Loro Parque, Puerto de la Cruz

Loro Parque is one of Tenerife’s best-known paid attractions, occupying a large landscaped site on the western edge of Puerto de la Cruz. It began as a parrot park in 1972 and now includes birds, primates, big cats, penguins, marine mammals, aquariums and extensive tropical planting.

It is also an attraction where travellers can have strong views about animal welfare. The park operates the Loro Parque Fundación and presents its conservation work prominently, while some visitors prefer not to attend facilities that keep cetaceans or use animal presentations. We do not treat that as a decision a travel guide should make for you. Read the park’s current animal-welfare and conservation information, consider independent evidence as well, and choose according to your own priorities.

If you do visit, the practical point is simple: this is not a quick one-hour stop. The grounds are extensive and the animal presentations run to fixed schedules, so a little planning prevents a lot of backtracking.

Loro Parque currently lists opening hours of 09:30–17:30 every day of the year. The park recommends buying tickets in advance, although its FAQ says tickets can also be bought at the ticket office on the day. Because operating hours, presentation times and ticket conditions can change, check the official site again shortly before travelling rather than relying on an old screenshot or reseller listing.

The official timetable currently includes sea-lion, parrot, dolphin and orca presentations, each lasting about 20 minutes. Times can change, so use the day’s official schedule rather than building a trip around times copied from an older blog.

If presentations matter to you, choose two or three priorities when you arrive and visit nearby exhibits between them. Trying to cross the whole park for every scheduled session can turn the day into a rush. If you prefer to skip animal presentations, the botanical areas, aquariums, bird collections and other exhibits still fill several hours.

• ✓From central Puerto de la Cruz, the park runs a free express train from Plaza de los Reyes Católicos. The official page currently lists departures about every 20 minutes during the day.
• ✓If you are staying in the south, the park sells bus transfers from resort areas. Compare the transfer timing with hiring a car or using public transport before booking a bundled ticket.
• ✓Driving from the south takes substantially longer than the old page suggested. Traffic and the route across or around the island matter, so do not treat Loro Parque as a 30-minute trip from Costa Adeje.
• ✓If you are already staying in Puerto de la Cruz, walking, a local bus, taxi or the free park train is usually simpler than moving a hire car for a short urban journey.

• ✓Comfortable shoes: the site is large and you will spend much of the day walking between exhibits.
• ✓Sun protection plus a light layer: Puerto de la Cruz can be cloudier and cooler than the south, but UV exposure still matters.
• ✓A refillable water bottle and a realistic meal plan, especially with children; do not try to squeeze every presentation into lunchtime.
• ✓Check accessibility needs in advance. The park says it is designed for accessible visitor movement and publishes service information in its FAQ.
• ✓Pets are not allowed. Professional photographic equipment requires prior permission according to the park’s current visitor rules.

Loro Parque and Siam Park are often sold together as a Twin Ticket, but they are not substitutes. Siam Park is a water park in Costa Adeje; Loro Parque is a zoo, aquarium and botanical attraction in Puerto de la Cruz. The combined ticket can make sense if both are already on your itinerary, but it should not push you into two full attraction days you would not otherwise choose.

Official checks: confirm current hours, presentation times, transport and visitor rules on Loro Parque’s official Plan Your Visit page and official FAQ before your visit.