Here there be parrots! This was definitely the item on our Canary Islands trip for which I had the most expectation, and I wasn’t sure how it would live up. “Voted best zoo in the world, twice“? I mean, I’ve seen some pretty zoos, but a zoo’s still a zoo, y’know?
It was, in fact, still a zoo! Shocking, I know. At a glance, it looked pretty familiar: there are your ‘big, impressive animals’ – the lions, the tigers, the orcas and the apes; and then the little impressive animals, also – jellyfish, bats, tortoises. Food stops and gift shops, multiple ways to get to the same place, but still a couple of easy first-timer directions, where you can follow the loop and see mostly everything. I don’t mean this as a bad thing – this is the foundation on which our expectations of a zoo are built!
And then there’s the bonuses. Parrots, everywhere, which is a given given that Loro Parque means “parrot park.” Still, somehow, I was surprised at the amount of parrots. Between any two main exhibits, parrots. A whole cluster of walk-through exhibits: also parrots. Opening the dolphin show: there were parrots!
Even excluding the parrots (sorry, parrots), the dolphin show was a standout, with not just the tricks and edutainment one would expect, but also a strong sense of crowd work and how to keep a full house engaged! The pacing was solid, and the music choices were also strong. Delightful. We hit all four of the shows they were running, including the parrots, and while all of them were good, this one was the most memorable.
Also a favorite was the penguin house, as while Brookfield Zoo out by us has warm-weather penguins, it does not have Antarctic, and it definitely doesn’t have a conveyor belt to view them from. The walk-on conveyor belts were just a good idea in general, it seemed; slowly rotating around the exhibit while you view is definitely an experience! And it gets everyone on the belt all of the angles. Also a faint sense of comedic effect. You know. Just a little.
I have no idea how one chooses best zoo in the world, but this one was delightful, with so much to see and appreciate, and we still managed to see all but half an exhibit and all of the shows in an only-slightly-harried full day! If you happen to be visiting Tenerife, definitely keep it in mind, and if you happen to be in Puerto de la Cruz, there’s a free street train that runs to and from downtown. Happy travels!
