The best wildlife parks in Andalusia

Posted on 11 February 2022

Andalusia is a vast region in Southern Spain, featuring a host of wonderful things to see and do, from historic cities to fun attractions, made very accessible with a car hire from Malaga airport. This includes a range of brilliant wildlife parks; locations where visitors can come and experience different animals and see wildlife close up. In this guide, we have highlighted a handful of Andalusia’s greatest wildlife parks, giving you a few ideas of where to go when in the area and the animals you can see.

Bioparc Fuengirola

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Bioparc Fuengirola is a wonderful wildlife park that shouldn’t be confused with your traditional zoo. Here the animals roam free, enjoying a spacious natural environment, with habitats designed to emulate the locations they would enjoy in the wild. This makes a visit to Bioparc Fuengirola a truly pleasant and fascinating experience. Located in the town of Fuengirola in the lovely Costa del Sol, visitors can enjoy exploring habitat recreations of the island of Madagascar, Equatorial Africa, Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific islands. From great horned hornbills and chimps to red pandas and tigers, there’s so much to look forward to.

Lucia, from the Spanish travel blog Viva La Vita, has visited Bioparc Fuengirola and has shared with us what she enjoyed about the park: “Bioparc Fuengirola is unlike any traditional zoo you will see in big cities. There are no tall fences, run-down enclosures or distressed looking animals. It feels more like a lush jungle in the middle of the city, combining beautiful natural habitats for animals with animal preservation and protection programs. A lot of care and attention has gone into developing the park into something truly unique, with features like the giant Baobab tree by the entrance or replicating the Asian architectural elements in the Komodo Dragons enclosure. One of the recent highlights is the baby gorilla Ekan, the first gorilla born in Andalusia!”

Zoo de Castellar

Image credit: Zoo de Castellar NaturaParc

Zoo de Castellar is located near Castellar de la Frontera, a town perched on a hilltop in Cadiz. It is situated within the Natural Park of Los Alcornocales and makes for a brilliant attraction to visit during your time in the area. Starting life as an animal rescue centre, Zoo de Castellar later opened to the public, while still providing animals in need with the best possible care. Today there are more than 500 different animals living here from across the continents, with guided visits and special exhibitions to allow visitors a more intimate look into the wildlife living here. If you want to see amazing animals like lions and lemurs while supporting people who protect abandoned animals in need, this wildlife sanctuary should be on your to-do list.

READ ALSO: 48 hours in Cádiz

Selwo Adventure Park

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Selwo Adventure Park (or Selwo Aventura) is a 100 hectares wildlife park located in Estepona. Home to more than 2,000 animals, Selwo is a place where these beautiful creatures can roam, living in liberty in an environment that looks to recreate their natural habitats. This sprawling animal park offers both walking trails and vehicle tours as a means to explore the park and witness wildlife that calls the area home, including the likes of flamingos, elephants, and giraffes. It’s truly a unique experience, with epic rivers to cross and even a zip line for a bird’s eye view of the Great Lake of Africa. With suspension bridges, bird demonstrations, and other activities, Selwo Adventure Park (reopening on the 18^th of February 2022) has much to offer.

Paulina, from the Spanish-themed travel blog, Visit Southern Spain, has visited Selwo herself and spoke to us about what she enjoyed: “Selwo Aventura is a great place to visit for travellers of all ages! I loved the vastness of the terrain which really gives you the sensation of going on an expedition through different lands and their animals. Indeed, animals are grouped by continents and hence you can learn about the fauna from Europe, Africa and Asia. If you want a sweet change from Spain’s beaches, a day in Selwo Aventura is a great idea!”

Lobo Park

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Lobo Park near Antequera, is a wildlife park dedicated to one particular type of animal, the beautiful and iconic wolf. Here you can find four different species of wolves, with guided walks through a massive landscape where the animals can roam wild and enjoy their freedom. The park studies the wolves’ natural and social behaviour, helping the world to better understand these often-mysterious animals. This unspoilt Andalusia wildlife park provides a truly special visitor experience, allowing humans to come into contact with wolves in a safe way for us and the animals.

Lisa, from the blog Family Life in Spain, has visited Lobo Park and has revealed what she enjoyed: “The grounds of the wolf park and the surrounding countryside are simply stunning. The staff are very passionate about all the animals and the way they talk about them demonstrates this. The talks and explanations given throughout the visit highlighted the ethos and mission behind the foundation of this centre.”

Crocodile Park

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Located in the resort town of Torremolinos, west of Malaga, the Crocodile Park is exactly what it sounds like, a wildlife park dedicated to the amazing and fearsome crocodile. Open throughout the year, this is Europe’s only crocodile park and is home to more than 300 of these incredible creatures, including giant adults and little baby crocs. One of its star attractions is the crocodile known as Big Daddy, the biggest crocodile in all of Europe at five metres long and 600kg in weight. With demonstrations, a breeding programme, and a little zoo area for children with tortoises and chameleons, there’s plenty to enjoy.

Melanie, from the blog Melanie’s Fab Finds, has visited Torremolinos’ Crocodile Park with her family and spoke with us about what they enjoyed about it: “Torremolinos has a number of fun, family-friendly activities. One we had the pleasure to enjoy a few years back was the Crocodile Park there. The kids loved seeing the crocodiles, how big they were, how many teeth they had. They also enjoyed watching demonstrations and seeing how close the men got to them. It’s a fun place to visit for the whole family. You’ll get around the whole park in just a few hours so will have plenty of time to relax on a beach after.”

Wildlife parks to visit in Andalusia

– Bioparc Fuengirola

– Zoo de Castellar NaturaParc

– Selwo Adventure Park

– Lobo Park

– Crocodile Park

If you love animals and are looking for a fun excursion or two during your time in the Andalusia region, then these wildlife parks should certainly be considered.

We have also written about Andalusia’s nature parks in the past; locations like Doñana and Sierra Nevada, where you enjoy Spain’s vast protected areas of unspoilt natural beauty.

For more tips, guides, and advice, make sure to visit our blog.