Iberian Zoo Trip

ANyhuis

ANyhuis

Well-Known Member
In October, while I'm not certain yet, I hope to be making a big 5-day loop of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain & Portugal) to visit the best zoos in these 2 nations.

My plans are to see the following: Valencia Bioparc, Valencia Aquarium,
Madrid Zoo Aquarium, Barcelona Zoo, Lisbon Zoo, Lisbon Aquarium.

Does anyone have any recommendations on any other "don't miss" zoos in these 2 nations? Thanks!
 
Zoo Jerez and Rainforest-Fuengirola + you are totally avoiding the various excellent Spanish bird parks (Loro Parque and Parque Palmitos).
 
The Terra Natura park in Benidorm (not too far away from Valencia) is a pretty good zoo (there is another one in Spain as well, but i've heard the Benidorm one is better)
 
Allen, I hope I just misunderstood you and that you are not trying to cover the whole Iberian Peninsula in just five days. The massive driving distances will see you getting no sleep. Barcelona Zoo is on the east coast of Spain and Lisbon Zoo is on the west coast of Portugal for instance. And I agree with Kifaru, Fuengirola is a not-to-miss zoo (was there before it opened, in the summer of 2001, guided around by the project manager, still have left to see the place in its full glory)
 
Baldur is right ... You will have no time to visit them all and end up doing everything on the under 50/50 range. It is better to arrange for more time to get up there and see all zoos worth your while in a better spaced-out time-frame.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
+ you are totally avoiding the various excellent Spanish bird parks (Loro Parque and Parque Palmitos).
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NOT avoiding them, just trying to see what I can in 5 days -- I'll obviously have to prioritize!

Thanks for all the advice, folks. Yes, I'm aware of how big Spain is! It'll mean a few long nights of driving, but I'm at least going to TRY to do this big loop! Maybe I'll give up and concentrate on just half of Iberia. But then again, my problem is that I'm from the USA -- I don't have the luxury of being able to easily get to Spain on a whim. When I'm in Europe, I have to take advantage of my opportunities.

That's why I still appreciate all of your advice. Does anyone, by the way, know of the attendance figures for Spanish (and Portuguese) zoos?
 
@ANyhuis: how many kilometers were you expecting to drive on this 5-day trek? My gut instinct is that the trip could EASILY be accomplished, as long as you are willing to drive for many hours every day. It is a piece of cake as long as you enjoy driving, and who wouldn't in such exotic nations such as Spain and Portugal? In 2006 my wife and I drove 9,000 km in 15 days, and we saw 6 zoos/aquariums, 13 U.S. States and a wealth of other attractions (Mount Rushmore, Grand Canyon, etc), and last summer as you know we went on an 8-week road trip and saw 30 zoos and aquariums as well as 9 Canadian Provinces and exactly 40 American States. On that trip we drove 22,000 km (400 km per day) but that is only the average. The first few days of the trip I drove for 10-12 hours basically nonstop when we were crossing the prairie Provinces of Canada, while on other days I did not drive at all. I personally have no problem driving for that many hours (stopping for food and toilet breaks) but others might object.

You can arrive at a zoo at around 9 a.m. or whenever they open, spend 5-6 hours there, and then at 2 or 3 in the afternoon you can leave and you'd then have at least 8 hours of driving ahead of you before pulling off the highway, finding a motel and heading to bed. EASY!!!!!! In fact, why not see 2 zoos a day? Bang off as many zoos as you can Allen, because who knows when you'll be in Spain or Portugal again. On your next European venture you can go for a fortnight and have more time to space things out.

I don't understand ZooChatters that say it can't be done. Those that live in North America are used to HUGE spaces!:)
 
snowleopard said:
how many kilometers were you expecting to drive on this 5-day trek? My gut instinct is that the trip could EASILY be accomplished, as long as you are willing to drive for many hours every day.
I don't understand ZooChatters that say it can't be done.
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Thanks for the encouragement, SnowLeopard! Right now, my plan is for a looping trip of 3,056 km (or 1,899 miles). That's an average of 611 km per day. If I can average 110 km/hour, I'll be driving 5.5 hours per day, on average. So even if I don't get done with a zoo until 18:00, I could still be in my hotel my midnight.

Tell me, Spanish friends (amigos). What is the average speed on the Spanish motorways? Is the speed limit enforced very strictly?
 
I'm not Spanish and have never driven in Spain, but from what I hear about Spanish traffic, just drive as fast and wild as you can and you'll blend in with the locals just fine! ;)
 
ANyhuis said:
Tell me, Spanish friends (amigos). What is the average speed on the Spanish motorways? Is the speed limit enforced very strictly?
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The motorways (Autopistas) have tolls, so, if you want to run faster you will need to pay :D You can also try to use "Autovias", that are free and the speed limits are the same (the maximum is 120 Km/h). But for example, there are not "Autovias" (free motorways) between Valencia and Barcelona.

I recommend you to visit Barcelona Zoo on a working day, not on weekends. The zoo is full of people on weekends and the terrarium and Aquarama are very crowded
 
I personally think it is insane to drive more then 600 km a day AND visit a zoo on every single day too, I`d hate it after the first day, but maybe that`s just me.

If I were you, I`d do Barcelona, the 2 Valencia zoos, Benidorm, and Madrid. That is a nice (though a lot smaller) loop too and covers the most interesting zoos in the Iberian peninsula exept the Lisbon zoo and Aquarium and maybe the Cabarceno parque. I don`t think the zoo in Jerez and Fuengirola are worth going - I havn`t been in Jerez, but I have seen Fuengirola, and it`s awful and extremely small (just 2 ha). Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia zoo have interesting collections, but nothing in Barcelona nor Madrid is really good and most enclosures consist of lots of concrete. Valencia is probably better although nothing great, and Terra Natura Benidorm is pleasant to go and has a lot to see.
 
@Yassa: I suppose that you are not too keen on driving, and I know many people that also think it is crazy to drive anywhere from 400-800 km a day just to go on holiday and see zoos. I totally understand.:)

However, one must understand the North American mentality. Where I live in southwestern Canada if I wish to visit a major zoo it is a 5-hour roundtrip to go to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. The next major zoo after that? There are a couple of smaller places near Seattle, but the Oregon Zoo is 10 hours away roundtrip! The nearest aquarium is a 3-hour roundtrip to Vancouver, and so for me to visit a major establishment it is a full day journey, and that includes patiently waiting with passport in hand at the American border.

Even in a relatively small American State such as Ohio, with plenty of major zoos nearby (Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, Cleveland) to visit one is a 4-hour roundtrip every time. If someone lives in a major American or Canadian city it is generally 2 hours one-way to the nearest zoo in another city, and so that's why on my road trips I end up driving incredible distances just to see a variety of zoos. Around Canada, the U.S. and Australia I've seen almost 75 different zoos and aquariums, and I always tell people that total is the equivalent of about 200 for those zoo fans who reside in Europe. It's not like a country such as Germany where if you toss a rock in the air you'll hit a zoo.:) Driving huge distances is easy and completely necessary in North America, and I know that Allen is prepared to spend 25% of his vacation behind the wheel of a car.
 
Once in Portugal, you have very easy straight motorways that connect the border of Spain to Lisbon.

If coming by Badajoz, you easily reach Lisbon in 1.5 hour trip.

Max speed in Portugal is 120 km/h, but you can easily reach to 140 km/h without problems. Plus, the motorways are very nice to travell, and once in Lisbon you can easily find the Zoo.

If you want - and have time - visit the Lisbon Ocenarium. Very close to the Zoo.

Spanish highways are also very easy to travell, plus in both Spanish and Portuguese highways you have hotels on the side, where you can easily sleep for few money (Ibis hotle, for example).

If any help, let us know!
 
Thank you (Obrigado!), CindelP, for all of the very useful information. My date for Lisboa will probably be 15 October (Thursday). I will probably be driving in from the south, coming from Tarifa (Spain) the evening before. From the maps, it looks like some very good motorways from that route. I will be leaving Portugal via the Badajoz route, on my way to Madrid. Also, I will probably be spending my nights camping. I do this to both save money and because I enjoy camping.

Yes, I definitely plan to visit the Lisboa Oceanarium. I have heard that it is the second-largest aquarium in Europe (after Valencia). I am already in contact with someone from both the Oceanarium and the Zoo in Lisboa.

Is Lisboa easy to drive around in, or should I park my car somewhere and rely on public transportation?

Obrigado again!
 
Hi,

I'm not a very big fan of the Oceanarium, but everyone says that this a very good one, so if you're comming to Lisbon, i would take the chance and visit it!

Lisbon is a very esy city to park and travell by car. Personally, I hate public transportations.

The highway from Badajoz to Lisbon is a very easy and pleasant one.

I dont know if you will enter Lisbon by the south side (coming from the bridges, over Teo river) or by Alverca.

I would advise you to get a GPS and search for "Sete Rios". That's where the zoo is.
If you cannot have a GPS, it's also quite easy to found.
If comming to Alverca, just to straigh to the "Second Circular", passing by the airport and straight head. Then you will have to turn right to "Sete Rios" on the "eixo Norte-Sul" and exit at Sete Rios.
After exiting at Sete Rios, you will find the ^Zoo just at your right. On your left (below a bridge), there is a parking-park, where you can leave you car. It's paid (but not expensive) and safe. Then just croos the street and enter the zoo.

To the Ocenarium, just look for the "Parque das Nacoes" - it's here the Oceanarium is situated. It's very easy to find this place and a very pleasant place to have dinner or just to walk by the river.

Please, then let us know that you thought of Lisbon Zoo as well of other Iberian Zoos, as it's always nice to see them compared to USA zoos.

And Boa Viagem!
 
I am shocked that so many people on this forum are desperate to visit Barcelona Zoo. When I want about 6 years ago, the conditions were horrendous. Although it has a large collection, it has very few particularly rare mammals. Many enclosures were overcrowded, small and concerete. I will never forget the abysmal hippo enclosure with one of the hippos biting the concerete fence, nor the overcrowded hoofstock enclosures or the concerete monkey ones. In my opinion it is best avoided and the Aquarium in Barcelona is much better.
 
Absolutely wonderful instruction, CindelP! I will definitely let you all know what I think of these Iberian zoos. Perhaps I should start a thread, with my zoo reviews, just as "SnowLeopard" did a year ago on his North American zoo journey. I leave for Europe in 22 days (on 9 October). Some of you may not know it, but I'm going to see the Moscow Zoo (in Russia) first.

As for the Barcelona Zoo, they get 1.1 million visitors per year. That alone makes me want to go see it for myself. Perhaps I'll agree with your assessment, Simmojunior, and perhaps not. I will tell you that I heard from the staff of the Barcelona Zoo today and they definitely have big plans for the future.
 
simmojunior, I'm agree with you. The Barcelona Zoo has many outdated exhibits, but this year have started the full remodelation of the zoo and since some years ago many other old exhibits have been reconstructed (penguins, chimpances, gorillas, part of the terrarium, aviarium, elephants...). Before the end of this year the new Komodo dragon - Muntjak exhibit will be open (when you will visit the zoo you will find detailed maps of this new exhibit).

It seems that the hippo enclosure will be reconstructed in a short period of time, because there's a sign in front of its enclosure indicating that it's going to be improved
 
aim_foliksta said:
simmojunior, I'm agree with you. The Barcelona Zoo has many outdated exhibits, but this year have started the full remodelation of the zoo and since some years ago many other old exhibits have been reconstructed (penguins, chimpances, gorillas, part of the terrarium, aviarium, elephants...). Before the end of this year the new Komodo dragon - Muntjak exhibit will be open (when you will visit the zoo you will find detailed maps of this new exhibit).

It seems that the hippo enclosure will be reconstructed in a short period of time, because there's a sign in front of its enclosure indicating that it's going to be improved
Click to expand...

Are you suggesting they are going to mix komodo dragons and muntjac deer. It is good to hear the elephants do not have to live in that miniscule african complex. Does that now mean the rhinos have a more appropriate amount of space.
 
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