Loro Parque Entry Ticket with Hotel Transfers from South Tenerife

Loro Parque, Puerto de la Cruz

Loro Parque opened in 1972 as a small parrot garden on the edge of Puerto de la Cruz, and its name still means parrot park in Spanish. Over the decades it has grown into one of the best-known zoos in Europe, set in lush tropical gardens of palms, bougainvillea and orchids, with an entrance styled as a Thai village. The parrot collection remains its pride, with macaws, cockatoos and lorikeets in every colour.

Through its foundation, created in 1994, the park supports conservation and research projects around the world, especially for parrots and marine mammals. Is Loro Parque worth visiting? For families and anyone who loves animals it is one of the top things to do in Tenerife, and a full day is needed to see the main areas and presentations without rushing. The park opens every day of the year, from morning until early evening.

Planet Penguin and the Polar World

Planet Penguin is the park's most famous attraction: a recreation of Antarctica where real snow falls every day over a giant iceberg, and a large colony of king, gentoo, chinstrap and rockhopper penguins swim, dive and waddle across the ice. You move along a slow walkway beside the glass, watching them both on land and underwater, with the temperature kept well below freezing inside the enclosure.

Next door, the polar areas also house puffins and other seabirds of cold northern seas. Many visitors start their day here, before the busiest hours, as the queue for the walkway builds up later. Planet Penguin at Loro Parque is especially loved by children, who are often amazed to see snow falling on a sunny Canary Islands day.

Orca, Dolphin, Sea Lion and Parrot Presentations

Throughout the day the park holds educational presentations in large open-air arenas. At Orca Ocean you watch orcas swim and leap in a vast pool, with explanations about their intelligence and their life in the wild. The dolphin presentation shows the speed and agility of bottlenose dolphins, while the sea lions bring humour and playfulness to their own show.

The parrot presentation is the oldest in the park and returns to its origins, with colourful birds flying low over the audience and showing off their abilities. Presentation times are posted at the entrance and on the park map, so plan your route around them; arriving at each arena 15 minutes early guarantees a good seat. Seats in the front rows near the pools can get splashed, which children usually love.

Katandra Treetops, Gorillas and the Aquarium

Katandra Treetops is a huge walk-through aviary recreating the forests of Australia and New Guinea. Suspension bridges and wooden walkways lead you through the canopy, where lorikeets, kookaburras and other Australasian birds fly freely around you, often landing within arm's reach.

Elsewhere in the park you find Gorilla Jungle, where a family of western lowland gorillas lives, along with chimpanzees, tigers, jaguars, red pandas, hippos, flamingos and giant tortoises in landscaped habitats. The Aqua Viva aquarium has a long tunnel where sharks and rays glide overhead and a striking jellyfish gallery. With so much to see, comfortable shoes and a plan help you make the most of your day, and there are cafés and snack points throughout the park.

Puerto de la Cruz and the Journey North

The transfer takes you from the dry, sunny south of Tenerife to the greener north coast, a drive of around 1 to 1.5 hours depending on your pickup point. On the way you see the changing landscape of the island, and on clear days the summit of Mount Teide rises above the Orotava Valley, with its banana plantations and terraced fields descending to the sea.

Puerto de la Cruz, where the park stands, was one of the first resort towns in the Canary Islands, with an old fishing harbour, the lively Plaza del Charco and the black-sand Playa Jardín. Many travellers ask how to get to Loro Parque from the south; this transfer is the simplest answer, since your park tickets are handed out on board and the return is timed for the end of the day.