Some 74 species of animals, constantly growing and plenty of entertainment facilities. This is in short the zoo garden in Barcelona, one of the richest wildlife collections on the continent. The park includes even an amphitheater with a pool where dolphins give representations that get the applause of spectators. Be sure to reserve the ticket for that as soon as you enter the garden, as the shows are at a fixed hour.
If you were to find sun spots you would say that only the panda bear is missing, but apart from that you will see most of the popular animals – from giraffes to elephants, lions, tigers, all sorts of apes – and even discover some animals for the first time. There are some very special areas, like the large exotic birds cages near the northern entrance, the blue aquarium in which sea-lions give their own show, the arctic area of the penguins, which can be observed either on the outside, on the rocks, or from an inside chamber with a glass wall where you see them swimming, the aquariums for reptiles and many others. The Mediterranean climate of Spain allowed the garden to replicate the African landscape, so elephants, giraffes and camels can be seen with palm trees in the background. The pink flamingos also have a poetic lake in which they display their affection and enchanting rituals.
The large number of animals made the available space insufficient, so many of the exhibits don’t have the usual amount of space they would usually enjoy in the wild. Such is the case with the great cats, who have a ditch between them and the visitors, allowing the public to stay in front of a lion or a tiger at only a few yards away. The recreation facilities are numerous, with lots of playgrounds for the little children inside the park. Electric cars can also be rented to experience the visit in a safari style. With numerous bars and toilets spread around the alleys, one can spend an entire day inside the zoo garden of Barcelona without getting bored. The garden is itself inside the Parc de la Ciutadella, a large park with lots of events happening. It close not only to the beaches and to the Aquarium, but also unusually close to the historic center of the city.