Touring Almunecar – Loro-Sexi Bird Park
Even though it’s a relatively small and quiet town, Almunecar still has a handful of really cool tourist attractions, so I decided to set out to see them. I went on a Saturday early on in my stay, as the weather in mid-June is still cool enough to walk around outside during mid-day without melting. That ends come July, trust me. So on my agenda was the Parque Onitologico Loro-Sexi (the bird park), the Parque Botanico El Majuelo (the botanical park), and the Castillo de San Miguel. Because the buses still weren’t running, due to the construction for the underground car park (locals estimate it will never be finished – some things never change, no matter where in the world you are), I set off early in the day and stopped first at the Loro-Sexi Bird Park.
I should go on the record and say that I don’t really like birds. They’re loud. They make sudden movements. And they’re pretty messy. But the Loro-Sexi is supposed to be one of the best bird parks in Spain, housing several rare species of wild and exotic birds. So in the interest of culture, I entered and paid my 6 euros with a high level of trepidation but hoping for the best. There were only a handful of other people there, so I was able to visit all of the birds without any problem. And there were some absolutely beautiful ones. I was amazed by the sheer number of birds and how many of them were endangered, or close to it. Even though it looks humble from the outside, the Loro-Sexi is a serious bird park, working for the conservation of the natural habitats, making sure that the birds it has are well cared for, and really emphasizing conservation. Some of the birds I saw, like endangered macaws and white peacocks, were just stunning. And the common hens were pretty funny too!
Here are some of the better pictures I took while I was hanging out with the birds!
The bird park is built into the side of a rock wall, so that as you walk past each set of birds, you are walking up higher and higher, until eventually, you are almost at the Castillo de San Miguel. You can’t enter it from the bird park, but you can get a great view of it. You also get an amazing view of the city; on a clear day, you can see all the way to La Herradura.
It was here, though, that disaster struck. Remember when I said that I didn’t like birds? Well, I don’t think they like me either. As I was wandering around the top level of the park, admiring the cactus walk, I suddenly got hit on the head! My sunglasses flew off and I flailed around hopelessly, trying to figure out the direction of the attack. And there it was: a seagull! He stared at me with menacing eyes as I picked up my sunglasses and ran off. He followed me, squacking at me insistently, as I fled to the relative safety of the cages below. And then, I swear on it, he laughed and flew off. Stupid birds. Needless to say, that was the end of my day at the bird park!
I should go on the record and say that I don’t really like birds. They’re loud. They make sudden movements. And they’re pretty messy. But the Loro-Sexi is supposed to be one of the best bird parks in Spain, housing several rare species of wild and exotic birds. So in the interest of culture, I entered and paid my 6 euros with a high level of trepidation but hoping for the best. There were only a handful of other people there, so I was able to visit all of the birds without any problem. And there were some absolutely beautiful ones. I was amazed by the sheer number of birds and how many of them were endangered, or close to it. Even though it looks humble from the outside, the Loro-Sexi is a serious bird park, working for the conservation of the natural habitats, making sure that the birds it has are well cared for, and really emphasizing conservation. Some of the birds I saw, like endangered macaws and white peacocks, were just stunning. And the common hens were pretty funny too!
Here are some of the better pictures I took while I was hanging out with the birds!
The bird park is built into the side of a rock wall, so that as you walk past each set of birds, you are walking up higher and higher, until eventually, you are almost at the Castillo de San Miguel. You can’t enter it from the bird park, but you can get a great view of it. You also get an amazing view of the city; on a clear day, you can see all the way to La Herradura.
It was here, though, that disaster struck. Remember when I said that I didn’t like birds? Well, I don’t think they like me either. As I was wandering around the top level of the park, admiring the cactus walk, I suddenly got hit on the head! My sunglasses flew off and I flailed around hopelessly, trying to figure out the direction of the attack. And there it was: a seagull! He stared at me with menacing eyes as I picked up my sunglasses and ran off. He followed me, squacking at me insistently, as I fled to the relative safety of the cages below. And then, I swear on it, he laughed and flew off. Stupid birds. Needless to say, that was the end of my day at the bird park!
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