The Rio Safari Elche - Be sure when travelling around the Costa Blanca to put aside a day to visit the wonderful Rio Safari Elche. Great fun and entertainment for the whole family, the Rio Safari will keep the kids amused for an entire day. Situated on the road from Santa Pola to Elche and surrounded by over 4,000 palm trees, the Rio Safari Elche is one of the prime tourist attractions on the Costa Blanca.

Before you take a trip to the Rio Safari, it is a good idea to check with your local Tourist Information Office as they often have vouchers giving money off entrance to the park or possibly even ?kids go free? tickets. At the very least you will be able to pick up a leaflet and a map of how to get to the park.

The Rio Safari Elche has other facilities apart from just the animal park - the swimming pool is open during the hot summer months, so take some towels and swimming costumes (and especially suntan lotion!) and enjoy a cooling dip while you are there. Tabled picnic areas are provided, so you can take your own snacks and refreshments (though refreshments are available on site).

Throughout the day at the Rio Safari Elche there are ?train? rides which go in amongst the animals, giving visitors a chance to take some great photos and see the many animals up close and personal. There are also animal shows during the day which should not be missed and are included in the ticket price. These entertaining shows include a sea-lion show, a parrot show and an excellent elephant show.

Feeding the many animals is one of the most enjoyable parts of the whole Rio Safari Elche experience and you can do this whilst walking through the park during free periods between the ?train? rides and animal shows. The most fun to feed are the giraffes, who are very gentle and graceful and do enjoy a nice juicy carrot (or three!) - they will take one from your hand, using their long tongue.

The Goat Pen - Another of the popular attractions, especially with the children, is the goat pen, here visitors can go in with, and feed the goats (carrots are on sale at the entrance), goats of all sizes will gleefully grab a carrot from any hand. A gentle warning though, be vigilant with young children, as the goats do get rather over-enthusiastic when faced with a juicy carrot.

There is a wide range of animals to see at the safari including lions, tigers, jaguars, giraffes, camels, llamas, emus, ostriches, buffalo, deer, antelope, a hippo, an elephant, donkeys, monkeys, chimps and crocodiles to name but a few. There is also an aquarium with fish and reptiles and a parrot house with some excellent specimens.

Over the last year or so the Rio Safari has been undergoing some refurbishments and improvements which have helped to make your visit even more entertaining and enjoyable. The park is trying to be more up to date and attractive and this will surely attract even more visitors.

So there you have it - the Rio Safari Elche, a great place to spend a day during a trip to the Costa Blanca in Spain and a unique experience unlike any other. Take a day out to wander amongst the four thousand palm trees and to enjoy the many species of animals.

Situated between Elche and Santa Pola just off the CV-865, The Rio Safari Elche is well signposted and easy to find.