Don't waste your money.

A really disappointing experience — massively overhyped What a really disappointing experience. If you want to spend your day being preached to at virtually every show and in every corner about how humans are destroying the planet and animals, then go for it. I certainly don't think it is appropriate for young children to be repeatedly shown disturbing images of animals in distress. Even the 20-minute dolphin show had around five minutes dedicated to explaining how stranded cetaceans are rescued. Conservation is important, of course, but there was far too much preaching and graphic messaging throughout the park, rather than simply allowing families to enjoy seeing the animals. I visited Loro Parque several years ago and remember it being a much better experience. This time, the organisation and layout were incredibly frustrating. The directions and maps are confusing and, despite asking staff for directions, we couldn't find several animals or the bird air walkway. We ended up walking around what felt like a labyrinth, repeatedly passing the same places. The crowds were another major problem. You apparently need to arrive at shows around 35 minutes early just to get a reasonable seat, and then you're left sitting on extremely uncomfortable benches. The shows are packed to the point where staff repeatedly ask people to squeeze along the benches. You can literally end up sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, touching the person next to you. When shows finish, hundreds of people pour out in one direction while other visitors are trying to walk against them along narrow pathways. It felt chaotic and, with young children, genuinely uncomfortable and unsafe at times. There were moments when people were practically stepping on children because there simply wasn't enough space. Smoking was also an issue. We saw adults smoking around their own and other people's children, even in areas displaying no-smoking signs. This should be much more strictly enforced. All of this comes at over €80 per person, and that is before food and drinks. Even carrying our own water and soft drinks, the value for money felt extremely poor. The park was also incredibly hot and uncomfortable, with some really unpleasant walkways. By around 2pm, even reasonably fit adults are exhausted, and you still won't have seen everything because of the size, crowds and confusing layout. Unfortunately, the impression we came away with was that the conservation message has become more of a commercial facade than the main purpose of the experience. Some staff also came across as unnecessarily aggressive and unhelpful, shouting at visitors to move and squeeze along rather than managing the crowds in a more courteous way. For us, a whale-watching trip from the south of Tenerife would be a far better way to spend the money and experience marine life. After having enjoyed Loro Parque years ago, I was particularly disappointed by this visit. Overcrowded, uncomfortable, confusing and massively overpriced. Don't waste your money.