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Capybara Cafe St. Augustine: What to Expect + My Honest Review

&NewLine;<p class&equals;"is-style-info wp-block-paragraph"><em>This post may contain affiliate links&comma; which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links&comma; at no extra cost to you&period; Please read&nbsp&semi;<a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;mostlysolotravel&period;com&sol;affiliate-third-party-links-disclosure-and-disclaimer&sol;">full disclosure<&sol;a>&nbsp&semi;for more information&period;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">If you’re looking for a completely different experience in St&period; Augustine&comma; Florida&comma; how about hanging out with a capybara&quest;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Yep&period; A capybara&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;tripadvisor&period;tpx&period;li&sol;jwVi38KP">Capybara Cafe in St&period; Augustine<&sol;a> gives you the chance to get up close and personal with these adorable South American animals&comma; including feeding them&comma; petting them and learning more about them from the staff&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">And yes&comma; I went&period; And yes&comma; it was every bit as cute as you’re imagining&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">If you’re planning a trip to St&period; Augustine and are wondering whether the Capybara Cafe is worth adding to your itinerary&comma; here’s what you need to know before you go&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;thecapybaracafe&period;com&sol;">Book Your Capybara Encounter<&sol;a><&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Quick Guide to the Capybara Cafe in St&period; Augustine<&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph"><strong>📍 Location&colon;<&sol;strong> St&period; Augustine&comma; Florida<br><strong>⏰ Encounter&colon;<&sol;strong> Approximately 30 minutes<br><strong>🐹 What you&&num;8217&semi;ll do&colon;<&sol;strong> Feed&comma; pet and learn about capybaras<br><strong>👥 Group size&colon;<&sol;strong> Small groups<br><strong>📅 Reservations&colon;<&sol;strong> Highly recommended<br><strong>❤️ Bonus&colon;<&sol;strong> Your visit supports animal care and conservation efforts<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class&equals;"wp-block-embed&lowbar;&lowbar;wrapper">&NewLine;<amp-youtube data-videoid&equals;"r2XXK2Ws-vo" layout&equals;"responsive" width&equals;"1000" height&equals;"563"><&sol;amp-youtube>&NewLine;<&sol;div><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">What Is the Capybara Cafe in St&period; Augustine&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The Capybara Cafe is exactly what it sounds like…sort of&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">It’s a place where you can spend time with capybaras and other animals in a small&comma; interactive setting&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The St&period; Augustine location was created as a way to connect people with animals while also supporting animal care and conservation through Noah’s Ark Sanctuary&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">And honestly&comma; I love the idea&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Instead of just looking at an animal through a fence&comma; you get to learn about them while actually interacting with them&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">What Is a Capybara Encounter Like&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The main attraction is&comma; of course&comma; the capybaras&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The current experience lasts about 30 minutes&comma; including a short safety briefing and approximately 25 minutes of interaction with the animals&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">During your encounter&comma; you can feed the capybaras&comma; pet them and learn more about these fascinating animals&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">And let me tell you…they are BIG&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Capybaras are the world&&num;8217&semi;s largest rodents&comma; but there&&num;8217&semi;s something surprisingly sweet and gentle about them&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">When I visited&comma; I got to spend time feeding&comma; learning about&comma; petting and snuggling these adorable creatures&period; The time absolutely flew by&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Thirty minutes sounds like plenty of time until you’re sitting there with a capybara happily munching away in front of you&period; Then suddenly you&&num;8217&semi;re thinking&comma; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Wait…that&&num;8217&semi;s it&quest;&excl;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Do Capybaras Really Like to Be Petted&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Yes&excl; One of the things that surprised me most was how comfortable the capybaras were around people&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">They are incredibly interesting animals&comma; and you get to see their personalities up close rather than simply observing them from a distance&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">You also learn some fun facts about capybaras during the encounter&period; For example&comma; did you know that capybaras have partially webbed feet&quest; That makes sense when you learn that they love to swim&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">And apparently capybaras chew their food in a circular motion&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">I never expected to learn so many random capybara facts during my visit&comma; but I&&num;8217&semi;m not mad about it&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-large"><img onerror&equals;"this&period;onerror&equals;null&semi;this&period;src&equals;'https&colon;&sol;&sol;mostlysolotravel&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2025&sol;08&sol;image-not-found&period;png'" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;mostlysolotravel&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2024&sol;12&sol;capybara-cafe-st-augustine-04-768x1024&period;jpg" alt&equals;"st augustine florida capybara cafe" class&equals;"wp-image-10088"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Is the Capybara Cafe Actually a Cafe&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">This is something I would have wondered before visiting&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Despite the name&comma; don&&num;8217&semi;t come here expecting a traditional coffee shop where you&&num;8217&semi;ll sit down for a latte and a pastry&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">There is a snack area and a small gift shop&comma; though&comma; and when I visited there were guinea pigs and hamsters in the waiting area&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Which&comma; frankly&comma; is a pretty adorable way to spend your time while waiting for your encounter&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">How Much Does the Capybara Cafe Cost&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Prices and available experiences can change&comma; so I recommend checking the Capybara Cafe&&num;8217&semi;s website for the current pricing before booking&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Do You Need a Reservation for the Capybara Cafe&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Yes—I&&num;8217&semi;d definitely make a reservation&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The encounters are intentionally kept small&comma; and this isn&&num;8217&semi;t an attraction where I&&num;8217&semi;d recommend simply showing up and hoping you can get in&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;tripadvisor&period;tpx&period;li&sol;jwVi38KP">Capybara Cafe<&sol;a> currently recommends reservations&comma; and you can check availability and book your encounter online&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">If this is something you really want to do during your St&period; Augustine trip&comma; I&&num;8217&semi;d book it before your visit rather than waiting until you arrive&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Is the Capybara Cafe Good for Solo Travelers&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Absolutely&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">In fact&comma; this is exactly the kind of quirky little experience I love as a solo traveler&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">You don&&num;8217&semi;t need a travel companion to enjoy it&comma; and the small group setting makes it easy to participate even if you&&num;8217&semi;re traveling alone&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">It&&num;8217&semi;s also a fun addition to a St&period; Augustine itinerary when you&&num;8217&semi;ve already done the historic downtown attractions and want to do something a little different&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Because let&&num;8217&semi;s be honest—sometimes you want to see the Castillo and historic streets…<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">…and sometimes you want to hang out with a giant rodent&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Both of these things can be true&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Is the Capybara Cafe Worth It&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">If you love animals or you&&num;8217&semi;re looking for something unusual to do in St&period; Augustine&comma; I would absolutely add the Capybara Cafe to your itinerary&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">I had so much fun during my visit&comma; and the 30 minutes went by ridiculously fast&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">It&&num;8217&semi;s a unique experience&comma; it&&num;8217&semi;s educational&comma; and you&&num;8217&semi;re supporting an organization involved in animal care and conservation at the same time&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">And&comma; obviously&comma; you get to pet a capybara&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">That&&num;8217&semi;s pretty hard to beat&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Other Things to Do in St&period; Augustine<&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">If you&&num;8217&semi;re planning a trip to St&period; Augustine&comma; don&&num;8217&semi;t stop with the capybaras&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">There are plenty of other fun things to do in America&&num;8217&semi;s oldest city&comma; from historic attractions and beautiful architecture to restaurants&comma; beaches and quirky little experiences like this one&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph"><strong>READ <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;mostlysolotravel&period;com&sol;20-unforgettable-things-to-do-in-st-augustine-florida-2&sol;">My favorite things to do in St&period; Augustine<&sol;a><&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">And if you&&num;8217&semi;re looking for somewhere fun to stay&comma; I also stayed at <strong>The Local St&period; Augustine<&sol;strong>&comma; a retro Florida motel that&&num;8217&semi;s worth checking out&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph"><strong>READ<&sol;strong> <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;mostlysolotravel&period;com&sol;the-local-st-augustine&sol;">The Local St Augustine<&sol;a>&excl; See what I loved about my stay at this retro Florida motel&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Final Thoughts&colon; Should You Visit the Capybara Cafe in St&period; Augustine&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">If you&&num;8217&semi;re asking me&comma; <strong>yes&excl;<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The <strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;tripadvisor&period;tpx&period;li&sol;jwVi38KP">Capybara Cafe<&sol;a><&sol;strong> is one of those experiences that is just plain fun&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">It&&num;8217&semi;s different&comma; it&&num;8217&semi;s memorable&comma; and it&&num;8217&semi;s definitely not something you get to do every day&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">I loved getting to learn about these fascinating animals while actually interacting with them&comma; and I would absolutely go back the next time I&&num;8217&semi;m in St&period; Augustine&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">So if your St&period; Augustine itinerary needs a little more adorable and a little less historic…<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Go meet a capybara&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">You won&&num;8217&semi;t regret it&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph"><strong>If you like it&comma; put a pin on it&excl;<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<div class&equals;"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-large"><img onerror&equals;"this&period;onerror&equals;null&semi;this&period;src&equals;'https&colon;&sol;&sol;mostlysolotravel&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2025&sol;08&sol;image-not-found&period;png'" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;mostlysolotravel&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2024&sol;12&sol;capybara-cafe-st-augustine-23-683x1024&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-10090"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<div class&equals;"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-large"><img onerror&equals;"this&period;onerror&equals;null&semi;this&period;src&equals;'https&colon;&sol;&sol;mostlysolotravel&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2025&sol;08&sol;image-not-found&period;png'" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;mostlysolotravel&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2024&sol;12&sol;capybara-cafe-st-augustine-25-683x1024&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-10091"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;

Lori Barbely

Hi, I’m Lori, the Chief Travel Officer for Mostly Solo Travel! I created this site for solo (and would-be solo) female travelers. My goal is to inspire your trips, give you practical advice on how to plan, and to ease your fears so you can explore the world on your own.

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