Loro Parque

The Loro Parque is one of the most beautiful zoos I have ever visited. It's famous and there is a lot of publicity for it at the whole island, it's mostly everywhere called "the must-see in canarias" and it really is! 

The ticket is 34 euros which might seem to be expensive, but you will enter a park full of attractions, interesting animals and amazing shows. The compounds are decorated and installed with a lot of love, they are large and you can't see the animals from everywhere which seems animal friendly to me. You can arrive at the park by the small train that is totally free and starts in Puerto de la Cruz in the city centre and brings you directly to the entrance. When you enter you have the possibility to take a picture with two real perrots in front of you and then you can start your experience. 

You really need a map of the park in order not to miss anything interesting, but it seems to be larger when you look at the map than it really is. Without breaks you might cross it and see everything in about 3 hours (with stopping sometimes, of course). The highlight for me is the large penguin compound that is the largest all over the world - you have conveyor where you just have to step on and it will bring you around the home of the animals without that you have to move. Like that you can take nice pictures and aren't disturbed by other visitors. Another highlight is the Orca Show, of course, even if shows like that are not seen quite positive in public. I saw it and it's really impressing! You should come early enough (20 minutes before the show) in order to have a good seat because the large stadium is always full. Of course, there are a lot of other incredible attractions that you can discover during your visit - you will not be bored, that's sure! 

There is also a high offer of restaurants and small booths where you can buy food and drinks, but also ice cream and other sweets. The prices are quite good in relation to other parks like that in other countries, so you don't have to bring everything with you already. 

If you like animals and want to discover them closer than in other parks and more interactive then I highly recommend you to visit Loro Parque - I'm not a child anymore, but I went there with my parents three times and I liked it everytime.