Rio Safari Elche
No trip to the Costa Blanca would be complete without a visit to the famous Rio Safari at Elche. A mix between a zoo, a safari park and a community farm, it is even more appealing if you have young children with you.
Places to Visit - Rio Safari Elche
Rio Safari Elche - No trip to the Costa Blanca would be complete without a visit to the famous Rio Safari at Elche. A mix between a zoo, a safari park and a community farm, it is even more appealing if you have young children with you.
Located conveniently on the road from Santa Pola to Elche (CV-865) it is well signposted and easy to find. Before making the trip it could be well worth your while to visit your local tourist office as there are usually discount vouchers to be found or even "children go free" vouchers.
In the summer time don't forget to take your swimming gear (no not to join the crocodiles!), there is a large swimming pool with slides which is free for visitors. Refreshments and food are available at the Rio Safari but it is definately more fun to take a picnic - don't forget to take some extra carrots and a bag or two of monkey nuts as feeding the animals is allowed here and in fact encouraged - the kids are gonna love it!
Your ticket includes free entry into all the animal shows - the sea lion show, the parrot show and the elephant show, it also includes a "train" ride around the safari and you can sometimes purchase a video of you visit. The shows are all excellent and the commentary is in English as well as Spanish so you can all understand what is going on. The "train" ride takes you right around the park and in amongst the animals so you can get some great photos.
Between the "train" ride and the animal shows you are free to wander the park and feed the many animals as you go, watch out for the chipmunks who are liable to pop out of a hole in the ground at any moment and pich your nuts! The giraffes are a big favourite with the kids and they will come down and leisurely and gently take a carrot from the smallest child's hand - watch out for that huge, long tongue! Some of the other animals may not be quite so gentle so watch out for young children.
The goat pen is sometimes open for visitors to go inside and carrots may be on sale at the entrance for feeding them. However the goats can be a little over-enthusiastic at the sight of a carrot, so a little care is needed.
There is a wide range of animals to see at the safari including lions, tigers, jaguars, giraffes, camels, llamas, emus, ostriches, buffalo, deer, antelope, a hippo, an elephant, donkeys, monkeys, chimps and crocodiles to name but a few. There is also an aquarium with fish and reptiles and a parrot house with some excellent specimens.
The safari has been recently undergoing some renovations and improvements to make the experience even more enjoyable for visitors.
So if you are in the area why not take a day out to visit the Rio Safari Elche and enjoy a day amongst the 4,000 or so palm trees.
Rio Safari Elche Information: Tel: (0034) 966 638 288.
Rio Safari Links: Rio Safari Pictures
Useful Links: Elche - Santa Pola - Elche Map
Nearby Places: Guardamar del Segura - La Marina -Los Arenales
Related: Torrevieja - Alicante - Murcia - Orihuela - Builders
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