Free bus to and from Playa de Las Americas and Los Cristianos every hour. It is situated very close to Los Cristianos (exit 26 off the TF1).
The Parques Exoticos is a cactus and animal park, some 70,000 meters square in size. Some of its features include a tropical rain forest, the cactus garden, a butterfly garden and bat cave.
If you have visited the Parques Exoticos we would like to read your reviews! Any information is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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Having visited the Monkey Park Zoo recently, I was looking forward to seeing the Cactus Park/Amazonia/Animal park, which is practically next door, alongside the TF1 between Los Christianos and Guaza.
As you walk in the gate, there is a bar and dining area to go through to get to the ticket desk. The price was €15 per adult - €5 more than the Monkey Zoo - so I was expecting a bigger, perhaps more expensive venue from the start.
Unlike Monkey Zoo, the way from the ticket desk to the start of the park is via a gift shop selling generic Tenerife trinkets & postcards etc. Though animal chow (sunflower seeds & peanuts) was on sale at €1 per pack, it was an overcast January day, with few visitors and the ticket lady let me have a pack for free.
Once through the gift shop, you can turn right for 'Amazonia' or go straight on for the Cactus park. I turned right, and through the 'airlock' doors.
Wow! An emu was strolling around. He/she seemed really used to Humans, great fun, and quite tame. The 'Amazonia' door beckoned..
I emerged into what looked like a woodland trail; in fact a large area covered with mesh - the stuff they use to enclose the banana fields - initially deserted. Walking on, I came across a group of about 5 peacocks and hens on the 'forest floor' There were a couple of other colourful birds in the group (I'm no ornithologist, and there were no signs, so I'll call them 'birds' okay?) The trail follows a kind of long oval, with a dry channel running along the middle. I'd got round to the other side of the peacocks when I looked up into the trees, and saw a couple of parrots. That was it; Amazonia.
Through the 'Cactus Park' door. Initially, you follow a path through some animal enclosures. Maybe it was the time of day, or out of season, but the only animals I saw were: A few iguanas, a couple of pigs and a rabbit (hiding under a bridge)
This part of the park had quite a 'run-down' look, with facilities sort of half-finished.
Onward to the 'Reptilarium' - a straw-roofed building on the path. Inside were a collection of smallish reptile enclosures containing mainly fast-asleep snakes.
The 'bat cave' was somewhat smarter: Illuminated by a dim blue light, it took a minute or two for my eyes to adjust enough to put shapes to the fluttering and squeaky sounds around me. The sign outside says 'don't worry, bats do not bite or get caught up in your hair'!
The scenery around the park is it's saving grace. It's built in a kind of shallow valley formed of a delicate yellow/orange pumice lava, rounded and smoothed into unique rolling surfaces, pitted with holes. This is used to great effect in the actual Cactus Garden walk, which takes about an hour at a stroll.
There are many plants, but a few looked diseased and dying, and the gardens had an air of benign neglect. At the top of the path, about half-way through was the Volcano Museum and cafe. The museum was in fact a small circular building with some rocks in niches (some, with the illumination working) and pretty general information about volcanos printed behind them. Oh, and there was a plaster model of Tenerife by the exit.
The Cafe was closed or broken - I couldn't tell which.
The second half of the walk is mercifully downhill, and some of the cactii (each bed labelled with the latin name) were quite interesting.
And that was pretty much it. I probably missed a few bits - and I hope it wasn't anything spectacular, because I emerged with a distinct feeling that it wasn't €15 wisely spent.
I really wanted to give the park a good review, because it is clearly a local-run, out-of town attraction, and goodness knows, the Island has few of them. But the locally-run Monkey Zoo next door spoiled my expectations.
In all, the park gave the impression to me of being a little past any glory days it might have had when new, and in need of some kind of refurbishment and/or investment.
Well I went there early last year (2006) and had almost the same experience as yourself, except there were no exotic birds or peacocks.
I notice you did not mention the Butterfly house which was there when I visited, and only contained one butterfly, and also had a very neglected feel to it with broken windows etc.
The iguanas were plentiful and very large but beyond that and the pot bellied pigs I only saw two marmoset monkeys and the bats.
So it would appear that they have at least increased the number of animals in the park but not inproved the condition.
I agree that after the monkey zoo (which is a great experience) the cactus park is a let down and not worth the 15 euro entrance fee.
When I first went there it was great. Amazonia was full of parrots, humming birds and beautiful butterflys as well as those larger walking birds. I used to go occasionally and sit on one of the benches and have a picnic it was wonderful.
The cactii were plentiful and healthy and that cafe at the top was home to 2 amazing sloths. Back down where the rabbit is were wallabies, another part had many monkeys, and there was a donkey, rabbits and guinea pigs. The last part was full of parrots and iguanas. Everything looked happy and healthy, it was a joy to behold.
I hadn't been there for over a year but went back last November, I was horrified. It's just as you describe, except when I was there the Emu seemed very distressed, pacing up and down by the glass door looking into the cafe.
I noticed in most parts the covering is torn where the trees have pierced it and grown through, and at one time i did see a small monkey run a long the top outside so I can only imagine the majority of the birds and animals etc escaped.
It really is very sad and as always in these cases the helpless animals are the ones to suffer. I don't know what has happened if it's a financial problem, or just a case of disinterest and neglect. I do know that it is definetly not worth visiting now.
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I went to the monkey park on Saturday with my young son. We had a fabulous time and the reviews on here were exact, so I have nothing to add. Thank you everyone
We did pop into Parque Exotique (next door) on the way back for a coffee and a look around...........and I can honestly say it was anything but 'exotique'.
The cactus park was mostly dead, the butterfly area was neglected and the crocodile bit was very sad. The one monkey looked very distressed, the exhibition was shocking, reptiles were mostly absent and the whole experience was distressing. No staff at all and we were the only ones there. Judging by the admission costs and the cost of coffee, it cannot be because of lack of funds?
I don't know...but I would advise don't waste your money.
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Last edited by KirstyJay; 25th October 2007 at 14:39.
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