Selwo Aventura

Whilst we were in Spain we visited a wild animal park, Selwo Aventura, which being in Estepona was just a short drive from our base for our holiday.  My husband had taken my stepsons to the park on a stay in Spain a couple of years ago but this was my first visit.

I wasn't sure what it was going to be like, for some reason I imagined it to be very basic and limited, but it was a lot larger than I had expected and there was a much bigger variety of animals there too.  With it being a lot larger than I anticipated, another blisteringly hot day and shelter limited in places, I was pleased to find that the park offered open truck rides around the animals.  I'd definitely recommend doing that as there are some steep climbs to parts of the park and the truck allows you to view the animals without having to walk the whole way around the park.  Though you can do that too if you want to.

As you can tell from the photos below there are all the usual animals you'd expect to see.  As well as monkeys, lemurs, hyenas, cheetahs, rhinos, hippos, lions, tigers, various types of birds and lots lots more.

The park also gives you great views of the surrounding mountains and Spanish countryside.  I'm not sure I've ever had such a great view from any other animal park I've visited.

Apart from the views it really is like many other wildlife parks in the UK and elsewhere with a good selection of animals and birds to see.  There is plenty to keep you entertained for a full day's visit.  The only downsides were that we couldn't take any food or drink in to the park so had to buy what was available inside.  In the height of Spanish summer not being able to even take water in seemed a little harsh and if you are a family group could potentially make for an expensive day.  In addition you also have to pay for parking (on top of park entrance fees) which was not cheap.  Maybe there are other nearby cheaper parking alternatives but for visitors who are unfamiliar with the area this on top of entry fees and refreshments means you need to ensure you take plenty of cash with you.  However for an alternate day out from visiting the beach or the picturesque towns in this part of Spain it is worth doing at least once.