Calling it a zoo would be an understatement,

but it is one of the best zoos I have ever been in. Mind you, I used to live just an hour and a half from San Diego zoo which is considered one of the best in the entire world. But imagine a zoo combined with a wild animal park that you walk through instead of drive-thru. That is Bioparc in Valencia.

This 25 acre facility is actually owned by the city of Valencia, and has several different areas to walk through. There are three main themes including the African savanna, the forest of equatorial Africa and Madagascar, and the African wetlands. Whoever designed the layout did an Oscar worthy job, and it is one of the most tranquil environments I have ever been through. Waterfalls, large artificial and real trees, natural style environment for the animals, they got it all right.

At the Bioparc are 250 species of animals including all the wild ones that you would want to see on a safari. Gorillas, hippos, monkeys, and we especially loved the giraffes, who were just inches from us. What is especially rewarding is that there is no cage anywhere. The distance between you and the animals can be as simple as a piece of wood or looking through tempered glass.

Along with the Oceanografic aquarium, the Bioparc gets high props as a tourist attraction, a term that I really hate! It’s a bit pricey to get in, about 25 EUR, but you enter and then walk over a beautiful bridge while underneath you lies a beautiful grassy parkland.

We are down to our last two weeks in Valencia, but there is still much to do. A side trip to San Sebastian, up near the French border, And we still need the rent the motorcycle! Stand by for those.

#valencia, #valenciaspain, #lasfallas, #ninotes, #thefires,#bioparc,