Surely nothing in Orlando could be cuter than the sight of a small child (or even me) running to meet their favourite character in a theme park? I guess it’s subjective but most people would think that was pretty cute. But I believe there is something that’s not too far off as adorable.
Capybaras have become almost fashionable of late. Sort of like Meerkats were 20+ years ago. I can understand why – they’re are really rather endearing. A few months ago I saw a ‘Meet our Capybaras’ experience advertised on an Orlando page and decided to investigate…
First of all, my main assumption about these cuties is that they were maybe twice the size of a normal house rabbit. At the most. How wrong I was. They’re quite large and frankly pretty chunky. They look like a cross between a guinea pig (they are rodents) and a boar. They have webbed feet as they are semi-aquatic and are excellent swimmers. They can grow – wait for it – up to 4.6 feet long (140 cm) and 2 feet (60 cm) to the shoulders. In terms of weight, adults achieve between 77 – 143 lbs (35 – 65 kg).* The aforementioned small child could ride one like a horse (not me – I would squash it). They also look almost permanently like they are giving someone side-eye and are rather tired of your nonsense.
The realisation that these delightful beasts were basically the size of a Golden Retriever did, however, make not a jot of difference. Meeting a Capybara (or a herd for those of you who like a group noun) had shot onto my ‘Must do on our next Orlando trip’ list.
There are a number of places in Florida that offer this experience, but if you are not planning to venture out of Orlando for this, you can visit Gatorland. This has for many decades been an extremely popular attraction, often viewed as a good half day option and less hectic than hitting Disney or Universal.
Their website, www.gatorland.com, states:
Get ready for down-home family fun at “The Alligator Capital of the World®” – Gatorland! There isn’t a better place to see alligators and crocodiles of all sizes, from babies, also known as grunts, to the 14-foot monsters that call our Breeding Marsh home. We even have the largest collection of extremely rare white leucistic alligators. But, Gatorland is more than just a gator park! Our free-flight aviary, petting zoo, one-of-a-kind animal shows, thrilling Screamin’ Gator Zip Line and new Stompin’ Gator Off-Road Adventure ensure your day will be chock-full of fun, smiles, and special memories! Get ready for down-home family fun at “The Alligator Capital of the World®” – Gatorland! There isn’t a better place to see alligators and crocodiles of all sizes, from babies, also known as grunts, to the 14-foot monsters that call our Breeding Marsh home. We even have the largest collection of extremely rare white leucistic alligators. But, Gatorland is more than just a gator park! Our free-flight aviary, petting zoo, one-of-a-kind animal shows, thrilling Screamin’ Gator Zip Line and new Stompin’ Gator Off-Road Adventure ensure your day will be chock-full of fun, smiles, and special memories!
They also mention they do not allow weapons onsite, which I’m sure is a relief to us all. Especially the alligators.
You can also enjoy experiences such as zip lining, off-roading, rock climbing, and trainer-for-a-day. You can feed the gators, presumably at a notable distance.
But back to Capybaras. At Gatorland you meet them at Flamingo Island, with meets everyday except Wednesday at 2.15pm. It is advised that you book at the Petting Zoo as soon as you arrive as they are very popular, but you might get lucky if you just turn up. This means arriving at the park early is probably the best idea if you can. The cost is $12 pp. Note that the experience is also weather dependent. If the Florida weather decides to do its thing you may be out of luck, so if this is an absolute must do for you, maybe try to plan more than one possible day to go in case rain stops play.
So if you fancy a slightly more chilled few hours, love animals, want to see gators without the risk of being eaten, and simply HAVE to meet a Capybara, then it sounds like this is the place to be. And I HAVE to meet a Capybara.
Day ticket entry prices: Adult (13+) – $31.99, Child (3-12) – $21.99. The meeting the Capybara price is on top of this. It doesn’t state otherwise so tax will presumably need to be added. All prices come directly from the Gatorland website and are correct at the time of writing (December 2025).
*Statistics courtesy of https://www.nationalgeographic.com/
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