Is this the most unusual museum in Uttarakhand?

OFFBEAT, BHIMTAL Created :

Precious Rongmei

Precious Rongmei likes to tell people that she loves travelling – a lot. If only it's done solo, don't have to pack more than two pairs of clothes, won’t keep her away from her cat for too long, and come with loads of birding and butterfly watching opportunities. She's awkwardly passionate about true crime documentaries, gardening, carpentry and souvenirs. In that order.


Have you ever come across a museum that inspired travel? Sounds like an unlikely thing to be honest, but wait till you read about this unique museum. Did you know about Bhimtal’s Butterfly Museum? Also known as Butterfly Research Centre, this offbeat museum is a privately owned museum and the kind that will blow your mind.


Located in the famous June Estate in Bhimtal, the butterfly museum proudly boasts of 2500 butterfly and moth specimens, the result of Frederick Smetacek Sr, famously known as the Butterfly Man of India, and his sons Frederick Smetacek Jr and Peter Smetacek’s collection.



June Estate, home to the Smetacek family, is a sprawling property, sitting right next to the very famous Fredy’s Place, a quaint colonial bungalow-turned-into-a-hotel. It is here that one can see thousands of species of insects, all so beautifully preserved in perfect condition. A lot of these butterflies on display are not even from India. As an exchange programme, some of these butterflies and moths were brought in from other parts of the world for research purposes.



The largest and the creepiest looking to the most colourful and dainty looking butterflies and moths are up on the walls of June Estate for everyone to see and learn about them. Did you know that butterflies are indicators of a healthy environment? Some of the butterflies in the museum have just vanished from the area because of habitat destruction. You’d have to be extremely lucky to be able to spot them.


Stars of the museum include the Attacus Atlas moth (the largest moth in the world!), Actias Luna, Parnassius or famously known as the Snow Apollo. This one is found in the Pindari glacier.



A visit to this museum is incomplete without a stay at Fredy’s Place. The colonial style bungalow will take you back in time, and will let you have a very peaceful stay amidst pine forests and the beautiful Bhimtal Lake. Sattal is also really close by. Come for the butterfly, stay for the vibe.



  1. Who owns the Butterfly Research Centre in Bhimtal?
    The Butterfly Research Centre, Bhimtal, is a privately owned museum cum research centre. It belongs to the Smetacek family. The museum is run by Peter Smetacek.
  2. What is the entry fee for Butterfly Research Centre, Bhimtal?
    There's an entry fee of INR 100.
  3. Are there any butterfly-watching activity at the Butterfly Research Centre?
    Yes, you can go around the property for butterfly-watching. Peter Smetacek often leads these butterfly-walks.
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