Zoomarine, The Algarve, Portugal

Zoomarine is what would probably be called a Theme Park . However it is small compared to some , features living creatures more than fun-rides and , for me , was one of the highlights of a recent holiday to Portugal. We stayed in Albufeira on The Algarve which is the Southern coast of Portugal . Zoomarine was about a 10 minute coach ride from Albufeira .

BOOKING
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You can book a visit through most of the local hotels and travel agents , book on-line or just pay an entrance fee on the day . We booked through our hotel ,and paid a little more to include the transport there and back .
You can book by phone on (+351)289 560 306

PRICES
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Entrance fee for an adult is 21.50 euros or 25.50 euros if you are booking the transport also . Children aged between 5 and 10 years old and senior citizens pay 13 euros whilst the under 5's are free . If you want to take part in the dolphin interaction the fee is 140 euros and 8 euros for anyone accompanying you as a bystander . Apart from the drinks , food and shopping , everything else inside is free .

OPENING TIMES
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From the 26-3 until the 01-07 Zoomarine is open 10 am until 6pm
From 2-7 until 14-9 it is open 10am until 7.30pm
From 15-9 until 31-10 it is open 10am until 6pm

ZOOMARINE, The Algarve , Portugal .
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Zoomarine is located somewhat off the beaten track , although it is not far away from larger resorts .As you enter through the turnstile you will have your photograph taken , unless you decline , as we did . I assume there is a fee for this but I am not sure .If you pick up an information booklet , either when booking or on arrival , it should include the layout of Zoo marine . It has almost a circular shape to it .

The sections are :-
4D Cinema
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Although our coach arrived at 11.45am and did not pick us up until 6pm we did not have time to visit the 4D cinema . Still we would love to return and if we do this will be our first stop next visit . Apparently it is a movie which uses state of the art digital special effects to explore three of the greatest dangers facing man and the earth today . These are global warming , deforestation and the destruction of the ocean habitat . The show runs on the hour and half hour so you do need to work out a rough plan if you want to visit everything .

A journey into the world of fantasy =======================
This includes two sections . One is the dolphin show which is truly spectacular and was our favourite . The three trainers and , the stars of the show, the Dolphins, perform a great routine .It was breathtaking and everyone really enjoyed it . Children and adults alike seemed to be impressed equally .The warm up clown was hilarious and got the audience , including us, into a fun mood .There is then a section designed to resemble a pirate ship where a 'play' is performed with trainers , seals and sea-lions .This was funny and very entertaining . As a pirate looked set to be made to walk a high plank a small girl behind us was heard to shout , with relish , 'Push her off'. Priceless .
Twice a day you can watch the sea-lions and seals being fed also .

An encounter with the magic of the forest
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This includes a tropical birds show and a bird of prey show . These are held in two separate parts of the site , but close to each other . Some members of the audience are willingly involved at times .

Discover the fascination and mysteries of nature ===============================
A visit to the aquarium is a must . Here you can see sharks , turtles and a strange array of fish . It is not a large aquarium but was a much bigger display than we imagined it would be .There many tanks in the aurium and it is interesting and entertaining . As you wander around Zoomarine you will also come across crocodiles , turtles , sea lions and a manatee .

Dive into fun and adventure
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There is a section with green areas where you can picnic or just relax and these areas have three outdoor swimming pools which are suitable for adults , children or babies .Here is where the fun-rides can be found . They include a big wheel ,pirate boat , mini roller coaster and merry-go-rounds . There is a small log flume ride situated near the birds .

Preserve marine life ==============
A small science exhibition is designed with the aim of promoting conservation .This was the least impressive display but was still interesting .The problem was the information here was all in Portuguese and so wasted on us .There is also a new rehabilitation centre .This will house any injured , exhausted or sick marine animals which are found on the Portuguese coast .

Feel the emotion of the oceans and the Dolphin ===========================
interaction programme
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This requires booking and has some special requirements . If you are thinking of booking you will need to check the small print for this one . However it basically allows the participant face to face contact with the Dolphins , under supervision of course . The whole visit would take about 90 minutes , including preparation . The time in the water is about 30 minutes .

Restaurants and shops ========================
There are a few restaurants and shops throughout Zoomarine . The restaurants are basically self service but the food was OK and was reasonably priced .You can take in a picnic of your own food and drink as there are no restrictions on bringing in food and drink . The shops are mainly marine related souveniers .

OVERALL
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Both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit , despite both being in our fifties . The children and families visiting seemed to have a ball . There are the occasional clowns and extra fun surprises . One thing to note though is the 'shows' such as the Dolphins or feeding the seals etc occur at set times . Each section has a board outside with the times of the performances . It would be wise to browse them first as we found we missed a little bit of the odd thing and also if you want , or need a seat ,you may find yourself standing .You can however visit each section as many times as you like .

I usually find places such as Zoos interesting but sad and I tend to feel a little guilty at visiting . However Zoomarine ,on the whole, has a different feel to it and was highly enjoyable , if not a little hot the day we visited . Surprisingly , for the amount of people who went through the gates that day , the facilities were quite clean also .

I give Zoomarine a 10 / 10 as it provided an interesting , but fun day out . If you arrived at opening time and stayed till close you would still find plenty to do .It is great value for money and was definitely inspiring .

http://www.zoomarine.com/ for more information .

Thanks for reading
Copyright Eiley 2007

Hopefully some of the photos are now showing , fingers crossed .