Zoos, wildlife parks and other animals

Cantabria is lucky enough to have several wildlife parks and zoos, each with their own special focus and appeal to visitors.

Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabárceno

Without a doubt the most famous animal park in Cantabria, and probably the north of Spain, Cabarceno is located south of Santander, and is clearly signposted off the A8 and the N634.  The park is beautifully located in an old iron mine, meaning that the landscape alone is impressive and in places stunning, and the animal enclosures have been cleverly fitted around the rusty red rock formations.  It is run by Cantur, a government organisation (which runs many places in Cantabria including Alto Campoo ski station and the Fuente Dé cable car), and it’s a very conservation conscious park, with rescue facilities, taking in bear cubs found around Spain amongst other things.  The park contains over 100 different species of animal, from the reptile house and farm areas to the huge elephant compound and treasured bear area (the oso pardo, which is native to Cantabria and still roams the Cordillera Cantabrica).  With the exception of the reptile and gorilla houses, all the enclosures are outdoors and open to the elements, and many are naturally formed from the rock formations left behind from the mining days.  As you would expect from being a mine, the park is sprawled over the side of a hill, from the top of which there are stunning views of Santander and over the park itself, to the mountains beyond.  These views are now even better seen from Cabárceno’s newest addition, it’s cable cars.  As of 2017, there are now 4 cable car stations located around the park, each with parking and toilets, and park entrance includes a ride on each.  There are also twice daily birds of prey and sealion shows on different sides of the park, and there are many services available, 2 restaurants inside, cafes, souvenir shops, toilets and picnic facilities scattered around the site.  Although not a formal requirement, if you want to see everything a car is needed to go around (it is more like a safari park than a zoo in that respect), although they do encourage cyclists and walkers too.  You pay from the comfort of your vehicle at one of the entrances to the park, and are given a map in return for your payment.  Green arrows on the ground direct you around the park, as there are many one way sections, and I cannot stress what a good idea it is to follow these!!  If you think doing otherwise will get you ahead of the rest, you’ll soon find yourself regretting it (I speak from experience here!).  As one of Cantabria’s biggest tourist attractions, the park can be one long traffic jam at the height of summer or on bank holiday weekends, you will notice this before you even get to the gates of the park.  Unless you are restricted to that particular day, personally if you find those type of queues, I would try and come back another day, or be ready to have a very slow visit taking most of the day.  It’s also a good idea to arrive well in time for the bird or seal shows at any time of the year, as they fill up quickly, and can also cause traffic and parking problems as everyone floods in to see them.  They really are worth making the effort to get to though, in fact personally I would plan my timing of the visit around them, check out the map and show times on the website, the birds of prey show especially is the closest I’ve ever had a vulture fly to my head!  You should really set aside a whole day for your visit, pack a picnic and take advantage of one of their various picnic spots.  Additionally, there is a very popular Motorhome Area next to the Lago del Acebo just outside the southern park access point, in the village of Cabárceno.

Zoo y Cuaternario de Santillana

Located on the outskirts of Santillana del Mar, signposted off the CA133 just after the roundabout, this zoo is home to over 3,000 animals.  The enclosures are much more zoo-like than Cabarceno, and much smaller, but the monkey area is wonderful, with a huge variety of species,  and there is a small but lovely butterfly house.  There is a marked circuit of the zoo to make sure you don’t miss anything, and it takes around 2 hours to do the whole thing, longer than it looks like it might.  The zoo is a popular attraction in Santillana, and has many child-orientated activities, as well as many animals being sponsored by local children and businesses.  There is a souvenir shop, cafe-bar, and picnic area.  Their website also includes a birthday calendar for some of the animals!

Ecomuseo Fluviarium de Lierganes

In the picturesque town of Lieganes, this ecomuseum focuses on the flora and fauna of local rivers and river basins.  It is home to 2 very cute otters, fish and other river animals, and is a fun trip for kids in what is a beautiful town.

Parque Marino de la Magdalena

Whilst not techinally a zoo, the Magdalena Peninsula in Santander is the curious home to a colony of penguins and sealions.  What was previously a more substantial collection of animals on the left hand side of the entrance to the peninsula park, has now been whittled down to these two species, and a collection of ducks in what was previously a lion enclosure.  Free to walk around and with lovely views back over the Sardinero, you can see them being fed twice a day, and it makes for a random surprise if you didn’t realise they were there!