I have been living in Spain for more than one year, and I keep discovering new places that fascinate me and are interesting for those who come to rest. On my website costablankaru.ru I tell and advise where to go and what to visit on the Costa Blanca. I want to tell you about another corner of the White Coast.
Near the city Alcoya safari park is located on Mount Aytana. It is divided into two parts - one can walk and look at animals in cages. On the other, it is allowed to travel by car on your own, go out and see African residents within walking distance.
In the first, in the pedestrian part of the park, you will see raccoons, ferrets, monkeys, parrots, goats, tigers and lions, a lynx, a python basking in the sun outside the cage, and various birds.
In a wider area, about 7 km, along which you need to move by car, you will see both herbivores and predators.
The second part of the park is also divided into two territories. On one, you can get out of the car without fear for your life.
On the other, where predators live, it is allowed to move in a car with closed windows and getting out of it is strictly prohibited. Here we saw a pride of lions, tigers, leopards.
Shivering the roar of a lion on safari. He is undoubtedly the king of beasts. After all, even looking at how the lions lie, gracefully and with some kind of independence in their eyes.
I was lucky with the tourists, we caught the moment when the park ranger was tending the elephants. We managed to touch them, being at arm's length and observe them.
Interestingly, the two females obeyed and followed the caretaker's commands unquestioningly, and what I did not know was that the elephants were eating the tree - they were happy to grump dry tree branches.
We were also pleased with the attention of the animals. Not all of them were curious and made contact. For example, a llama, an arrogant animal and did not approach us, even when we appeased her with a delicacy.
But ponies, donkeys, goats, camels - they ran to us as fast as we got out of the car. We fled from some of us, climbing into the car, and they poked their faces into the ajar windows.
Hippos, hippos, dangerous animals. It is in such closeness that you can contact them. They love to lie in the mud. There is a swimming pool and a puddle of mud for them in the vallière, where they spend most of the day.
The park features a large number of animals: ostriches, llamas, bison, elephants, lions, tigers, panthers, wolves, hippos, donkeys, horses, ponies, buffaloes, goats, zebras, camels, monkeys, giraffe and others.
The journey is true it turned out full of surprises and discoveries. Before our very eyes, the ostrich laid an egg, a large and very beautiful one.
We saw a newborn fawn, which was still uncertainly on its feet, but when the caretaker called her, she wagged her tail, recognizing her, well, like a dog.
Residents of big cities will say - no wonder, an ordinary zoo. Believe me not. This park cannot even be compared with the Moscow zoo. Difference? Almost throughout the park, animals are at large, and this gives an extreme and thrill that you really are traveling in Africa.
A few kilometers away is the most interesting and most impressive amusement park in southern Spain - safari park Selwo Aventura which is definitely worth a visit if you are planning your own.
Situated on an area of more than 100 hectares, the safari park is an open zoo where animals live in their natural habitat. I would like to note that the park is part of the same network with the Selwo Marina dolphinarium and the Telerifico cable car, located in the city of Benalmadena, therefore, buying one ticket to visit all three places, you can save a lot.
Safari park Selvo Aventura - prices
Here we will give prices for visiting the safari park only(at the time of this writing): an adult ticket (from 10 years old) costs 24.50 euros per person, a child ticket (from 3 to 9 years old) - 17 euros. If you book your tickets online, the discount is 1 euro for each ticket. It is possible to purchase one ticket for a family, depending on the number of children, which will be slightly cheaper than if you bought each ticket separately.
The safari park is open mainly in summer time, the park is closed in winter and starts working approximately from the beginning of March. In any case, when planning your vacation for south coast Spain, it is better to clarify in advance both the opening hours of the park and prices, and, possibly, book tickets in advance to guarantee that you will enjoy visiting the park. All this can be done on the safari park website: http://www.selwo.es/en.
A small note: even if you are not used to booking tickets on your own and prefer to buy all the excursions and tickets from the guide, in this case, it is better to do it yourself and get a guaranteed discount on visiting all three places!
Safari park - how to get there
A trip to the safari park should definitely be planned for the whole day, since two or three hours to explore it will definitely not be enough for you. A big disadvantage in its location: getting to the safari park will not be very easy if you are not staying in Marbella or Estepona. So, a free bus runs from the park on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but the route and arrival time must be specified in advance with the guide or by phone on the website. This bus is guaranteed to get you to the park from Marbella free of charge. But keep in mind that the seats on the bus must be booked in advance, otherwise the driver will not let you in.
If you don't get on a bus from the park, then getting to the park is most convenient by taxi, since the regular bus running between cities along the coast does not take you to the park, and you have to walk a decent distance on foot uphill, which is hot, and even and with children, it is completely uncomfortable.
In principle, in the most extreme case, if you do not want to spend time and energy on the road to the safari park in one day, but you want to visit there, you can book a hotel at the park and stay there for a few days. But this option is good for those who travel on their own by car, and of course, if your children are not very young, since civilization will be available only a few kilometers away in the form of the city of Estepona.
Selwo Aventura - animals and entertainment
Well, now let's see why we talked so long about how to get to the park. After reading about how to get to the park and seeing decent prices for entry tickets, you have probably already begun to wonder whether it is worth going there at all!
Calmly! By going to the safari park, you will definitely have a good day with your children. More than two thousand animals from several continents have been collected in the park, and they do not live in cages, as in an ordinary zoo, but freely walk around the park in the zones assigned to them. Speaking of the safety of your children: all areas are securely fenced off with nets, but do not lose your vigilance in order to avoid unnecessary injuries, since the terrain is very mountainous.
The park is divided into three large zones that climb to the top of the mountain (by the way, from the mountain in good weather you can see the coast of Africa!). You can move between the sectors both on foot and in open jeeps-trucks, which regularly come to the stops marked on the map.
We will immediately stipulate what these truck jeeps so you don't have any surprises when you arrive at the safari park. You will ride on high trucks like KAMAZ with an open top. There are wooden benches in the back with handrails to hold on to. And you need to hold on tightly, since the path first goes high up along a narrow winding road, and then descends back very much down to the beginning of the park. So keep an eye on your children continuously during the trip!
In general, we recommend that you build your trip through the park in such a way as to get to the top by jeep, and down, if you have strength and if possible with your children, go down on foot. But if you are with a stroller, then it is also better to go down in jeeps, because the transitions between the zones will be in the form of suspension bridges, along which it will be problematic to carry both the child and the stroller!
The first sector you enter after passing ticket control is The nature of Portico... The flora and fauna of this sector is represented by animals and vegetation of tropical and subtropical climates. Such vegetation is just found near the Great Lake in Africa. Here you will meet nimble cheetahs, gazelles, unusual red pandas, caimans, flamingos, various monkeys and small meerkats.
In 2012, a new section was opened on the territory of this zone - “ land of hyenas", Which are a symbol of African living creatures. There is also a kind of tropical forest, where you can meet a special type of lemurs that live only in Madagascar.
For the smallest visitors to the park, it is here that contact mini-zoo, where you can pet these animals such as sheep, rabbits, piglets. There is no limit to the delight of babies, but parents need to have a large supply of wet wipes with them!
Near contact zoo there is an entrance to a small farm with dwarf goats, do not miss it in any case! Both you and your children will like it.
Older children, as well as, in principle, adults, can have fun by jumping on a liana across the lake, which is a miniature copy of the Great Lake located in Africa. To participate in this attraction, your weight must not exceed 90 kg. In the same sector there is a souvenir shop and a snack bar.
From the Natura Portico sector you can get into a small area - bird canyon with many rare species birds South Africa that connects the top and bottom of the park.
Next, you will move to the territory where lynxes live. Some of the lynx species that live in the park are endangered in their natural habitat. Here, your kids will be delighted to see otters of a special breed - small clawed otters... Cute plump otters will gladly accept from you a dozen of cookies, which they will immediately eat to the delight of your children.
The most impressive sector of the park is Central Village... To the right of Bird Canyon you will find a very picturesque area inhabited by the largest mammals in South Africa. Hulking rhinos, tall giraffes, fat hippos - that's who will meet you in this part of the sector. The same territory also sheltered smaller mammals, not exceeding 400 kg in weight: zebras, antelopes, some species of which are no longer represented in Africa due to their destruction.
A family of elephants lives not far from this part. Their head of the family, the Kanwar elephant, is world famous for being the only Asian elephant born and raised not in its homeland, but in this safari park. He was born approximately in July 2008. This type of elephant is subject to the threat of extinction in the wild.
The central village is a kind of middle of the safari park. Just here you can watch a family of lions - the leaders of the animals of the African savannah. The huge enclosure is fenced with glass walls, animals can be seen from different angles. There is also a cave with bats, a terrarium and a playground with eagles, where, like in Benalmadena, eagle shows are held. A little to the side is the territory of camels, where you can even ride them.
In the Central Village sector there is a small self-service restaurant called El Mirador de Africa. Almost the restaurant is located on one of the most high points above sea level, offering magnificent views of the coast.
But, unfortunately, in this restaurant you will find a big disappointment in the form of absolutely tasteless food and high prices. If older children can still choose a more or less edible dish for themselves, then it will be very difficult to feed the kids here. It's a shame that the quality of food here leaves much to be desired, because after such a busy day, you still want to have a full lunch, and not be interrupted by sandwiches from snack bars that are found along the way in other sectors.
The way back can be overcome both in jeeps, leaving from the stop next to the restaurant, and on foot, if you still have strength. Please note that the entire road is winding and mountainous, both uphill by car and downhill on foot! Part of the descent on foot passes, as we have already said, over suspension bridges. If you have strong nerves, you can stand in the middle of the bridge and admire the animals below, which you saw from the window of the safari jeeps. If such an extreme does not appeal to you, then it is better to return back in the same way as here.
General description of the safari park Aytana on the Costa Blanca in Spain
Despite the fact that in Benidorm there is a beautiful natural zoo Terra Natura with a large number of animal species, no less, but most likely more popular is located 40 km to the west, among the spurs of the mountain of the same name (Aytana, 1558 m - highest peak Costa Blanca), safari park Aytana, attracting many visitors every day. What is the reason for this attraction?
In the safari park, most of the animals do not even have enclosures - they walk freely and graze on a vast territory. At the same time, access to this vast part of the park is allowed in your own car. Taking your time driving along a 7 km long winding road, you can meet bison and buffalo, donkeys and ponies, giraffes and ostriches. Moreover, which is undoubtedly the main trump card, it is allowed to get out of the car, approach the animals - many of them are not shy, especially ponies and llamas, who themselves are trying to actively get acquainted with visitors:
And if there are not enough people, then they also communicate with cars:
Elephants can be watched at the watering hole and taking a shower:
True, it will not be so easy to approach the predators - they are in specially fenced large enclosures, you drive up to the barred gates, a special officer opens them and warns them not to open any windows or doors. At first glance, lions and tigers seemed kind of sleepy:
Perhaps they were just waiting for someone to stick a handle out of the car?
Practical information about Aitana Safari Park
How to get to the park
If you are relaxing on the Costa Blanca, then the road to Aitana lies through Benidorm or neighboring Villajoyosa ( Villajoyosa). Coming from the south, at Villajoyosa, turn from N332 left to CV 770 in the direction Orxeta, Sella... Drive along this road for about 25 km and then do not miss the left turn onto CV785, there will already be a yellow arrow pointer SAFARI AITANA... A couple of kilometers more - and you are already at the gates of the park. It is convenient to use the same route if you follow from Benidorm, or leave in the direction of Finestrat ( Finestrat) on CV758, which after this town will lead to the same CV770.
If you are coming from the north of the Costa Blanca (Altea, Calpe, Xabea), then you can choose both the route already described above through Vijajoyosa, or turn off from N332 to the right a little earlier, in Altea, onto the road CV 755. This path leading to the fortress-museum of Guadalest is described in detail. After passing Guadalest (here you can stop, spending 2-3 hours to inspect this interesting place), continue along CV70 towards Benasau. After 19 km, without entering this town, we turn left onto the same road CV770 on Alcoleja... After a little more than 8 kilometers, turn right onto CV785 by the arrow on SAFARI AITANA and further as described above.
Opening hours, entrance tickets to Aitana Park
Safari Park Aytana opens at 11.00, closes in winter at 18.00, in summer - at 19.00. It should also be borne in mind that from 14.00 to 15.00 the entrance to most of the park is closed. In general, it's okay, you can spend this time inspecting the monkeys, birds and snakes living in the enclosures, for children - visit the playground or have a picnic at the picnic area.
Located about 70 km from Alicante, in a mountainous area, at an altitude of 1000 m above sea level. This is a fairly large territory, divided into 2 main parts: one of them is driven by one's own car (the total path is about 7 km), the other, much smaller, is visited on foot.
The park is inhabited by many animals, most of them are relatively safe herbivores - without any cages and enclosures: you can not only drive very close, but also get out of the car and come closer. Of course, there are areas where, for safety reasons, you cannot get out of the car (for example, the territories of predators - lions and tigers), where even the windows in the car must be closed.
We drive through this territory for about 2.5 hours, with numerous stops at different animals and getting out of the car, where it is allowed.
The most interesting to visit the park with a park employee, he leads a caravan of cars through the park at 11.00 and 15.00, and also feeds the animals, so they all run closer.
V pedestrian zone there are mainly small animals and cubs - raccoons, ferrets, parrots, monkeys ... you can touch a boa constrictor and see how baby animals play without a cage (there were both cubs and lion cubs - it depends on who was born and grew up enough).
On the territory of the park there is a playground and a picnic area, a good restaurant; parking is free.
Cost and conditions
- Number of people, up to: 8
- Duration, hours: 6-7
- The tour is conducted with a minimum of 4 participants. Excursions during the high season (May-September) are usually "combined". In low season (October-April) - individual.
Included in the price:
- Travel, toll tracks, paid parking, driver / guide work.
The price does not include entrance tickets to the park:
- Adult - 22 euros,
- children from 4 to 10 years old - 18 euros,
- up to 3 years old inclusive - free of charge.
Other:
- can be combined with the Guadalest Day excursion, the price increases by 15 euros per person. The duration in this case is 10-12 hours.
- usually the tour takes place WITHOUT lunch. If this is a long time for you, take a snack with you. You can add lunch - there is a simple good restaurant in the park, "menu of the day" - about 15 euros. In this case, the total cost of the trip (for all participants together) is increased by 20 euros. You pay for the lunch yourself. The option is available ONLY by agreement with the guide (or in advance, upon application).
- the road to the place is partly serpentine (about half an hour). Not scary, but can get seasick. For those who are prone to seasickness, stock up on remedies for it. In Spanish pharmacies, this product is called BioDramina, and is available for children and adults.
- the park is located at an altitude of 1000 m above sea level, that is, not in summer it is usually noticeably cooler there than by the sea, take some kind of sweaters or jackets. If it's summer it will be hot in there, so don't forget hats and water.
- excursion with your transport: 80 euros, with lunch: 90 euros. When combined with a guided tour of Guadalest, the cost of a trip by your car is 150 euros
- on average, the time of the excursion is from 9:30 to 15 hours
- departure is possible from Alicante, El Campello, Benidorm or Villa Hoyosa.
Safari Aitana Safari Park. Benidorm. Costa Blanca.
A great way to get a lot of positive impressions is to go to a real safari park. It is located 33 km from Benidorm, a Spanish entertainment resort. The safari is located at a distance of 20 km from Alicante along the mountain serpentine.
Tigers and elephants, lions and giraffes, hippos and zebras live in the park. We buy bread in advance, because there will be an opportunity to feed the giraffes, although these animals, happily eating the delicacy, do not allow themselves to be stroked (.
Safari Aytan
You can move around the park on foot, but it is dangerous in places where predators are located. There is a single-lane road in the park, everyone moves in cars, slowing down near the animals. Remember that animals are wild and may inadvertently kick or take food with their teeth.
It is forbidden to touch and feed animals on the territory, but visitors affectionately reach out to gullible llamas, fawn, and donkeys. The animals themselves stick their faces into the open windows of the car, hoping to treat themselves to a piece of apple.
A giraffe and a llama require a treat)))))
For Safari visitors, Aitana is divided into two areas. One park in which animals move freely around the territory, visitors pass through own cars... The second park is bypassed, it is small.
In places where panthers, tigers and lions live, a net is stretched, but just in case, the windows of the car must be kept closed. You can approach the elephant, they walk accompanied by a park employee. A walk through the safari park delights both children and adults, and magnificent photographs taken in the background and next to the animals remain as a keepsake. There is a restaurant on site where you can recharge before visiting the second park, which is home to monkeys and birds.
An adult ticket costs 17 euros, but if you go to the official Safari Aitana website and buy a ticket there, you can save 10%.
Guadelest Alicante
Returning back, you can stop in Guadalest, a mountain village located in scenic location over the reservoir. The village has many souvenir shops and a shop selling inexpensive leather goods. There are many museums in the village.
Guadelest Alicante
For example, one is museo de tortura y pena capital, a torture museum that tells about criminal law and the punishment system of the 12th-17th centuries. I think the museum was created in memory of the period of the Inquisition, which was in use in Spain. There is a fortress in the village, the cost of visiting which is in the range of 3.5 - 1.5 euros, depending on the age. For parking, you will also have to pay about 2 euros.
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