Parque Ecologico Las Aguilas del Teide

...and watched them develop. The Parque Ecologico Las Aguilas Del Teide, or the Ecological Eagle Park of Teide, is a "Tropical Paradise," with 72000 square metres of land. It is essentially a zoo, but one of the big things that separates the Eagle Park is its hands on attitude. Yes, you can actually handle some of the animals in here, which I will elaborate on later.

The park is surprisingly not very well known, arguably due ...
...much closer than the Loro Parque (and cheaper).

Once you get there, your entry fee is 22 Euros for an adult and 14.50 Euros for children. For residents of the Canaries who carry the Residencia, which is a card of residents both Canarian and foreign, prices are 15.50 Euros for adults and 10.50 for children. In both cases the child fee applies to children aged 4-12 years. Those over 12 are, unfortunately, required to pay adult fee and ... more

I have been spending 6 - 12 weeks each summer in Tenerife for the last 11 years and as a result, have visited each of the main attractions several times and watched them develop. The Parque Ecologico Las Aguilas Del Teide, or the Ecological Eagle Park of Teide, is a "Tropical Paradise," with 72000 square metres of land. It is essentially a zoo, but one of the big things that separates the Eagle Park is its hands on attitude. Yes, you can actually handle some of the animals in here, which I will elaborate on later.

The park is surprisingly not very well known, arguably due to the massive advertising campaign the Loro Parque has going on in Tenerife, which tends to attract some of the custom away from the Eagle Park. However, advertising in increasing, along with
popularity.

The Eagle Park is located in Arona, just outside Los Cristianos centre, which is a large tourist resort. There is excellent transport provided by tour companies and the park itself for tourists. You can book the trip through your holiday rep of through any of the travel shops around the tourist resorts, but this will undoubtedly cost more than if you book your travel and pay entry separately. However, for convenience lots do prefer to do it this way. For those of you staying in either Las Americas, Torviscas or Los Cristianos, the Eagle Park runs regular free buses from these centres up to the park. For those staying a little further away such as Los Gigantes or Puerto Santiago, you can take the green public bus (company name is Titsa) to Las Americas and take the free bus from there or book a coach from the Hotel Barcelo Santiago for 11 euros per adult and 6 euros per child for the return journey. One thing worth noting (might I say I have nothing against the Loro Parque, nor am I paid by the Eagle Park lol) is that for the tourist resorts of Las Americas, Los Cristianos and Los Gigantes the Eagle Park is also much closer than the Loro Parque (and cheaper).

Once you get there, your entry fee is 22 Euros for an adult and 14.50 Euros for children. For residents of the Canaries who carry the Residencia, which is a card of residents both Canarian and foreign, prices are 15.50 Euros for adults and 10.50 for children. In both cases the child fee applies to children aged 4-12 years. Those over 12 are, unfortunately, required to pay adult fee and those under 4 go free. For this entry fee you gain access to see all of animals and all of the shows. It is worth checking out the show times as you go in and getting there fifteen minutes early for good seats. I'll talk more about the individual shows later on.

First though I will tell you exactly the animals you can see on your visit.

1. Penguins and Cormorant who have a beautiful enclosure, with white rocks which is a wonderful size. There are set feeding times for these birds, which are displayed on a board outside the enclosure and it really is worth going at these times to watch them feeding.

2. Hippopotamuses are next in a huge enclosure which was set up as part of a worldwide conservation programme.

3. Next is the Gibbon. There are also set feeding times for these at which you can go back and watch. Again, very much worth doing.

4. The Capuchin Monkey is in a good sized enclosure and when I saw these last, they were very happy to get close to the tourists.

5. Leopards are next in a massive enclosure and are absolutely beautiful creatures. They really are amazing to watch.

6. Chimpanzees are fabulous to see. There are loads of them in the enclosure and are keen to come right up to the glass and see who is looking at them!

7. Crocodiles - these are Nile Crocodiles and you can get quite close, albeit from behind glass, but quite nervy all the same! Those are some sharp teeth!

8. Cercopiteco Monkey, which is a very small grey/black monkey of East and Central African origin.

9. Siamang monkey which is a large species and very keen to get close to the tourists!

10. Varano - This is an Australian reptile. I suppose you could say it's an alligator meets iguana type of creature in terms of appearance. I am told, however, that they only feed on seeds and nuts and so not at all like alligators in attitude.

11. Red Panda - a racoon like creature who tends to try and avoid getting too close to the watchers! Very cute though.

12. Birds of prey, which include bald eagles, falcons, hawks and marabous but I will elaborate more when I discuss the bird of prey shows.

13. The White Lion - this is one of my favourite species in the park. This species is kept in a huge enclosure done out to look as much like the natural habitat as possible. You can watch them from behind a glass screen but from only 2 or 3 feet away. They are so gracious for such carnivorous and strong creatures and I was truly astonished by these lions.

14. Lions - these are more common than their white brothers, but no less fantastic to watch from the close range you get to view them from here.

15. Orang-utan - This was another of my favourites. This is an endangered species and you can get really close. It's amazing to see the beds and "facilities" they have made for themselves using just branches etc. This is a very intelligent species.

16. Suricatas Mongoose - A tiny African species in a very well kept enclosure. Very cute!

17. Lemur - a very cute black and white primate. The enclosure you walk through is open and you find they cling onto your bags or pushchairs in an escape attempt, but there are always well trained staff on hand to get them off! This really is the closest I'm sure you'll come to creatures like this.

18. Alligators - Again, a fabulous enclosure and the glass screens allow you to get almost scarily close!

19. The Puma - in its huge enclosure this creature goes about its daily routine as though there were no visitors present. It is truly remarkable.

20. Bengal Tigers - these share their beautiful enclosure with the next species as well and are fabulous to watch. Again, their enclosure has been designed to look and feel as much like their natural habitat as possible and the viewing is simply a pleasure.

21. White Tigers - these white tigers are absolutely the one attraction of the park that stands out for me. They have amazing white fur with black stripes and the most beautiful, huge blue eyes I've seen. An endangered species because of the attractiveness of their fur, the Eagle Park is now part of a worldwide conservation programme helping to maintain the species.

22. Owls - these are briefly featured in the Birds of Prey show, but when they're not doing that, you admire them uncaged sitting on perches around the park.

23. Jaguar - this is an elegant feline creature and spectacular to watch.

As well as the animals already mentioned, there are two "hands-on" enclosures I will also tell you about. The first is the Indonesian Loris. As you walk into the enclosure you are offered a small pot of liquid food which attracts these beautiful, colourful birds to you. I would mention here that you might not want to wear your best clothes as on several occasions in this enclosure I have found myself wearing bird faeces! Not pleasant but a small sacrifice for such a wonderful experience. Smaller children might also be frightened as the birds flock very quickly to your little pot of food and tend to perch on your arms, head and shoulders.

The second of these is a small enclosure housing saimiris primates, which are small vegetarian monkeys. You are advised as you walk into this "walk-through" enclosure that Mothers carry their young on their backs and not to touch the young, but to expect the older ones to climb all over you and feel free to stroke. And climb all over you they do! But they're placid and completely harmless. I have done this hands-on enclosure several times now and am no less amazed each time I do it. It's a great experience for children too and really aids their learning with regards small animals. The one negative point I would make about this enclosure is that, through a small gate at the end of the enclosure, you enter the next enclosure, which is also walk-through. However, this walk through enclosure houses Lemurs, which you are advised not to touch given their unpredictable temperament. This is fine for adults, but I imagine some children could be confused by being permitted to touch one minute and not the next.

As well as the features above, there are the shows. These are a birds of prey show and an exotic bird show. As I said earlier, I would very much recommend checking the times on entry and getting there fifteen minutes early for a good seat. In the birds of prey show, the exceptionally professional trainers exhibit the natural talents of these amazing species. These birds fly right over the spectators' heads, so close you can feel the breeze it makes. This is a spectacular show and, best of all, is included in your entry fee, so don't miss it!

The other is the exotic bird show, in which you see some of the Indonesian Species mentioned earlier and a lot of other tropical birds, including several species of parrot performing all kinds of tricks, such as riding unicycles. I was a little sceptical of this at first, as I felt it unnatural and forced for these birds to perform these tricks. However, they often have independent professionals in to talk to tourists and they explain how the birds are happy and settled.

The other attractions in this park include an African Town in which you can visit small shops selling traditional African merchandise. The people working in the village, which has been designed to look as much like a traditional African village as possible, are Senegalese. Their face paints are typical of Kenyan Masai Mara but their dances, songs and language in which they speak are all traditional of their country. This little village is truly wonderful attraction.

Another is the "Jungle Raid." This is a series of climbing frames (made safe by using nets underneath them) ad swinging ropes bridges (again with catch nets underneath). These series of climbing frames and bridges can be used by both adults and children and can get you from one side of the park to another. You get a real "jungle" experience as you climb over bushes and tropical trees and in view of hundreds of animals.

The final attraction I wish to discuss is the Bobsleigh ride. This is a fabulous, if somewhat scary, ride. You get dragged up to the top of a metal chute and then it's freefall in your 'sledge' type vehicle all the way down. It's simply a bobsleigh without the ice. Adults must accompany children and it is worth nothing that this is not included in the price. Last time I went it was 2 Euros per bob, on which you fit one adult and a child in front. You can slow the bob down if it gets too fast for your liking. It does go quite far up the sides of the chute so might not be suited for those of you who prefer to avoid scaring yourselves, but it's a favourite with children and adults like.

That pretty much covers the attractions in the park but there are several restaurants and shops, which are all quite expensive in relation to outlets of a similar nature outside the park, but I suppose this is common with all tourist attractions of this kind. There is a sit in restaurant and two food stands, plus several gift shops.

The point I am very eager to make is that I am very much against animal cruelty. These are the best conditions I have come across in a captive animal environment. There are also several independent professional reviews displayed stating the state of happiness of the animals kept there.

This is one of the best attractions I have been anywhere. It is fabulous value for money and I really recommend that you visit!
 

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