What is the name of the zoo on the island of Tenerife? Tenerife: volcano, zoo and colorful beaches

12.02.2022

We are pleased to welcome you again, real experience hunters, to go with you to the world's best show of dolphins, killer whales and, of course, parrots in the amazing exotic Loro Parque. Intrigued by the name? Then it's time to get to know this place better. Just don’t forget, please, glasses and sunscreen, a camera or video camera, and a spare set of changeable clothes, which will come in handy if you intend to visit water show with the participation of killer whales, every now and then jumping out of a huge pool and splashing water for many meters around.

Welcome to Wonder Park

Are you wondering where Loro Parque is located? It occupies a plot of land of 13.5 hectares and is located in Puerto de la Cruz (Spanish: Puerto de la Cruz), the oldest city and tourist center in the north of the island of Tenerife. Next year the park, which has now become a botanical and zoological garden, a zoo, an aquarium and a dolphinarium at the same time, will turn 45 years old. Of course, it is known, first of all, for its uniquely diverse collection of parrots, numbering almost 500 species of birds, among which there are the rarest representatives of birds in the world, no longer found in wildlife.

“Parrot Park” – that’s how the name is translated – has gained popularity in just over four decades thanks to primates, wild cats, rodents, inhabitants of the deep sea and a company of penguins that appeared in 1999. A huge variety of divine orchids and other plant species will not leave indifferent the most sophisticated connoisseurs of the beauty of flora. Are you wondering who came up with the idea of collecting so many natural wonders in one place? Meet its creator, Wolfgang Kiessling.

From the history of Loro Parque

Businessman Wolfgang Kiessling comes from an influential German family. He was an airline manager when he first came to Tenerife at the age of 33, and, having fallen in love with the island, he decided to settle here firmly, choosing Puerto de la Cruz to live. To earn a living, the German first decided to create a real safari park, but calculations of the costs required for this entertainment forced him to abandon such an undertaking, preferring a more modest undertaking - a park of parrots, the maintenance of which promised to be less expensive.

According to the guides, even at a young age, Kissling wanted to have a favorite pet, and, heeding his father’s advice, got a parrot. It was this childhood hobby that inspired his idea of creating a parrot park, which over time became a real business for the family and a full-fledged entertainment complex for vacationers. To comply with local laws, Kiessling had to purchase a hotel to which the park could be assigned. "Hotel Botanico", as the hotel is called, is located in the park, and is still the home of an elderly businessman. The Kissling family also owns the stunning Siam Park water park, worth 52 million euros, which ranks first among its largest European counterparts.

The video tells about the forty-year history of Loro Parque, albeit in Spanish, but with English subtitles:

Why Thailand

The entrance to Loro Parque in Tenerife is decorated in the traditions of Thai architecture. The “Thai Village” welcomes you with its six houses with gilded roofs - a tribute to the time and impressions Kissling received during his years living with his father in Thailand. By the way, when the Thai queen visited the park, she expressed great pleasure from everything she saw, admiring these exotic buildings.

Exciting shows and performances

Passing through the gates of the park, we take the booklet offered to each tourist with detailed diagram and a schedule of show programs for every taste and age. Please note that the performances are arranged so that everyone can attend everything in one day of stay. Would you like to see the cute tricks of the colorful birds to whom the park owes its name? The parrot show will be interesting for both adults and children, and if you look into the “Baby station” pavilion, you can watch the process of feeding the chicks.

One of my favorite attractions, Katandra Treetops, is a huge, chain-linked aviary where birds fly freely or sit on branches at arm's length. Feeders with food are placed everywhere and you can take plenty of photographs of these beauties up close.

Another place that definitely deserves attention is called Aqua Viva, where you can watch the development and growth of small jellyfish, get acquainted with their diversity in nature and simply take photographs of beautiful aquariums with these marine inhabitants. All aquariums are illuminated in red, blue or green, which makes the spectacle even more mesmerizing. There is also an aquarium with real predators - sharks. Small, but very real.

You will also have an unforgettable impression from the aquarium with many representatives of marine fauna - sharks, rays, different types of tropical fish and other inhabitants of the seas and oceans - especially if you walk through the transparent glass tunnel. A breathtaking sight!

Tourists love the show of dolphins, sea lions and, of course, killer whales. The killer whale show appeared here in 2006, when four whales were brought from the American Sea World. On this moment There are six killer whales and now this show is the hallmark of the park. Not every zoo can afford the content of such a show, and it definitely deserves attention. It’s difficult to describe here, you have to see it - we definitely recommend visiting it. This is when a change of clothes or a waterproof cape purchased in advance for 3 euros will come in handy, especially for spectators seated in the front rows.

Good to know

The splash zones are marked on the floor and there are stickers on the seats with information, and before the show, a fragment of video from previous shows is shown on the screen of a huge monitor, so you can always choose whether you want additional emotions or not.

No less popular is the dolphin show, in which one of the small children sitting on the left in the front rows (if you are facing the pool) will be lucky enough to ride on a small boat with a dolphin at the end of the show. The sea lion show should not be ignored either - it is an interesting and very fun performance that includes interaction with the audience. Comical situations, jokes and mischievous antics of sea lions will not leave park visitors indifferent (and sometimes dry).
By the way, no two shows are the same in a day. The program for each show is the same, but the composition of the tricks will always be different - these are animals and they can be either tired or in a different mood. Therefore, trainers act according to the situation and you can see different shows after visiting them for the second or even third time.

We can confidently add that without a visit to Planet Penguin, your stay in the park will not seem entirely complete. Depending on the time of year, penguins may experience polar night or polar day, which affects the lighting in their home. A pavilion with two hundred birds is something absolutely amazing. Just look how much snow is produced daily for their comfort by special cannons! And how cold it is! We sit comfortably on the moving walkway and calmly watch these clumsy creatures with their funny babies in the water or on artificial ice.
A special Kinderlandia corner has been created for children with structures for climbing, running and jumping. Just be careful, you may have to force the children out of this cool place to continue the excursion.

Breaks between performances

Visiting the show is not the only thing you and your children will be able to see. Ask what else you can do with your time? Let's just stroll along the paths of the park, examining enclosures with animals and birds - gorillas and chimpanzees, lizards, capybaras and anteaters, tigers and jaguars, crocodiles and huge turtles, sloths and otters, crowned cranes, flamingos and pelicans. And watching funny meerkats is generally a pleasure.

The special pride of the park is two recently arrived from Britain, which are also called fire cats or bear cats. A special enclosure was built for the new inhabitants, taking into account their lifestyle in the wild. There's a lot you can do beautiful photos against a background with animals or take a short video as a souvenir about other zoo pets and their habits. A relaxing stroll through the botanical garden will allow you to admire big amount orchids, stand in the alley of dragon trees, see a variety of cacti and palm trees. Those who wander into a special part of Loro Parque - Jungle Ara - will be lucky enough to visit a real jungle. One has only to look at this or that site, and you will see for yourself what warm reviews visitors leave about this wonderful place.

If you want to refresh yourself

Tourists consider the many restaurants and cafes with an undoubted advantage in Loro Parque delicious dishes from meat and vegetables, snacks and drinks for every taste. There are child-friendly bars where you can feed your little ones without worrying about their health. Under the "Casa Pepe" sign, for example, you will find a variety of Spanish snacks. At Grill Patio Del Loro you will be served delicious entrecote or shish kebab and other grilled meat dishes. Pizzeria "Loritaly" is famous good quality pizza and pasta made from natural ingredients. Those who want to retire and have a sandwich or fruit can sit quietly at one of the many tables located throughout Loro Parque.

Parrot, dolphin and killer whale tail

Lo The logo of the park with a red parrot, a blue dolphin and a black tailed killer whale in the background can be seen everywhere: at the entrance, signs, aquarium, pavilion walls, booklets, programs for tourists and not only on the territory, but throughout the island. They are on the costumes of killer whale and dolphin trainers, as well as on a variety of souvenirs that you will definitely want to buy right here in the park, visiting one of the many souvenir shops.

Let us remind you that the park is located in the western part of Puerto de la Cruz.
The park is open to the public every day from 8.30 to 18.45, the entrance ticket price is 33 euros for adults and 22 euros for children from the age of six. Without leaving the park you can buy a ticket for a second visit at a significant discount. The ticket can be used within 14 days from the date of purchase.
It is most convenient to go on an excursion in the morning to have enough time for all the entertainment.
In general, it will take you about 5 hours to visit the park - you will have time to watch all the shows, take pictures of all the pets and have a snack.
If you have a booklet, you can find out exact time all shows, view on a map with detailed infrastructure all the zones into which the park is divided and the places of interest to you.
Tourists can preview the information by going to official website of Loro Parque.
The park has paid parking - 4 euros for the whole day. Those who want to try to park on the neighboring streets will most likely be disappointed - there are no free parking spaces there.
Also available to tourists - special tours with a guide, allowing you to look at the work of the park from the inside (see what an ordinary visitor does not see), as well as shops with souvenirs.

How to get there

From the northern part of the island

By car, you can get to Puerto de la Cruz along the TF-5 highway, and there are signs everywhere in the city itself. It's very difficult not to find Loro Parque, so don't worry.
There are also many buses from almost every city in the north. If you are staying in Puerto de la Cruz itself, you can catch a small yellow train that will take you to Loro Parque completely free of charge.

From the south of Tenerife

By car, follow the TF-1 highway until you reach the city and turn onto TF-5 (follow the signs, or better yet, look at the route in advance). A navigator or Google maps will show that it is shorter through the western part of the island, but keep in mind that a third of the way will be along serpentine roads and not everyone likes such a ride.
Bus No. 343 leaves the bus station at 9:00 and 11:30, and from the station at 8:25, 9:00 and 10:00. Buy a Bono ticket (directly at the bus station ticket office or in a store where you will see their advertisement) then a one-way ticket will cost about 8-9 euros (instead of 14-15 when paying in cash). Upon arrival, you will need to go left (if you are facing the ocean and your back to the mountains), about 20 minutes and you are already at the park gates.

From the west

From Los Gigantes there is bus number 325 directly to Puerto de la Cruz (via the serpentine).
By car you can either from the west through the serpentine along TF-82 and TF-5, or through the south along the TF-1 highway with a breeze.
I don’t mention taxi as an option because... from the southern and western parts of the island it will be expensive, but you can walk along Puerto de la Cruz or take a free train that runs between the city center and the park.

It is best to come by car because... it’s more convenient - you’re not tied to schedules, after Loro you can walk around the city or sit in a restaurant at sunset. If for some reason you don’t want to rent a car, you can use a transfer consisting of organized excursion. It costs 15-20 euros more, but they will deliver you exactly to the gate and take you back straight to the hotel.

Verdict: everyone should visit at least once! It's really worth it, you won't regret it! We have already talked about one thing and now it’s your turn, dear readers, to tell you what you remember most about this wonderful place. Share your most vivid impressions and tell us about your visit. Your reviews will be interesting both for those who have already been here and for those who are just planning to come. And, of course, subscribe to updates and read our new articles. See you soon!

Loro Park, which can hardly be called an ordinary zoo, is located in paradise on the island of Tenerife. It was founded about 40 years ago and during this time it was visited by about 40 million people.

Animals in Loro Park

sea lions
10 bottlenose dolphins
6 killer whales
Gentoo, king, rockcrawler and chinstrap penguins
American alligators are 2.5 to 3.5 meters long
Rhinoceros iguanas, which reach 120 cm in length
Otters Khali and Murphy
Turtles
Brocade carp are fish that are traditionally bred in South-East Asia
Chimpanzee
Gorillas
Jaguars
Tigers
Marmosets - in natural conditions live exclusively in South America
Anteaters
Two sloths - Bimba and Bianco
Meerkats are small animals that traditionally live in the deserts of Africa.
Big flock pink flamingos
Crowned cranes
4000 individuals of 350 species of parrots

Thematic sections of the park

Aquarium: consists of seven sections, each of which represents a specific ecosystem.

Planet of the Penguins: the largest penguinarium in the world. Northern birds live here with them.

Treetops Katandra: bridges suspended high between the trees, from which you can listen to the singing of hundreds of Australian and Asian birds. "Katandra" means "birdsong" in the Australian Aboriginal language.

Kinderlandia: playground.

Thai village: beautiful, bright houses with ponds.

Cinema Naturavision: here, on a wide screen, you can watch the film “Life on Earth”, which shows the most incredible corners of the planet.

Aviary for birds: A piece of American rain forest, home to various species of pied cockatoos, parrots and Amazons.

Orchidarium: 25,000 different varieties of orchids, plus 60,000 hybrids and other flowers.

Parrot Museum: A unique collection of porcelain parrots, collected over 300 years.

Show

In total, Loro Park hosts four types of shows:

Loro bird show (10:25, 11:50, 13:30, 15:00, 16:00, 17:30)
Killer whale show (11:45, 14:00, 16:45)
Sea lion show (9:35, 12:30, 14:15, 15:30, 16:55)
Dolphin show (11:00, 13:15, 14:45, 16:00)

Nature films (Naturavision) can be watched at 11:45, 14:45 and 17:15

Nearest beaches: ,

Nearby attractions: Mount Frailes, Church of Our Lady of Candelaria, Anglican Church of All Saints,

Map in Russian (click to open in a new window)

Useful information about Loro Parque in Tenerife, Spain

Location:

North of the island of Tenerife; almost on the shore

How to get there:

On the special (2017). To make a reservation, call +34 922 373 841 ext. 356/357 at least 48 hours before departure.

Free ride on the yellow train, which departs from Reyes Católicos Square (near the beach) every 20 minutes. The first one departs from the square at 9:00. In the opposite direction, the last train leaves at 18:45

On regular bus 381 to the stop “Avda. "Loro Parque"

Address:

Avenida Loro Parque, Puerto de la Cruz, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, Spain
Spain, Tenerife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Puerto de la Cruz city, Avenida Loro Parque street

Title in Spanish:

Working hours:
Every day, from 8:30 to 18:45
The penguinarium is open from 8:30 to 18:00
The aquarium is open from 10:00 to 18:45

Telephone:

(+34 922) 373 841 (where 34 – telephone code Spain, 922 – telephone code of the island of Tenerife)

Website:

http://www.loroparque.com/ (in English, German and Spanish)

Email:

[email protected]

Coordinates:

28.408114,-16.565887
GPS: 28°24’29.21″N, 16°33’57.19″W

Entrance ticket price:

Adult ticket (from 12 years old): 34 euros
Child ticket(6-11 years): 23 euros
Adult premium ticket (entrance to the park, park tour, reserved seats for the show, lunch at the Patio del Loro restaurant): 56 euros
Child premium ticket: 37 euros
Discovery tour (adult): 10 euros
Discovery tour (summer): 7 euros
Adult double ticket (visit to Loro Park and + bus transfer from selected beaches): 71.5 euros
Child double ticket with travel: 47.5 euros
Adult double ticket (visit to Loro Park and Siam Park): 58 euros
Child double ticket: 39.5 euros
Annual card double card per adult (visit to Loro Park and Siam Park): 149 euros
Annual card double card per child: 99 euros
Annual card per adult: 99 euros
Annual card per child: 66 euros
Delivery to the park by bus for an adult: 13.5 euros
Transport by bus for a child: 8 euros
Children under 6 years old - free
Prices for 2017

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Zoo Loro Parque, founded by a Canary Islander – Wolfgang Kiessling in 1972 with family funds, now it is a pride and one of the most visited places on the island. Initially famous for its wide representation of parrots, as reflected in its name, the zoological garden began to expand and eventually turned into a large-scale park area, combining a zoo, a circus and a botanical garden. The symbols here are a parrot and a dolphin, to which great attention is also paid. In total, about 15 thousand river and sea inhabitants are represented here, brought here from different parts of the planet. The number of parrots can be the envy of the largest zoos in the world.

The main entrance to Loro Parque is designed in the form of a classic Thai village, which is explained by Wolfgang Kiessling's great love for exotic Thailand. Here is a colorful complex formed of 6 wooden buildings whose roofs are covered with gold. At the moment, this is one of the largest Thai-style structures located outside the shores of Siam. Of considerable interest in the park is the pavilion called “Planet of the Penguins”, where about 180 birds brought to Tenerife from Antarctica are collected. To make them feel comfortable southern shores, with the help of a special snow cannon, about 12 tons of snow are placed in their premises. For tourists, a moving path has been made, from which you can admire the inhabitants of the snowy kingdom through transparent glass.

The sea lion show is very popular in Loro Parque, regularly held in big swimming pool with an impressive crowd of spectators. A similar show takes place with the participation of parrots, who entertain the audience by flying over their heads, reading books, riding a scooter and adding complex numbers. Also, a marine aquarium is equipped for guests, in which all kinds of representatives of the depths of the Atlantic Ocean swim. Loro Parque is also home to turtles, crocodiles, chimpanzees, tigers, jaguars and other inhabitants of our planet.

Every day the park organizes entertainment programs for children and various festive events are organized. There are also attractions and playgrounds for the little ones. You can diversify your stay in the park by visiting one of the local restaurants or visiting a souvenir shop. As a rule, a day spent at the Loro Parque Zoo with the whole family promotes rapid adaptation to climatic and natural features islands, and is also able to give a lot of positive emotions and simply lift your spirits.

Tenerife is an island that resembles Mary Poppins' bag. It's a little smaller Moscow size, but everything fits and coexists here: exotic nature, European service, colonial architecture, volcanic landscapes, dolphins, camels, ocean and mountain ranges. No, it seems, only snakes and mosquitoes - but no one misses them.

It's my third day on the island and I haven't swum in the ocean yet! Either parrots or volcanoes - I want to do everything in time. To console me, the park guide tells me how he once attended someone’s grandmother’s centenary on the neighboring island of La Gomera. As a gift, my grandmother asked her family to show her the ocean: the island is mountainous, you can’t go far on foot, and you also need to look after the goats - in general, somehow she didn’t get around to it in a hundred years.

Deciding that I’m not completely hopeless yet, I look out onto my balcony: overlooking the ocean, of course, but then disaster strikes. That is, rain. Which does not stop for two days - the islanders are in a panic: happy Canarians have spring all year round, and suddenly there is so much water at once. Offices are closed, schools are closed...

Actually there are about twenty in Tenerife climatic zones. When it's raining on one part of the island, the sun may be shining on another. But usually the island is divided into two parts: north and south.

The south is a continuous resort: large beaches, hotels and shops. The north is more sophisticated. The new capital is Santa Cruz. AND oldest city on the island - La Laguna. Here more interesting architecture and more lush greenery. Here Botanical Garden. And next to it is decorated in Thai style, with giant statue Buddhas at the entrance, Hotel Botanico, where both Michael Jackson and the Queen once stayed Thailand. The owner of the hotel, German Wolfgang Kiessling, is a respected and amazing person. He has lived on the island for more than forty years and managed to create the Siam Water Park and the Loro Zoo here.

Loro is good

"Loro" means "parrot" in Spanish. There are countless parrots in Loro Parque. Soon you stop paying attention to them, as if they were simple crows. There are plenty of things to see here even without parrots. For example, in the largest penguinarium, snow falls from the ceiling in flakes and crystal music plays. And killer whales with smooth shiny sides and smart eyes can sprinkle water on the first rows of spectators with a slight flick of their tail (but spectators are also not a mistake; they come to the killer whale show in raincoats). There is also a show of parrots, fur seals and dolphins. White tigers, meerkats, anteaters and sloths moving like in slow motion, orchids, cacti and real jungle flora. After an hour I want to pinch myself: am I really seeing all this with my own eyes?..

Here is a huge gorilla looking at me questioningly and even sternly. There are six of them here. One day Kissling, a lover of parrots and Thailand, read in the newspaper about the fate of one gorilla from a failed personal life. The fact is that during the mating season, primates fight for life partners. In nature, the loser looks for a mate in another territory, but in the zoo he becomes an outcast and suffers. So Wolfgang created something like a rehabilitation center in Loro Parque, where loser gorillas are now brought from different zoos.

Everyone has their own room. In the evenings they listen to classical music, and during the day they walk among the bushes in their own fenced area. To prevent them from becoming stupid and bored, they hide treats in the branches: you need to figure out how to get, for example, yogurt from a jar using special sticks. While the gorillas are healing their nerves and self-esteem, they are looking for brides. Maybe, according to Kissling’s idea, tourists come here solely to entertain the stern primates with their visit?..

Life on Mars

The peace-loving Guanche people, who lived here many centuries ago, believed that the evil demon Guayoto lived in the Teide crater, stealing the sun. When you drive up the winding road (the bravest ones do so not by car, but by bicycle), you see how the greenery becomes less and less, and the air is cold and damp. The volcanic landscape is reminiscent of scenes from a science fiction film. The land around is red-brown, with bizarre reliefs and rare bushes of unknown plants.

I have already bought black beads made from volcanic lava and green beads with olivine. And a lava magnet with a lizard, the symbol of the island. And just olivine in a beautiful bottle. And more beads. To complete the collection, I pick up a small piece of lava from the ground, just as a souvenir of the red-brown landscapes around the Teide volcano. “Miss, sorry,” a policeman appears out of nowhere. It turns out that from national park you can't take anything out. Well, at least honestly, not like in the Acropolis - they specially scatter cobblestones there so that tourists don’t smash the historical ruins to pieces. And Teide stones are difficult to fake, so they simply keep an eye on visitors.

Although a few pieces of lava can be snatched from a black-black beach with a black-black large volcanic sand. At first you can’t get used to it, and then the white sand (on some beaches the sand is brought from Morocco) begins to seem somehow strange.

By the way, imagine a hotel in blooming Tenerife, devoid of a garden and a beach, without shops, cafes and clubs for many kilometers around. And at the same time - very popular. Introduced? This is the Parador de las Canadas in Teide - there is only silence and an endless red valley all the way to the rocks of Roques de Garcia. A meditative place for those who find it difficult to relax even at an ocean resort.

The Isanha Observatory of the Canary Institute of Astrophysics looks organically in the red-red Martian Teide Valley. The excursion in the white, UFO-like caps of the observatory is conducted by its smiling director, Professor Garik Israelyan. By the way, many years ago a guy named Brian May worked here with him and wrote his dissertation. And on the eve of his defense, he realized: his calling was music. Any Queen fan will tell you what happened next. And about Teide, Brian said: “If there is a paradise, then it is here,” and perhaps everyone will agree that this is an absolutely unearthly place.

Gofio as a keepsake

The cuisine of the Canary Islands is, of course, Spanish, although not entirely. The mountains and the lack of fertile lands were conducive to raising goats and sheep, and to eating them. And also - to the production of delicious cheeses. If you fry a piece and top it with palm honey...

What remains from the Guanche kitchen is gofio - fried and ground cereals, nutritious and healthy. Light beige flour is eaten in the morning with milk, added to gravies, meat and fish broth, and used in desserts. In supermarkets, gofio costs mere pennies, but in souvenir shops you will get a beautiful 100-gram bag for the same money.

Another source of pride for the islanders is Canarian potatoes, very small, with a delicate creamy texture. It is cooked in its jacket, just like many years ago. Then, saving fresh water, the tubers were cooked in the sea, and excess salt settled on the peel. Now it's chic, especially with mojo sauce made from herbs and olive oil. Or with a Canary rabbit. Or maybe with fish and seafood, of which there are a great many. Be careful in fish restaurants: the portions are simply huge.

To be honest, I would love to rent an apartment for a couple of months in the charming town of La Laguna. I would have breakfast on my own carved balcony - from that Canarian pine scorched by the volcanic heat. I would sip malvasia there in the evenings. And for days I would wander the streets of the ancient ex-capital, go to museums and cathedrals, photograph ancient buildings and the city itself from the height of the bell tower.

But for now I stocked up on gofio and palm honey for Canarian breakfasts, and bought a carved balcony. More precisely, the balcony is in a souvenir shop. You have to start somewhere.

Visa: Schengen (consulate Spain).

Season: all year round.

Direct flights from Moscow are operated by Aeroflot and Transaero, about 7 hours.

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