well maintained gardens, and adorable house out in the back. To the left is the restaurant, mini-golf, and pool table area where you also purchase the tickets for the farm.
The tickets booth is clearly signed and the employees were happy to see us!
I personally thought this was a charming little passageway as we entered the outdoor animal farm as well as playground.
Gobble gobble! It was to my surprise I first saw a pair of turkeys. Odd they would be living here in Iceland since they originate from the Americas. But here they were, wandering around their home.
This shy guy is the elusive arctic fox. He really preferred to stay hidden and away from us humans and this was as close as I’d get to him. He’s been living at Slakki since 2006 where he was rescued and taken care of.
This cute brown calf had a sibling with him, but he was the only one more than interested in myself and Ása. We pet him a bit and I’m pretty sure he enjoyed our company since his partner-in-crime was sitting down and daydreaming.
Honestly, these geese are large! This fella first looked as if he was a statue as he stood completely still and quiet. Then out of nowhere he turned his neck- great timing for the picture!
Here’s our little piggy friend who decided to hop out of its shelter to come say hello and have a drink of water.
Not really sure why there were Chinese silk chickens in the country, but they were some of the more unique animals on the farm. Some were black, some were white, but all of them including the baby chicks, were so fluffy, I’d consider borrowing them as pillows.
This cute little dude seemed to have fallen asleep in his food, so I checked him out and quickly left him in peace. The next stop over were over active rats who just loved their running wheel! I enjoyed watching them do their thing for a bit until I got distracted by…
A charming, charming little guy. As you can see, Romeo struck his prettiest pose, showing off his white beak, and freshly pruned, pink feathers. I’m sure this isn’t the first time he’s had undivided attention from a human. And yes, his name is Romeo.
On the contrary, mother duck was not happy when I leaned in for a closer look at her babies. I can only assume I rudely interrupted their mother-duckling bonding time. As she taught them the way of their kind, I quickly snapped this photo of her yelling at me, noticed daddy duck hiding in the corner (probably scared of momma?), and then I moved on to a friendlier duo…
The kids were playing around as siblings always do. The poor grey and white kid was taking a beating from his brother the moment I took the picture. Soon after, Oreo (that’s what I secretly named the black and white one) noticed me peeking through the wooden panels and joined me by leaning onto the fence with his front hooves.
Aww. My favourite part was when I got to hold some of the animals! The kittens were a delight, but rather feisty as the one I was handling wanted to be put down and continue play fighting with its identical brothers and sisters. But we didn’t mind. We ended up hanging around with the kitties for a while since they were so much fun to watch!
Thought this was a cute photo-op as the little, innocent bird peered curiously out its window.
Ása enjoyed some one-on-one time with a talkative friend as we neared the end of our time at Slakki. We asked one of the kids who worked at the farm if we could hang out with him. So I went first, took a selfie and tried to talk with him, but he just stared at me. I now believe it’s because he knew I wasn’t a local. Pff! Well, I passed him onto Ása who said “Halló” and the parrot quickly responded “Hæ”! This picture shows Ása’s surprise and amusement after he got chatty.
Anyways, both Ása and myself had a wonderful experience exploring Slakki farm and I’d recommend it to all the young and older who are either travelling in the south right now, or are planning to in the near future. If you choose to come here, you’re in for a treat!
As always, Happy Travels!
Sjáumst!
To read more about Lea’s Happy Camper Adventures in Iceland check out these articles:
10 Free Things to Do & See in Reykjavík
Reykjavik Food Walk
Iceland’s Local Pool Guidelines, Do’s & Don’ts
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