Let me share one of our favorite places to visit in Spain with kids: the most unique bird park in Spain, Jardin del Papagayo, located in the small town of Benicarló.

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A Day at Jardin del Papagayo: Spain’s Most Unique Bird Park

Where is Jardin del Papagayo

Jardín del Papagayo is a unique bird park located in the small town of Benicarló, near the Game of Thrones town of Peñíscola. It can be visited as a day trip from Valencia (1h 30min), Tarragona (1h 20min), or Benicassim (50 min). This park is often included as part of a Castellón road trip or a Spanish family road trip along the Mediterranean coast.

In addition, Benicarló is famous across Spain for its artichokes and hosts the annual Artichoke Gastronomic Week from the end of January until the beginning of March. This gives you the chance to combine a visit to the bird park with a culinary experience, adding a gastronomic twist to your itinerary.

A Hidden Gem for Families: Exploring Jardin del Papagayo in Benicarló

It all changed for me after watching the heart-breaking documentary Earthlings (2005). As a child, I used to visit zoos with my parents and never really thought about the reality of life for animals behind bars. Since then, I’ve tried to make more ethical choices, though it can be tricky with kids. You can’t always take them to a sanctuary or safari, yet you still want them to experience the animal world. So, I wasn’t entirely sure about visiting Jardin del Papagayo at first. Birds aren’t elephants or tigers; many live with humans and even become part of the family. Still, I had some concerns. We often see people chasing animals for photos or to feed them, but imagine a place where animals chase tourists! That’s what made El Jardin del Papagayo so different from anything I’d experienced. From the moment I stepped into Jardin del Papagayo, it felt like the birds were having the time of their lives. It took me a while to adjust because I had come for a bird-watching experience. I like animals, but having 10 birds on my head and shoulders right away was overwhelming – I felt like the “Pigeon Lady” from Home Alone 2 (though my husband loved it). At the entrance, we were offered food pipes to feed the birds, and I initially declined, thinking I was just there to watch. But after a bold bird hopped onto my shoulder and gave me a “where’s-my-food” look, I quickly went back to buy the pipes!

What makes Jardin del Papagayo special?

As one of the local guides explained to us, the birds at Jardín del Papagayo have been raised around people and are used to interacting frequently with both staff and visitors. As a result, not only are these birds unafraid of humans, but they actually enjoy being around them, seeking and adoring their attention. Honestly, I had never had direct contact with a parrot before – I had seen them, but never played with one. I never realized how intelligent they are. You could literally read their emotions from their eyes. Some were making sounds to get our attention or to express joy or irritation with each other, while others were clearly posing for me as I took pictures. Can you believe it?!

Feeding and playing with birds at Jardin del Papagayo near Valencia Spain
Feeding birds at Jardin del Papagayo
Colorful Birds in Spain
Rainbow Lorikeet
Sun Conures at Jardin del Papagayo in Benicarlo
Sun conure

Macaws at Jardin del Papagayo bird park

The stars of Jardín del Papagayo bird park were definitely the macaws. I never realized how much these birds enjoy climbing – much more than flying, actually. They are known as the giants of the parrot world, with their long tail feathers and large beaks. Their powerful, curved beaks are designed to crack open hard nuts and seeds, but they also use them as a climbing tool. Macaws are native to southern North America (Mexico), Central America, and South America. Everything about them is big and colorful, yet their personalities are surprisingly soft, friendly, and sensitive. Blue and gold macaws in the wild are monogamous, meaning they mate for life, and they can live for 30 to 50 years. Macaws are also quite playful, but even from brief contact, you can tell they are incredibly intelligent birds. They can be taught to talk and are often inclined to whistle or imitate sounds they hear, both inside and outside their environment.

Scarlet Macaw and Blue-and-yellow macaw parrots in Spain
Scarlet Macaw and Blue-and-yellow macaw

This blue-and-yellow macaw was particularly playful. At first, I was a bit scared because I saw it was clearly trying to bite me. Once the bird noticed I was afraid, it immediately switched its attention to my husband and kept its distance from me, limiting our interaction to occasionally taking the pipes from me. With my husband, however, the macaw really had fun. He would just extend his hand with the pipes, and the bird would climb all the way up to his shoulder. After a while, I realized the macaw enjoyed making us both laugh.

Despite its strong beak, which could do real harm, the bird sat on my husband’s shoulder the whole time, playfully nibbling his ear, nose, or beard in a way that was more ticklish than painful. I hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time. Yet, I couldn’t believe it: the macaw had immediately identified me as “the least fun of the group,” and if it weren’t for the pipes, it would have probably ignored me entirely. My husband, on the other hand, was its absolute favorite. Not all of the birds were willing to sit on his shoulder (each clearly had a distinct personality), but they openly preferred his company. Food seemed to be the least important factor in their behavior.

Playful and funny macaw at Jardin del Papagayo in Benicarlo
My husband will probably kill me for sharing this, but I just want to show you how friendly the birds were to him
Best animal parks to visit with kids in spain
Interact with birds spain with kids
Unique birds in Spain
bird parks In Spain
Jardin del Papagayo bird park In Spain

Is Jardin del Papagayo worth visiting?

Jardin del Papagayo bird park is absolutely worth visiting. When you google the place, it says people typically spend about 3 hours in the park. I thought we would probably narrow that down to 1.5 hours at most. But guess what? We ended up spending 4.5 hours there! It was hard to leave such a cute company. Over the past few years, we’ve returned with the kids on numerous occasions. I imagine bird lovers could easily spend a whole day at Jardín del Papagayo, as it’s definitely one of the most unique bird parks in Spain. Visiting multiple times might seem repetitive at first, but interacting with the birds depends on so many factors that each visit feels like a brand new experience. Watching the macaws reveal their moods and personalities was truly eye-opening for me. I highly recommend visiting Jardín del Papagayo for birdwatching enthusiasts or animal lovers.

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Pin with 4 birds about Jardin del Papagayo in Benicarlo Spain

For more Spain travel tips check out my Pinterest board Spain Travel Collection and Flipboard Travel to Spain.

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