Gran Canaria’s most popular family attraction, Palmitos Park, is a sub-tropical oasis in a verdant valley of palm trees, featuring more than 200 species of birds, including the tiny hummingbirds, toucans, peacocks, hornbills, cranes, flamingos and macaws, among other attractions such as an aquarium, a butterfly house, a cacti garden, an orchid house…the list goes on.
Palmitos Park boasts a number of must-see attractions and you should estimate at least a couple of hours or even half a day to wander around the park and take in all the sights and sounds. Particularly recommended are the breathtaking bird-of-prey shows, where eagles, owls and peregrine falcons swoop down over the audience in free flight.
Other spectacular attractions not to be missed are the parrot shows, where you’ll see these intelligent birds perform an amazing variety of tricks, from riding bicycles to doing jigsaws, painting pictures and counting to ten. Popular displays like this help to fund serious conservation programmes that involve the many endangered species living in the park.
The Orchid House creates an ideal and unique habitat for hundreds of orchids in multiple shapes and colours. This is the biggest orchid collection in the Canary Islands.
Another highlight is the Cactus Garden, where you will see an impressive collection of cacti and aloes with some outstanding specimens. One of them is curiously named Silla de la Suegra, which means the mother-in-law's chair.
The Butterfly House is the biggest in all Europe, with hundreds of exotic butterflies flying freely – a truly unforgettable experience.
The Aquarium features a wide variety of tropical fishes, including the most important collection of coral fishes in Europe. Salt and freshwater fishes with the most amazing colours and shapes live in a recreated riverbed.
Another attraction is Primates Island, home to some White Handed Gibbons, whose natural habitats are the Malayan Peninsula and Burma and who have been successfully bred here, the first time in captivity.
All of this is set within more than 1,000 palm trees and 15,000 plants, representing an abundance of endemic and imported species.
Opening hours: Every day from 10.00 to 18.00 (admission until 5pm)
Exhibitions (daily):
Dolphins: 13.00 & 16.00
Parrots: 10.30, 11.30, 14.30, 15.30 & 16.30
Birds of Prey: 11.45 & 14.30
Exotic Birds: 14.00
Location: Barranco de Los Palmitos s/n, Maspalomas
