25th May 2012 
Leave a commentSwimming with sea lions, meeting the dolphins up close or learning more about the penguins are just some of the activities than can be done in its facilities. Plus, due to its tenth anniversary they have prepared a full program with different new features and surprises in Selwo Marina.
Right in the centre of Benalmadena Costa we’ll find Selwo Marina, a park of fauna with an extension of 1.67 hectares that seems to be mid way between South America and the ocean. Located next to the Parque de la Paloma (Pigeon’s Park), its innovative concept makes it the only park in Andalusia to have a dolphinarium and a penguinarium. Plus, this year is its tenth anniversary for which they have prepared a full program with different new features and surprises that will be carried out throughout the whole season.
Its most popular attraction is the dolphinarium, that allows to discover how the dolphins and the Patagonian sea lions are and how they live. The complex has a large stand for the crowd to sit and see the exhibitions and a spectacular pool with transparent frontal panels that allow to see the intelligent dolphins up close and under the water. These dolphins belong to the bottlenose species, that originally come from the warm waters of the Caribbean. In each one of these spectacular daily exhibitions, they show off their abilities with several exercises.
Another attraction is the Island of Ice Penguinarium, a cold scenery inhabited by a large family of King Penguins, Juanito, Macaroni and Magallanes. This facility, that takes in the first babies of these penguins born in Spain, accurately replicates the natural habitat of these singular birds with temperatures that never go over zero degrees.
After the cold, we continue to the Hondonada, an area destined to the exhibition of exotic birds that come from one of the most legendary and flamboyant territories of South America, the Amazon. During the exhibition you can appreciate the skill of the different colourful, exotic birds like Cockatoos, Macaws, Parrots or Toucans. The tour ends in the Amazon, that hosts different species of the American jungle like piranha fish, arrow toads or anacondas. In this area, you’ll also find the ant farm, a facility designed to see how the ants are and how they live, both above the surface and underground.
“Up-close” programs
The dolphin encounter is an exclusive program of interaction with the dolphins where you can meet them closely, observe their features, participate in a training session or feel the caress of a dolphin. Another of the proposals called “up-close” are the VIP visits, activities specially designed to discover the world of the dolphins, penguins or Amazon species, etc., whilst guided by an expert at all times. The activity of swimming with the sea lions allows the visitors to get to know and swim with this great sea mammal; the Penguin Encounter, a visit to their icy home to discover it for yourself and feed them, and the Squirrel Monkey’s forest, a habitat specially designed for these type of monkeys that come from the Tropical Forests of South America.
As a new feature, they have incorporated the Island of the Turtles, a facility that has taken in a family of African Spurred Tortoises. This turtle, the third biggest in the world and the biggest in Africa, reaches an enormous size, almost 85 centimetres long and weighs 100 kilos.
The entrance fee to the park, that opens at 10 am, is 18 euros for adults and 14 for children underage and seniors.
