Palmitos Park

Palmitos Park is a large, 200,000 m² botanical garden and aviary on the island of Gran Canaria, one of the Canary islands, which are a part of Spain. The subtropical park is situated in the south of the island, approx. 10 km north of the tourist beaches and dunes of Maspalomas, but towards the interior.

The park lies in a countryside setting, in the midst of mountains. Because of this park visitors have the opportunity in many places of beautiful views and vistas when walking through the park. There is a small terrace near a fountain, along a path that leads up to the amphitheater where flying birds of prey perform in shows. Next to the amphitheater there is a snack bar, and a small cafeteria can be found elsewhere in the park.

A striking feature of the park is the great wealth of cacti and succulents— the succulents being in excellent condition. There are over 160 different cactus types and 1000 palm trees of 42 different types.

Parrot-like birds are well-represented in the park, but other types of birds are also to be found, including a variety of swans and ducks. In all there are over 1,500 exotic birds of 230 different species. Many of these fly freely in the park. Crazy Delores, an insane parrot, is the most famous resident.

Additionally there are monkeys, crocodiles, an orchid house, an aquarium with fish and coral displays, and Europe's largest butterfly house.

Near the exit behind the souvenir shop, one can admire hummingbirds that fly very visibly in front of their food.

However, it has been reported that the staff in the cafe area are very light fingered with customers' belongings.

ections of the park

*Butterfly house with (mainly living) butterflies.
*Pond with water birds
*Glass cages with hummingbirds
*House of orchids
*Terrace near fountain
*Amphitheater with shows with flying birds of prey
*Presentation room with documentaries and shows with trained parrots
*Souvenir shop
*Aquaria with many kinds of fish and other underwater animals

Forest Fires

On July 31, 2007 it has been reported in the media that almost 65 % of the park has been burned due to forest fires. It also has been reported that some exotic bird species such as the Toucan may have been killed. The forest fires have so far caused evacuations of certain parts of Gran Canaria and Tenerife. A local Forest Ranger is currently being held in police custody. It is alleged he started the fires intentionally in order to keep him in employment as his contract was due to expire [http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1277910,00.html?f=rss] [http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0731/canary.html?rss] .

Because Palmitos Park was severely affected by the recent and devastating fire that took place on Gran Canaria island during the last days of July 2007, the Park was closed for a whole year. The park opened for the public again August 4th 2008. They have a new section with information about the forest fire.

Links

[http://www.palmitospark.es/palmitos/index.php?wlang=en official Website (engl./spain)]