Rabbit petting café in Gwangju, Gyeonggi: Hamjjirang Tojjirang

Hamjjirang Tojjirang 🐹😘 HEALING PET CAFE, an animal café in Gwangju, Gyeonggi

• 📍Address: 883-3 Docheok-ro, Docheok-myeon, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do
• ⏰Hours: Mon–Fri 12pm–5pm / Sat–Sun 10am–6pm
• 🚘Parking: available

What is Hamjjirang Tojjirang, the animal café in Gwangju, Gyeonggi?

I was trying to figure out where to take my kid on the weekend when I ended up at Hamjjirang Tojjirang in Docheok-myeon, Gwangju, Gyeonggi. It's an animal experience café in Gwangju where you can get close to small animals kids love, like rabbits and hamsters, all the way up to goats and ducks, and even feed them yourself.

We went as a family of five — me, my husband, and our three kids — and the size was just right for exploring with young children, with more to see than I expected since the outdoor and indoor spaces are separated. What I liked most was that it wasn't just about watching animals — you can also choose one rabbit and spend 30 minutes bonding with it. If you're looking for a slightly different weekend outing with your kids, this is a Gwangju spot worth remembering.

Weekend visits: book Hamjjirang Tojjirang on Naver first

Hamjjirang Tojjirang is located near Docheok Reservoir in Docheok-myeon, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. Weekends run on a reservation system, so we booked ahead through Naver Reservation. Right when you walk in, there's a counter and a lounge area where you pay, drink your beverage, and cook ramyeon.

We booked the 5-6pm slot. When you're out with a kid, it can get overwhelming when there are too many people around, but by the time we arrived, the busiest hours had passed and people were starting to thin out, so we could look around at a relaxed pace. It was easy to let our kid take her time in front of each animal, and the bonding experience felt more comfortable too — personally, I really liked this time slot.

The adult ticket includes a drink, and the child ticket includes animal feed, so you can start the experience right after entering. Parking was fairly generous too, which made it easy to visit by car with a kid. (Parking right in front of the shop can be tight, but there's more parking space a few steps away.)

Outdoors at Hamjjirang Tojjirang: large rabbits, goats and ducks

Hamjjirang Tojjirang doesn't keep all its animals indoors — you can meet several more outside. The outdoor area has fairly large rabbits along with goats and ducks, so it was nice to go around and see each one with my kid.

The vibe outside is quite different from the small indoor animals, so going back and forth between outdoor and indoor spaces added to the fun. When you approach with feed in hand, the animals show real interest, which feels quite different from a zoo where you're just watching from a distance.

If you're looking for a Gwangju animal experience where kids can meet animals up close, this is probably one of the biggest draws. The feed containers are clearly labeled by animal, so you just give out feed as instructed haha.

Indoors: mini rabbits, hamsters, ferrets and reptiles

Once you head inside, more animal friends are waiting. The indoor space is spacious and comfortable, so I even took a video of it haha. Anyway, indoors you can meet mini rabbits, hamsters, reptiles, mini pigs, ferrets, and more, all in one space.

There were lots of small, cute animals, so it was fun looking for each one with my kid, and it was nice to be able to observe animals up close that we don't normally get to see. It's not a huge space, but that made it just the right size for visiting with a young child like ours.

If the place is too big, the parents end up exhausted from chasing after the kid haha. Here, the size was manageable enough to slowly look at animals and feed them with my kid without feeling overwhelmed.

By the way, when we visited, the rabbits were playing energetically but the hamsters were asleep, so if your little one is more into hamsters than rabbits, it's worth keeping that in mind before you go :-)

30 minutes with the rabbit you choose in the indoor bonding zone

One space I especially loved at Hamjjirang Tojjirang was the indoor bonding zone. You pick one rabbit you like out of several and bring it into a bonding space to play together for about 30 minutes. It's not just watching a rabbit over a fence or petting it briefly — you actually get to spend a fairly relaxed stretch of time together in one space, which I really liked.

Extra feed is provided during the bonding zone session. Watching the rabbit come closer as you feed it, and getting to sit together and bond slowly, made for a memorable experience for my kid. Young children especially want to see animals but sometimes get a little scared once one actually comes close, so having time to get comfortable together in one space was something I appreciated.

I liked being able to see a variety of animals too, but if I had to pick the one thing that made Hamjjirang Tojjirang stand out, it would be this bonding zone.

How feeding works at Hamjjirang Tojjirang

Since it's a space where you get up close with animals, it's worth following the rules carefully. Guests are asked to use tongs to give each animal the correct feed, and animals may not eat depending on their condition.

You're not allowed to reach into enclosures or take animals out without staff permission, and loud noises or threatening behavior toward the animals are also prohibited. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by a guardian.

This kind of animal bonding experience felt meaningful too, in that it naturally teaches kids that animals aren't something to touch freely, but living creatures to approach carefully and treat with consideration.

Ramyeon and snacks after the animal experience

After spending a while playing with the animals, you start getting hungry, and Hamjjirang Tojjirang sells not just café menu items but simple food to fill you up too. Along with coffee and ade, there's Hangang ramyeon, gelato, and frozen pizza, and you can cook the ramyeon yourself.

When you're out with a kid, having to find another restaurant after the experience is kind of a hassle, so it's convenient to just have ramyeon or a snack here and rest a bit longer. Note that outside food and drinks aren't allowed, though baby food can be brought in.

Resting with a view of Docheok Reservoir

Once we'd more or less finished the animal experience, we rested for a bit with the drink included in the adult ticket. That's when the Docheok Reservoir view really caught my eye.

An open view of Docheok Reservoir and the surrounding nature spreads out in front of the café, so it felt like an unexpected bonus view on top of an animal experience café. When you're out with a kid, parents rarely get a proper chance to sit and rest haha, but sipping a drink and taking in the scenery with my kid after the animal experience felt pretty relaxing.

Visiting during the day probably means more active animals to interact with, but during our 5-6pm slot, crowds had thinned out and we got to enjoy the late-afternoon view of Docheok Reservoir on top of it, which was personally satisfying. Being able to linger a while after the experience instead of just seeing the animals and leaving was another strong point of Hamjjirang Tojjirang.

Is Hamjjirang Tojjirang worth a trip to Gwangju with kids?

When looking for places to go with kids, you tend to default to kids' cafés or big theme parks, but sometimes spending time up close with animals like this is a nice change of pace.

Outdoors we met big rabbits, goats, and ducks, and indoors we got to observe a variety of animals like mini rabbits, hamsters, mini pigs, ferrets, and reptiles.

On top of that, there's a bonding zone where you choose a rabbit and spend 30 minutes with it, which made the visit feel more like a hands-on experience than just animal-watching.

The size was manageable to visit with a young child like ours, and after the experience we could enjoy drinks or ramyeon along with the view of Docheok Reservoir, which my husband and I both found satisfying. The late afternoon timing of our visit especially meant fewer people, so we could take our time with our kid. If you're looking for a place to visit in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, or want a Gwangju animal experience that's a bit different from an ordinary kids' café, I'd recommend meeting the animal friends at Hamjjirang Tojjirang in Docheok-myeon :) (There's also a separate gift if you take part in the review event.)