Welcome to the wonderful world of adventure, fun, entertainment, animals and birds – Loro Parque is one of the Canary Island’s top spots for a daytrip. Located in Puerto de la Cruz in the north of Tenerife, this exciting park is packed with colourful parrots, is home to the best dolphin and orca shows on the island and houses Planet Penguin where these cute creatures splash around in Antarctic conditions.
Since opening in 1972, more than 19 million visitors have passed through its doors and it has expanded into a renowned attraction that promises a fantastic day out for all the family.
The founder and owner of Loro Parque, Mr. Wolfgang Kiessling, is now an international figure with his unique collection of over 3,000 parrots which include 300 species and sub-species. About 700 are in the park and the rest are housed in the breeding station, where sometimes you can see the little ones hatching and being fed.
In 1994 the whole collection was donated to the Loro Parque Foundation whose aim is to preserve endangered species of parrots and their habitats, raise funds for field studies and carry out research and conservation projects. It also organises the breeding programmes aimed at reintroducing these rare parrots back into the wild. The foundation takes part in 18 captive breeding programmes and is directly involved in co-ordinating the Spix’s Macaw Recovery Project, the Blue-throated Macaw and the Red-browed Amazon.
Orca Ocean was also introduced to Loro Parque in 2006 and has become one of the park’s showpieces. Working alongside Sea World in the USA, this project has successfully bred four orcas in captivity, which live in one of the most modern installations in the world consisting of 22.5 million litres of seawater. They work very closely with the orca trainers and every day they show off their skills in front of the crowds at Loro Parque. In addition, you can also watch sea lions and dolphins.
Around every corner you will find cute animals, funny birds, amazingly talented creatures, colourful marine life and much more. Loro Parque deserves its ranking as one of Tenerife’s most visited attractions – spend a day here and you will see why.
