Loro Parque opened in 1972 as a parrot park with 150 birds and grew into a zoo and botanical garden with several hundred species, a penguin house with real snow, an aquarium with a shark tunnel and the only orcas in Spain. Here is what each zone holds, in the order the paths take you, and the honest version of the orca question that many visitors arrive with.
The park opened on 17 December 1972 on a banana plantation at Punta Brava with 150 parrots, and parrots are still its signature: the collection, managed with the Loro Parque Fundación, is among the largest in the world, and the free-flight aviary Katandra Treetops lets lories and cockatoos fly around you. Around it grew a 13.5-hectare botanical garden of palms, dragon trees and orchids, which is why the walk feels like a garden with enclosures rather than a zoo with lawns. The route is about 35,000 square metres of paths and takes three hours without the presentations.
| Zone | What you see | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Parrots and Katandra Treetops | Macaws, cockatoos, lories; free-flight aviary | Early morning, when the birds are loudest |
| Planet Penguin | Penguins on real snow behind a long glass wall | Indoor; the best rainy-day stop |
| Aquarium and AquaViva | Shark tunnel, coral tanks, jellyfish gallery | Cool and quiet at midday |
| Orca Ocean, dolphinarium, sea lions | The three marine presentations | Timetable at the entrance; splash zone in the low rows |
| Gorillas, tigers, jaguars, giant tortoises | The big-animal enclosures on the upper loop | Afternoon, when the cats are awake |
| Kinderlandia | Playground with slides, treehouses and rope bridges | Budget an hour with small children |
Orca Ocean is the most famous and the most discussed part of the park. The orcas arrived in February 2006 on loan from SeaWorld; all were born in captivity, and the park says they cannot be returned to the sea. The group includes Morgan, a female found stranded in the Netherlands in 2010 and transferred here after a legal dispute, and her calf Teno, born in March 2025. A trainer, Alexis Martínez, died during a rehearsal in December 2009, which opened the public debate about keeping orcas in Spain. The park presents the shows as educational and points to its research and conservation programmes; animal-welfare groups argue that no pool is adequate for orcas. Both positions are real, and this guide does not pretend otherwise. If you would rather not watch, the route goes around Orca Ocean without passing through it, and the rest of the park stands on its own. Show times are on the opening hours page.
Beyond the parrots, Planet Penguin is one of the largest penguin houses in Europe: a chilled hall with real snowfall where king, gentoo, rockhopper and chinstrap penguins live behind a curved glass wall, with a moving walkway for the crowds. The aquarium has a walk-through shark tunnel and reef tanks; AquaViva next door is a darkened gallery of jellyfish. Flamingos, pelicans, cranes and hornbills fill the garden between them, and the Loro Parque Fundación's breeding work on endangered parrots is explained along the way. Which ticket to buy and who pays less is on the prices and discounts page.
The upper loop holds the gorilla group in a planted enclosure, Sumatran tigers, jaguars, red pandas, pygmy hippos, meerkats, chimpanzees and the giant tortoises from Aldabra and the Galápagos. The botanical collection is a destination in itself, with several hundred palm species and a 100-year-old dragon tree, and the Thai village at the entrance, built by craftsmen from Thailand, is the park's architectural signature. Pace the day around the presentations: birds and penguins in the morning, the aquarium at midday heat, the big mammals in the afternoon when they are active, and the last parrot show at 16:45 on the way out. How to reach the park by free train, bus or car is on the getting there page.
Yes. Orca Ocean holds the orcas that arrived from SeaWorld in 2006, Morgan since 2011 and her calf Teno, born in March 2025, with two presentations a day.
Parrots and other birds, orcas, dolphins, sea lions, penguins, sharks and reef fish, gorillas, tigers, jaguars, red pandas, giant tortoises and more, in a botanical garden.
Yes, a zoo and botanical garden that began as a parrot park in 1972 and now holds several hundred species, with a conservation foundation attached.
Yes. The route goes around Orca Ocean, and the parrot, penguin, aquarium and mammal areas fill a full day on their own.
Yes: short walks between enclosures, the penguin house, the aquarium tunnel and the Kinderlandia playground. Children under 3 enter free.
Several hundred, with one of the largest parrot collections in the world managed with the Loro Parque Fundación.