07 June 2010
Posted in Things to do in Tenerife

Loro Parque - Tenerife was opened in 1972 and has since received over 34 million visitors, making it the number one attraction in Tenerife. Based in the north of the island in the town of Puerto de la Cruz, the park has grown from its original size of 13,000 square metres, to a staggering 135,000 square meters. "The Parrot Park" as it was previously known, has become home to nearly 4000 parrots making it officially the world's most diverse parrot collection.

Other records attributed to Loro Parque include:

• Europe's largest dolphin show pool
• The worlds largest indoor penguin exhibition
• Europe's longest shark tunnel
• The largest Thai Village outside of Thailand
• Only the second country in Europe to have Orca whales

It is fantastic to be able to take the children somewhere that the whole family can enjoy. They will have a great time watching the dolphin and the sea lion shows, being amazed by the four Orca whales and laughing at the antics of the penguins. Entertainment is around every corner and the chimpanzees and gorillas will capture everyones attention.

Animals and exhibits in the park include...

Parrots

The original main feature of Loro Parque for over thirty years, the parrot show at Loro Parque best demonstrates the beauty and intelligence of these colourful creatures. Housed in a 600 capacity majestic Arabian palace, the shows make for a hilarious demonstration of these enthusiastic performer's escapades and finishes with the parrots flying free around your heads.

Flamingos

The flamingos at Loro Parque are from Chile and Africa and visitors are able to enjoy the sight of these beautiful pink flamingos wandering freely around the park. It is an amusing sight to see them feeding as they search for food by sliding the top part of their beaks along the bottom of the water.

Flamingos are often seen standing on one leg only. This is still not fully understood, but it is believed that this is a way to preserve body heat as they are normally standing in water which can quickly reduce body temperature. The ancient Egyptians worshipped flamingos as they believed them to be a living embodiment of their god, "Ra".

Grey Crowned Crane

The national bird of Uganda, featuring in their flag, this species of crane is normally found in the dry savannahs south of the Sahara. Their incredible breeding display involves dancing, jumping and bowing and they have an amazing booming call. In Loro Parque, these cranes freely roam around a large area planted with more than 750 Kentia palm trees, which are normally only found on Lord Howe island near Australia. This species of crane is one of only two which are able to roost in trees due to a longer hind toe which can grasp tree branches.

Chimpanzees

Many of Loro Parque's chimps were rescued from street photographers. They were used to pose with tourists, but since being rescued, many were given to Loro Parque to enable them to receive better care.

In their native environment in Central Africa, Chimps live in extended family groups of between 15 and 50 members. They have always been amazing to study as they are so close to humans; they have the ability to experience a full range of emotions, they can make and use tools and can work together in groups to achieve objectives.

Gorillas

Loro Parque is home to the biggest number of male African Western Lowland gorillas in the world and has created a genetic store for these gorillas, due to their "endangered species" status. The park has performed pioneering work to enable the recreation of this social structure in captivity.

During the daytime, the seven gorillas live in an enclosure of 3500 m2, where their natural environment has been recreated with vegetation, rocks and waterfalls. Nicknamed "Villa Gorilla", it even has areas they can hide in to get away from the others. In the evenings, the gorillas have their own bedrooms complete with under-floor heating! In other zoos, one of these intelligent gorillas has been learning sign language and now knows over 1000 different signs!

Marmosets

All good things come in small sizes, and these tiny South American primates are no exception. At only 20cm tall, they are the smallest in the primate world; they live mainly on fruit, eggs, leaves and insects, and are blessed with lots of variation in their looks. Some have tufts on their head and some have different colours around their hands, which all adds up to give these little guys their own individual personalities.

Marmosets have very active lives mostly spent in the upper canopies of forest trees, and live in family groups of up to 15 members.

Jaguars

The third largest of the big cats in the world, and the largest in their native South America, these jaguars can be found both in the Amazon forest and in the drier steppes of South America, their elegance marking them out as one of the worlds most beautiful mammals. Even in the world of big cats, the jaguar is renowned for having a particularly powerful bite, and has long been revered by ancient indigenous peoples such as the Mayans and the Aztecs. Loro Parque has a successful and ongoing breeding program in place for their jaguars, and the special care and attention that these beautiful big cats receive from the staff at the park allows visitors to fully reap the rewards in their enjoyment of this fabulous exhibit.

Tigers

Loro Parque are extremely proud of their Bengal tigers. "Saba" has the more normal tiger markings, but "Prince" is one of the very few white tigers in the world to be found in captivity. Both were hand-reared from birth, originally for TV and circus work, but were later donated to Loro Parque by their owners. In the park there is a special area... "Tiger Island" where the tigers live, which is surrounded by a river. They can even be seen swimming on occasions!

It is usual for tigers to live separately in their own territories, hunting for their meat only diets. In recent years population decline has resulted from too much poaching, making the animal an endangered species.

Meerkats

It is always a pleasure to watch these fabulous animals get up to their antics. Popularised by Disney and featuring in popular films such as "The Lion King", children around the world are familiar with "Timon" and the sentry habits of these furry creatures.

Named from the Afrikaans for "Lake Cat", meerkats like to eat insects and spiders and are immune to the venom of certain creatures, like scorpions for example. Living in groups of 15 to 50 in a large extended family, they are one of few animals to display altruistic behaviour... where one animal acts for the benefit of others in the group.

A group of meerkats is often referred to as a mob, a clan, or a gang! At Loro Parque, the whole family can be entertained by these cute, curious and comedic creatures.

Iguanas

Green Iguanas, those that are featured at Loro Parque, have recently become fashionable to have as pets. However, they are some of the biggest lizards of all and can grow up to 8 kilos, often becoming too much for their owners. Loro Parque has luckily been able to provide a home for some of these Central and South American vegetarians, and they now share a large and comfortable enclosure with the marmosets. Iguanas have very good eyesight and can distinguish colours, movement, shapes and shadows at quite long distances, helping them to eat and to navigate their way through their wooded native habitat.

Two-toed Sloths

Bimba and Blanca are the two toed sloths that can be found at Loro Parque. Amazingly, they spend the greater part of their lives; including eating, sleeping and giving birth, hanging upside down in the trees. This along with their slow deliberate movements,  could be responsible for giving the sloths their reputations for calm and tranquility. Originating from South American tropical forests; in Chile, Brazil, Peru and Surinam... Bimba and Blanca nowadays live happily in a tropical ecosystem alongside the iguanas, marmosets and tortoises. Having only two toes on their forelegs (but 3 on the hind legs), and living primarily on leaves and shoots, these furry guys make for fascinating viewing.

Giant Tortoises

The Galapagos Tortoise is the largest of all the Giant Tortoises - and Loro Parque is home to two of them... a male of 36 years and a female of 13. These slow moving guys feed on buds, cactus and fruit and are specially adapted to the dry areas in which they live, due to their ability to survive on very little water. Some have been known to go a full year without drinking! Incredibly, the Galapagos Tortoise can grow to 300 kilograms in weight and live for up to 150 years! In the wild, in order to get rid of ticks and other parasites which lodge in their skin folds, these tortoises raise themselves on their toes and stretch their heads out - this invites the native Galapagos finches to approach and feed on the ticks - a classic example of animals working together!

Dolphins

Everybody knows about the famed intelligence of dolphins and their unique relationship with humans. It is fair to say that the dolphin is one of the most well liked animals with children and adults alike, which goes to make the dolphin shows at Loro Parque one of the most popular attractions. Recreating a "Caribbean Lagoon", the dolphinarium has a capacity of 1800 which lets many visitors view the world class facilities the dolphins are accustomed to. There are 7 million litres of sea water in the various dolphin pools and a world class team of carers, scientists, trainers and biologists all working to make sure that conditions are as good as possible. So good, in fact, that 5 dolphins have been born at Loro Parque, which is a great achievement.

These happy and playful creatures delight crowds every day in their shows where their wonderful personalities shine and their acrobatic displays, leaping up to 6m out of the water, simply astound.

Sea-Lions

What can be said about these entertainers? Charming, funny and acrobatic, these marine mammals bring hilarity to their daily shows. They have their own "Sea Lion Amphitheater, with superb conditions and even an underwater window that allows visitors to view their incredible agility below the surface.

Working daily with the sea lions allows trainers to establish the absolute love and trust that must exist between animal and trainer to enable such good working relationships - and what a payoff - as these Californian sea lions entertain visitors with balancing acts, games, balletic jumps and the inevitable teasing of their trainers. There is little else that can bring such entertainment to the whole family.

Penguins

Loro Parque is extremely proud of their penguin exhibits. The first one will surprise, as not many people know that not all penguins live in cold climates. The "Pacific" exhibit is home to a species from the mild west coast of South America called the Humboldt Penguin. An area exactly the same as their native environment has been created including nesting areas in giant rocks.

Walking from this exhibit through an ice tunnel, takes the visitor to a more conventional penguin exhibit. However, there is little else that is conventional behind the scenes... Loro Parque has constructed the biggest replica of Antartica ever, with machines producing 12 tons of snow every day! "Planet Penguin" is home to King, Gentoos, Chinstraps and Rockhopper penguins, all living in sub zero temperatures.

Aquarium

With Europe's longest shark tunnel at 18m in length, Loro Parque has found the perfect way for viewers to experience the undersea world and to watch the exhibits at close hand. The aquarium is split into seven different exhibits, replicating marine environments from around the world. For example, one exhibit is a living coral reef, based on the natural volcanic rock local to Tenerife and covered with both hard and soft corals from Indonesia.

The aquarium is home to several specimens of gray sharks, black tip sharks and nurse sharks; with shy piranhas on display also. The whole aquarium enables the viewing of many of the brightest and most colourful fish specimens from around the world, including the colourful cardinal tetra fish and African cichlids.

Koi-Carp

There is an amazing collection of Koi Carp at Loro Parque. These fish have been especially bred in China. and subsequently Japan, for over 1500 years, using a similar breeding process, with the common carp, that originally led to the humble goldfish. There are many different varieties of Koi, all bred for different colouration, but perhaps the most stand out breed is one that is all white, with a red spot on it's head - symbolic of the Japanese flag. At auction, this breed can fetch prices of over $100,000.

A symbol of love and friendship in Japan, traditionally, they are kept in ornamental ponds. At Loro Parque, you can see the Koi in the ornamental ponds surrounding the Thai Village exhibit.

Orca Whales

Since 2006, and in a cooperative venture with Sea-World in Florida, Loro Parque is now home to four Orcas who benefit from incredible state of the art living conditions. The Orca pool is 120m long and goes to a depth of 12.5 metres. The water temperature is kept at 13 degrees by the ongoing pumping of seawater taken from a depth of 65m from the Atlantic waters - and the latest sand filtration techniques enable 6 million litres an hour of cool seawater to be pumped into the pool to maintain the temperature.

The Orcas at Loro Parque are between 5 and 13 years old and were bred in captivity. The trainers have spent two years in Florida to learn the leading techniques for the care and training of the Orcas, enabling visitors to see these fantastic specimens at their spectacular best.

Alligators

Loro Parque has an exhibit of North America's largest reptiles, whose normal habitat is the warm waters of the Mississippi River or the Florida Everglades. These warm temperatures are replicated in the alligator's environment as it is neccessary for their metabolism. The alligators are growing fast and the larger ones are already up to 3m long, and will eventually grow up to 4.5m.

Other Attractions in the Park

Amongst the many and varied areas of the park, there are the following which should not be missed...

NaturaVision

This is a massive glass dome which houses a cinema, where visitors can be transported around the world to see the spectacular scenery and the amazing and dramatic native habitats of the park's animals. The film covers everything from the dark, leafy, dense amazon rain forest, huge savannahs with dramatic waterfalls, different flora and fauna in Spanish national parks and multicoloured coral reefs in the Caribbean.

Kinderlandia

Totally dedicated to the amusement of the park's younger vistors, you can even hire this area for birthday parties and other special occasions. Set out like an African village, complete with huts and trees where kids can climb and play in the "jungle", Kinderlandia allows the kids to have a great time, sliding down the snake slide and swinging on rope bridges. There is even the Orca roller coaster that the whole family can enjoy - a first for the Canary Islands.

Thai Village

Eighty years after a visit to Tenerife by the father of today's King of Thailand, his daughter the Princess Galyana Vadhana opened the Thai Village in Loro Parque. This was in 1993 and since this time the Queen of Thailand herself has visited to maintain the strong links between Tenerife and Thailand. The beautiful Thai Village, adorned by flowering shrubs, is built over a lake and inhabited by many Koi Carp - making a truly idyllic setting.

Katandra Treetops

One of the more recent attractions at Loro Parque, and meaning "song of the birds", this free flight aviary includes jungle walkways and hanging bridges meandering through amazing jungle habitat. Don't be surprised to find yourself face to face with many of the park's parrots, loris and cockatoos. Wander around and hear the laughing Kookaburras and many more of Loro Parques hundreds of bird species.

The Orchid Garden

The Chinese 6th century philosopher, Confucius, once stated that orchids are "the queen of the aromatic flowers". These days, this special flower species is the most cultivated in the world and Loro Parque have dedicated a special area to the display of these beautiful flowers. In this orchidarium, guests can enjoy the fragrances and the wonderful variety of shapes and colours provided by these spectacular blooms.

Other Park Garden Areas

The Jungle - the original habitat of Loro Parque, this area has remained and allows visitors to imagine the real jungle; dark and humid. There are ficus trees, palms, hierdras and many other plant species - and within the area are carp filled pools and hanging bridges, making the park an truly relaxing place to visit, even if just for a stroll. Over 8000 palm trees alone have been planted in the park for visitors enjoyment.

A special area has been set aside to show a wide variety of cactus plants and some dragon trees, native to the Canaries, are on show. These trees can live for a thousand years!

Cafe's and Restaurants

There are 7 cafe's and restaurants placed strategically around the park. All are themed, offering different styles of food and refreshment, and most have fantastic views over the park and the local landscapes.

Discovery Tour

One of the favourite experiences of anyone visiting Loro Parque is the Discovery Tour. In under two hours, the park's staff give a "behind the scenes" tour and tell some of the stories of how various animals arrived at the park; show some of the worlds leading technologies in use and generally see the places in the park not normally on show. This funny and informative tour really enables visitors to understand more of what goes on in the care of the animals and what it takes to operate a park of this standard.

Shows

• Sea Lions - 5 times a day
• Dolphins - 4 times a day
• Parrots - 6 times a day
• Orcas - 3 times a day

With the exhibits and wildlife shows, Loro Parque is the "must see" theme and entertainment park in the Canary Islands.

The park is open 365 days a year from 8-30 am till 18-45 pm.

Images of Loro Parque

(click for full size)