Family day out – Palmitos Park zoo, Gran Canaria

Looking back on everything we packed into our week in Gran Canaria, I can’t quite believe how much we explored in seven days – but all good things come to an end alas. But we still managed to go out on a high note with a visit to Palmitos Park zoo and dolphinarium.

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The Gran Canaria zoo is a short drive from our villa – meeting meerkats and monkeys, seeing a parrot show, dodging a peacock and warily watching a crocodile among others.

With joint tickets available for Palmitos Park and Aqualand water park, it’s definitely worth considering a trip to both if you’re already planning to visit one – although each is worth at least a half day on its own.

For more things to do in Gran Canaria with kids, check out these ideas

Tucked away along one of those twisty mountain roads that Gran Canaria specialises in, it’s a lovely spacious site with lots of room for the animals and some open sections where you can get among them (the birds, rather than the crocodiles understandably).

There are also events on throughout the day such as the parrot show which was a big hit with Minnie.

Although I often feel uncomfortable about animals performing, the parrots looked like they were having a lot of fun playing on slides, cycling on mini bikes, showing off their counting skills, even painting.

They’re beautiful birds too and there’s a chance to have a photo taken with them afterwards if you want (although there’s no hard sell here so it’s also easy to dodge).

And one of the biggest draws at this Gran Canaria zoo is the dolphin experience at the dolphinarium.

With three pools, four million litres of water and five dolphins, a lot of thought has obviously gone into housing them – the park also talks about raising awareness of protecting the natural world with local schools.

Despite this educational aspect, I’m still very unconvinced about dolphin shows or experiences letting you touch the dolphins – and certainly wasn’t convinced Minnie would sit still long enough or care too much about seeing it – so we decided to skip that part. 

There’s still plenty to fill your time though – a butterfly house (with a tortoise wandering through), an aquarium with stunning tropical fish, even just wandering the paths with all the cacti dotted along was lovely.

And enough furry things to delight any toddler, even if she kept a respectful distance from the crocodile and its impressively pointy teeth.

Buy tickets with free cancellation here

Need to know: Palmitos Park zoo in Gran Canaria

Tickets cost 34 Euros for adults if you buy them online in advance – you have to print tickets out otherwise you’ll be charged the on-the-day cost, and they’re available for 90 days from purchase, so it’s worth doing in advance.

You can also buy tickets with free cancellation for Palmitos Park

Children aged five to 10 (and/or 1.10m to 1.40m) cost 25 Euros, while three to four-year-olds (and/or 90cm to 110cm) cost 13 Euros. Family tickets are available for 116 Euros (for two adults and two children), while two-park tickets cost 58 Euros for adults and 42.50/20 Euros for children.

Toddlers and babies aged two years and under are free, although if you have a particularly tall two-year-old you may need a passport to prove their age otherwise you’ll be charged the ‘mini’ rate.

The park is open from 10am to 6pm, with last admission at 5pm year-round.

You can see a downloadable map on the website but the site is designed to usher you round in a loop so you won’t miss anything along the way. There are also plenty of toilets, as well as cafes and snack stands plus a restaurant.

Disclosure: My entry to Palmitos Park was free for the purposes of review – all opinions are my own.

Images/video copyright MummyTravels

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