In the 1970s, a young German, Wolfgang Kiessling, fell in love with Tenerife, quit the airline he worked for, moved his wife here and stayed for good. And since the choice of entertainment in Tenerife is not large, he decided to diversify it with a small parrot park, which received a simple name Loro Park (from the Spanish «loro» — parrot). So in 1972 began the history of the richest in species diversity collection of colorful screamers, which has no analogues in the world to this day. During its history, the park has received numerous national and international awards, recognized by TripAdvisor users as the best zoo in the world and received the Travelers' Choice Award in 2017 and 2018.
Over the 47 years of the park’s existence, the number of parrots has grown from 150 to 4,000. Tenerife is now home to 350 species and subspecies of parrots from all over the world. The birds do not languish in cramped cages as they do in many zoos around the world, but flutter freely in the crowns of the trees to enjoy themselves.
Gradually new residents began to appear in Loro Parque, many with their own stories — fish, tigers, monkeys and others. Many of the residents are brought here through a rescue program. They save both individuals and entire populations from extinction. For example, dolphins cannot be released from the park into the wild — they will simply die. And some endangered species of parrots are specially bred and sent to their habitat. This is what they did with the small hyacinth ara — they sent several specimens to Brazil to be released.
Since 1994, the Loro Parque Foundation has been internationally dedicated to the study of parrots and cetaceans and the promotion of human ecological literacy. The money from the sale of tickets and souvenirs goes to the development of the Foundation, i.e. to a useful cause.
I’ll tell you how to plan your trip and day at Loro Parque and how to see the most interesting things. What else to do with kids in Tenerife
What you can’t miss at Loro Parque
All of the park’s residents are surrounded by attention, care and love from the staff who feed, feed and nurse their charges every day. Some animals even forage for their food as if it were their real habitat.
There is a veterinary clinic on the territory of the zoo, where doctors sometimes operate on their charges, and any visitor can watch the process through large panoramic windows.
Planet Penguin
Dozens of penguins of different species, including endangered ones, live on a huge ice floe surrounded by water in conditions close to Antarctic. They ride on the ice, incubate their young, dissect the icy waters around their iceberg. And they watch the habits and facial expressions of people who smoothly pass by them on a moving ribbon on the other side of the glass.
Introductions
There are only four shows: sea lions, dolphins, parrots and orcas. Each of them is held in its own amphitheater several times during the day and lasts about 20 minutes. Seating is plentiful, in a pinch you can always tamp down your neighbors a little tighter. You can see well from every point of the amphitheater, and the most interesting things are displayed on the screen in the center. Funny and useful shots are shown on it before the show, so it is better to come 10 minutes early.
In the mirror dome pavilion, a Naturavision documentary about nature and the damage humans do to the environment is shown.
- The Loro Show , starring parrots since 1972, was the first performance of its kind in Europe. Its aim is to familiarize humans with the intelligence of these birds. Nothing supernatural happens: parrots take part in various skits, count, talk, and fly over the heads of the audience.
- The park’s dolphinarium is considered one of the most modern in the world. And although few people can be surprised by dolphins nowadays — their intelligence and kindness are well known — the DolphinsShow is filled with tenderness and charm of these creatures.
- Sea lions Show with sea lions — this is where you’ll laugh your ass off. Together with the instructors they will give a head start to all comedy shows on TV. The sea lions have an amazing sense of humor, which they demonstrate to the applause of the audience.
- The zoo’s main attraction is the Show Orca Oceans — huge black and white, predatory but not towards humans, magnificent orcas! Their power and speed is at the heart of the performance. And then there are the cold showers. If you like to sit close to the stage, stock up on a raincoat or buy one there for 3 € — there is a lot of water in the pool and the whales are very heavy.
What makes this performance truly special is the story of a killer whale named Morgan who was rescued from death and moved to Loro Parque. She has no hearing, but her deafness did not prevent Morgan from adapting among her kin and becoming a mom. This is largely due to the trainers who are able to win the trust and love of such large and willful predators.
You don’t have to go to all the other shows, but this one is a must. If you haven’t been to the orca show, you haven’t been to Loro Parque.
Jellyfish
Hundreds of glowing multicolored pulsating jelly «mushrooms» of different sizes and shapes with meter-long strings of tentacles are the most unusual and mysterious exposition I have ever seen. In the laboratory at the entrance to the hall, in special aquariums, zoologists breed small jellyfish «to feed» larger jellyfish-cannibals and help in reproduction of existing species with the help of an incubator.
Bird day care center
Here, the park staff nurse and feed chicks that for some reason have been abandoned by their parents. By moving from one window to another, you can study all the stages of parrots' maturation.
What you need to know about Loro Parque
The zoo is open from 08:30 to 18:45 daily. This is enough time to visit all the enclosures once, see all the shows, have lunch, get lost and come back to your favorite to say goodbye (if any). I couldn’t say goodbye to the orcas the first time and ran in for the second show featuring them. Spending less than five hours in this garden of paradise is unlikely to be possible, so it is better to allocate a whole day for its visit and leisurely inspection.
Loro Parque is a huge 13.5 hectare reserve with lush tropical vegetation, narrow winding paths and buzzing crowds of tourists from all over the world. Unless you plan to stay overnight and study the behavior of white Bengal tigers in the dark, it’s worth picking up a park map at the entrance. It shows all the animals, cafes, toilets, and there is a schedule of shows with locations. Study this map carefully and you will be able to make your route so that in between shows (which are included in the ticket price) you can see everything else and even buy a souvenir as a souvenir.
Where to eat in Loro Parque
There are cafes evenly distributed throughout the park, selling mainly ham and cheese sandwiches, sweet rolls, ice cream and drinks. A cup of coffee and a sandwich costs on average €7—8. There are a couple of establishments with the usual hot menu. A single dish costs from 8 €.
The park rules do not prohibit you from bringing your own food and drinks. Therefore, you can safely bring a thermos and your favorite dish and dine at a table in specially designated picnic areas. There are two of them on the territory of the zoo.
How to get to Loro Parque
The zoo is located in the north of Tenerife in the town of Puerto de la Cruz.
From the north of the island you can take the free yellow Express train. It runs non-stop along the Atlantic coast and past the sandy beach of Jardin (Playa Jardin).
- Departure from Plaza de las Reyes Catolicos in front of the Catalonia Las Vegas Hotel. Flights every 20 minutes, travel time 15 — 20 minutes.
- The first train from the city to the zoo leaves at 9:00 am and the last train leaves at 4:00 pm.
- On the way back, the first train leaves at 12:00 and the last train leaves at 18:45.
From the south of the island, take the Loro Parque toll bus. The bus goes to Parrot Park once a day in the morning; it is best to call for the exact time and the nearest departure point.
From the areas of Costa Adeje, Playa de Las Americas and Los Cristianos the transfer is daily, but from other areas — only 2—3 times a week.
- Adult ticket — 13,5 €, children’s ticket — 8 € (for children 6—11 years old).
- Travel time is 1.5 to 2 hours.
- A seat on the bus must be reserved 48 hours in advance by phone or email at the link.
- For flight details, visit the park’s website.
You can take the TİTSA green city bus to the bus station in Puerto de la Cruz — from there it takes about 20 minutes to walk to the zoo along the promenade along Hardin Beach.
- Bus routes #343 and 325.
- Travel time is 3 hours. Ticket price 2 € — 6 €.
- Check the schedule and routes on the official TİTSA website before traveling.
A cab one way will cost about 100 €, so it is cheaper to rent a car. Parking in the park costs 4 €. In the morning there is a better chance of parking.
Tickets to Loro Parque
- Standard ticket: adult — 38 €, children (6 — 11 years old) — 26 €.
- Twin ticket — valid for two parks within 15 days: Loro Parque Zoo in the north and Siam Park Water Park in the south of Tenerife. Adult — 66 €, children — 45,50 €.
- There are also multi-tickets that include excursions and lunch.
You can buy tickets to the park in advance from the official website or Tiqets.
Recommendations
- Choose comfortable clothes and shoes: you will have to walk a lot.
- Use sunscreen.
- Come to the performances in advance.
Loro Parque is not just a zoo with rich flora and fauna, where you go from one enclosure to another, take hundreds of pictures and forget about what you have seen before your vacation is over. This is a research project that tries its best to preserve and increase the number of unique animals and birds, but not for people, but for their own sake. Through its proximity to the natural habitat of animals and birds, the park opens people’s eyes to the defenselessness of nature before human indifference. This is a wonderful world, which, once visited, you will remember Loro Parque and Tenerife with warmth for a long time.
