HOLY COW. One of the highlights of our Kona-to-Hilo roadtrip was cow cuddling. My daughter, her boyfriend, and I had this on our list of places to check out. I'm glad we made time for this...who knew cows are basically big puppies? There was one particular cow, Tulsi, who reminded me of my beloved cocker spaniel who passed four years ago. He loved hard scritchy-scratchies...so does Tulsi. Tulsi just might be my cocker spaniel reincarnate. Cuddling takes place under a covered area, wood shavings keep the grounds pretty much mud-free. Wish they sold merch! read more

Krishna Cow Sanctuary - We ain't judging. Maybe a little. - Animal Physical Therapy Near Me

Living within a very short drive of the Lancaster County area of Pennsylvania, I've seen more than my fair share of cows but never like this and never in this format. The setup here is very simple. If you're staying in Hilo, or are in the Hilo area, this is a very short drive up route 19. If you're heading north like we were, you make a hard switchback right turn on to Kopilimal Road and then the first left which takes you down a short driveway that feels wrong, but just follow the signs because it is right. There is a small makeshift parking area that I would highly recommend backing into whatever area you choose, and a port-o-pooper in the parking area. Come under the first tent and pay with cash or I believe they have a QR code to scan to make an electronic payment of your $20p/p "donation". After that you get a few basic instructions (I mean you're interacting with cows, it's not really that involved) and then you go through the fence and into the first area. A member of staff is there and they will give you the basics and from there it's mostly pet away, watch your feet if one gets up so that you don't get stepped on and watch that they don't get up and unload on or near you (which if they do drop a deuce - said member of staff will clean it up NASCAR pit crew quick - it's not even done steaming and it's been dealt with). Between the two areas, there were about 15-20 cows there and after a while you can see that all of them have their own personalities, some far more pronounced than others. The sanctuary is open daily from 11-2 and once you are in, you can stay for as short or as long as you want during that time. They do sell a few merch items on site, but if you go to their website, there is a good bit more. www.krishnacowsanctuary.com/collections/all Is this a must do? I don't know. I wouldn't say that exactly but it's certainly interesting and unique and if you're in the area when they are open, why the hell not? read more

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I have to admit, my wife and I really enjoyed this. Wear decent shoes. Plus plan on getting muddy if you go in the bad girls area. Following the sign to 'Cow Cuddling', traverse down the roughly paved road, you'll find a parking area. Go pay the $20 donation and get some instructions. Pay attention to who your 'lifeguard' is :) Go pet some cows. Scratch em hard. Ask for permission to enter the 'Bad Girls' area. I loved this part, I got some good nuzzling in here. I stayed away from the 'boss babe' as pointed out by the lifeguard. Friendly informative people. They have a limited amount of souveniers/tshirts. It looks like they may have some food trucks on busier days, but not open today. Great experience. A 'gotta go' if you're in Hilo or traversing the old Mamalahoa Highway. read more

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This was by far one of the most unique experiences I've ever had in my entire life (lol)!! And to experience something like this in one of the most beautiful places like HI was a treat. My daughter had this place marked as one of the must visit places for our girls' trip to the Big Island last week. As we did this experience in the last part of our trip, it surely made the whole journey so memorable. I had heard of animal therapy before but it was my first time. I honestly didn't know what to expect. Well, I am happy to say that it didn't disappoint. You pay $20 to get in (and that $20 is more like a donation to the sanctuary); there is no time limit so you can stay as long as you wish. You can do this rain or shine. The cow cuddling areas (there are two) have tarps overhead so on the day we visited the place, we were shielded from the rain as it was on and off raining the whole day. There was a lady (instructor type person) who gave us tips as to how to best experience the "therapy" with them (yes, there are things you should and shouldn't do.) I appreciated the fact that she was walking around to ensure the safety of us. This is not to say that the cows were aggressive in any way. After all, they are massive animals that weigh a lot so when they (all of a sudden) stand up and walk around just a bit she needed to ensure that we wouldn't get stepped on our feet (lol) although most of them were laid on the wood chips most of the time. There are/were baby ones, young adult ones, pregnant ones. Most of them are/were rescues. Yes, the place is a sanctuary for them but at the same time it's a place for us humans to cuddle with them for therapeutic purposes. After a good hour of spending some "quality" time with the gentle giants, I felt that my mind/soul was immensely elevated. It was a beautiful way to conclude our Hawaiian trip; this was the highlight of it where it truly became "worry free". Thanks to the cows who gave me the "magic" touch. read more

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I think we were more curious than anything. Such a surprising therapeutic activity. We ended up staying at least an hour. It was so lovely to get to know the personalities of all the cows. The babies are beyond sweet and we ended up laying down with them. The owner was super in tune with the animals letting people know which cow was about to do it's thing, to which one was ready to get up, and which one wanted more attention and which one was ready to leave. We learned so much as he was willing to spend the time to answer all our questions. What a magical feeling to brush the larger cows and have them ask for more. Our whole party did not want to leave but had a flight to catch on the other side of the island. We left energized and smiling from ear to ear. This was a highlight of our trip. Make time in your schedule, drive down the dirt road in Pāpa'ikou ( where my mom grew up) pay $20 per person then do some cuddling with the cows and carry that feeling with you all day. read more

Krishna Cow Sanctuary - Hug a cow - Animal Physical Therapy Near Me

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This is truly a must if you are ever visiting the Island of Hawaii. Whether you have little ones or simply enjoy animals yourself and/or the outdoors this is the spot to add to your itinerary. We actually got here later than we expected but the staff was absolutely amazing! We enjoyed every minute with the beautiful cows and learned so much about them. Some were babies, mommies, older cows and we even saw a bull. The location has accessible parking, a station for handwashing and probably much more that I missed since they were starting the wrap up. We did see some cute signs. read more

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We stumbled upon this cow sanctuary on our way around the big island, just north of Hilo. This is such a fun activity for the afternoon and highly recommend. Only opened 11am-2pm. There were about 12-15 cows, and they were living the best life. They are big with both females and males. Super sweet. Actually pretty busy with people really giving loves and getting cuddles from the cows. They have all different breeds, and even baby cows too that were so cute. They loved getting their chins scratched. Just a few tips: wear shoes you wouldn't mind getting a little dirty; watch out for poop; wear something comfortable, especially if you want to lay down with the cows. Your hands will get dirty from petting the cows, but they have a wash sink for after. Only a portapotty restroom. There are horseflies. Make sure you are in front of the cows as they may kick, poop/pee, or even step on your toes. The drive down to the sanctuary is very rocky so make sure your car is equipped for the gravel road. This is such a great sanctuary and wonderful what they are doing for the cows. The workers are nice and super helpful and knowledgeable. Cost is $20 a person and goes to the sanctuary. Also a few little souvenirs for purchase too. read more

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Have you ever wanted a close up cow encounter? Imagine a cow sanctuary where the cows decide if they want to cuddle that day. Sit next to one and they just fold their head into you lap. That's it. You interact with a cow for as long as you like. Cuddle then, scratch them, pat them. Staff are unintrusive but available, and they have a ton of great stories if you ask. If you're in the mood to cuddle with a cow, this is your Nirvana. read more

Krishna Cow Sanctuary - Cow cuddles! - Animal Physical Therapy Near Me

Cow cuddling therapy is a real thing. There's something very relaxing about being near these gentle giants. They are super friendly and soft. The owner even got one to give me a cow hug, which felt like a warm weighted blanket. It was only me and another person so he gave us coconuts to drink! It's $20 to enter. I think i spent an hour here and would've stayed longer. Can't wait to come back. read more

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I was told by the staff that this petting zoo makes more money than most of the ranches on the island. This is a for profit enterprise under the guise of a non for profit sanctuary. Staff are incredible rude and would not allow me to supervise my four minor children, and continued to ask me to stand on the other side of the parking lot. We finally let after the staff called me an "A-Hole" for not letting my children leave my line of sight. read more

If you love cows come check them out. It is a bit pricey, but was worth the smiles on my kids faces.

I don't usually write reviews but I felt I should after my comment was deleted from their instagram. I do understand that it is their instagram and they can censor as they please. But my comment was not rude at all. It was just honest and I guess, they didn't want anyone to know the negative side of their business. Which is- the owner himself. So my comment started off with everyone saying they paid $20 to get in and I responded with, "I was told to pay $30 per person". I included that it wasn't what I had expected and it's just a 10x20 tent with a few cows under it. The staff were super nice and helpful. My nephews were having so much fun as this wasn't the normal kind of thing they get to experience. Things were going great until the owner showed up and started getting aggressive with our friends outside of the cuddling area. As we were still in the cuddling area (not knowing what was going on at the time) we were told to leave. The kids and I were very confused and super bummed because we were having so much fun. Come to find out, the owner just wanted to push his weight around and let it be known that he can do as he pleases. *There were quite a few negative reviews on their instagram that got instantly deleted. So just be aware of that and if visiting, be cautious. read more

The most underwhelming experience of my life. The cows where five stars and absolutely wonderful but their keeper/care takers were total A holes. To start they over charged my family of 5 to go in making my 2 year old daughter pay 20 dollars to essentially stand there and look because that was pretty much all she did. Not very Krishna or aloha. You practically need 4 wheel drive on your vehicle to make it on the property. Portapotty bathroom situation was disgusting with no running water to wash your hands to clean up after getting covered in dirt while touching or "cuddling" the bovid. Save your money for something worth while. If you've never seen a farm animal up close and personal definitely go, but if you are a farmer on the daily, you'll be super disappointed on almost all levels. read more

We came in the summer while on vacation and it was the most wonderful part of our trip. The amount of stress that left my body while laying with the cows was such a peaceful experience. The people worked there made everyone feel so comfortable and you could tell these animals were so loved. read more

Krishna Cow Sanctuary - Animal Physical Therapy Near Me

Our visit to this establishment was unfortunately overshadowed by the OWNER'S UNPROFESSIONAL AND RUDE BEHAVIOR. We brought our kids for what we hoped would be a fun and unique experience. While we didn't plan to participate ourselves, we asked if we could enter just to take photos. The check-in staff informed us that wasn't allowed, which we respected. Instead, we stood outside of the enclosure near another parent watching his child, without any issues, for about 30 minutes. Then, a gold car pulled up, and the driver asked us to move so he could park. The rest of our group stepped aside, but since I hadn't heard him at first, I turned to ask why he needed to ask us to move from that specific spot when plenty of others were open. He repeated, "If you don't mind, can you move" My boyfriend responded, "Actually, we do mind," since we had already been standing there. That's when the driver revealed he was the owner and told us we weren't allowed to stand in that area. After we moved, he suddenly claimed the new spot we moved to was a handicap spot--yet there were no visible signs posted indicating that (the sign was on the ground) again, asking us to move now from that spot. When we questioned the inconsistency, he became aggressive, telling us we were "breaking the rules" and needed to leave. However, there were no posted rules about where outside observers could stand. He continued to stare us down and even smirked as we drove away. I do hope the OWNER sees this.... As a business owner, you should treat all paying customers with respect and ensure that any policies are clearly posted and fairly enforced. Unfortunately, his unwelcoming attitude left us with a negative experience that we wouldn't recommend to any of our friends and family. Such a shame since we love to support local businesses! The owner should learn some ALOHA! Shame on you! read more

Great place that allows you to actually cuddle up with cows. They are gentle and will curl up and place their head on your lap. Keep in mind that they are animals and will pee and poo but the staff is on top of it. Friendly atmosphere and great staff. read more

We had an amazing time cow cuddling. We visited Hawai'i Island for my kids birthdays. I heard about this place from one of my coworkers and seen the sign so we decided to come here. We had a wonderful time and the staff here were friendly and very knowledgeable about the cows and how they help the ʻĀina. I would definitely visit here again and am in awe about how clean and sanitary the area and cows were as well. Keep doing a great job! read more

Best cows I've ever met! You can sit and cuddle them! Mostly mamas and babies. I also loved learning the history about the cow sanctuary from the 'cow lifeguard' who was awesome! I loved my time here. It's open 11am-2pm in Hilo! Highly recommend this experience!! read more

Krishna Cow Sanctuary - Cows - Animal Physical Therapy Near Me

This place was amazing!!! The cows were the sweetest and gave amazing hugs! The area was gorgeous, the the staff/owner were so sweet and welcoming, great price, and the pen was clean and well kept! Me and my daughter had a blast! The cows were very chill and they didn't care whatsoever that you were on top of them! read more

I've never heard of cow cuddling until visiting family in Hilo, HI. It was magical, peaceful, educational, organized, well-run...worth every penny of the $20 cuddling fee. The staff was so helpful; taught us to relax and cuddle into the cows. Witnessed families with young children easily introducing them to to cows. Highly recommend. read more

Thank you for those sharing on how rude and sporadic this owner is. It seems we're not the only one he mistreated. Only thing hes trying to play the victim when he's the one who got aggressive towards our family. Almost the same situation as Nalani P. 3 family members was inside cuddling with the cows and 6 more of us came and was asking some questions as this was our first time coming to such a place. 3 of us didn't want to go in while the other 3 was debating when he started to yell at my brother who was standing by a screen on the road looking in at my nieces inside. He called him out and was jumping around like a crazy person. Then he tries to post bad stuff about us when he's the 1 who was aggressive. Our family was in shock over his behavior. We had a family of 9 with 2 kids and a kupuna but that didn't matter to him. After he acts a fool he tries to video and pretend to be the victim. Very sad. He claims we were drunk and tried to get in for free. Nobody was drinking we just came from our nephews brunch and y would we go if we couldn't pay. It just doesn't add up. Same thing, No signs posted at all for rules or policies. We always support local. But we will never tolerate or support this kind of behavior or business. He also held a rock in his hand as we left. He then posts it was cow dung just in case. Something is totally wrong with him. This is a tourist trap and not for locals. read more

everything was magical! it was the best tour i've been on in Hawaii and i've done a ton of tours!!! most specifically it was soooo clean - you get to spend such great up close time with the cows. they are so tame. i'll do it every chance i can! read more