Lima’s Zoo: Parque De Las Leyendas
If visiting Lima and looking for an entertaining way to spend a few hours, a family fun option could be visiting Parque de Las Leyendas (Park of Legends), Peru’s most popular zoo. While zoos may bring to mind lines of grumpy tourists, when visiting the zoo in Lima, you could find yourself on the opposite extreme as one of the few non-Peruvians present. Because there are so many large and impressive historical museums in Lima, this gem of a zoo many times gets overlooked by Lima visitors. An impressive aspect of the park is that it’s not just a zoo; there are also botanical gardens, smaller museums and ponds and waterfalls dotting the entire complex. The entrance fee is reasonably priced at around USD $3.50 for adults and for kids under 12 just USD $2.00. A special family friendly option thatA�s entertaining and enjoyable for all.
Located appropriately on Avenida Las Leyendas in the district of San Miguel, it’s a simple taxi ride from many areas of Lima. When entering the zoo something to notice right away is that fact that it’s inhabitants are separated into three special sections representing the three distinct regions of Peru: the desert, mountain sierra and tropical jungle.
The jungle portion of the park is mostly filled with monkeys; showcasing their wild and carefree attitude as they jump and leap from branch to branch, between hammocks and on the roofs of their little wooden huts. Out of all the enclosures in the zoo, the monkeys probably enjoy the most room and best level of living standards. In this jungle area there also are numerous species of tropical birds native and unique to Peru.
When observing the desert or plains portion of the zoo it’s easy to imagine the many hoofed animals out in their natural habitat. Llamas, vicunas, alpacas all graze on the green grass of their prairie-like area while pumas, foxes, donkeys can be found in smaller cages nearby. The infamous Peruvian Condor can also bee seen perched on large tree branches looking regally over its enclosed kingdom.
The final Peruvian frontier, the coast, brings an even wider variety of animal-life. There are more than 33 species of birds showcased in this area of the park with parrots, penguins, and owls taking the spotlight. Snakes, bats, armadillos, deer and chinchillas all help round out this cast of Peru’s beachy beauties.
If interested in seeing even more exotic animals, there is also a portion of the park that displays foreign animals such as lions, zebras and hippos. This zoo really does cover all the most interesting species of animals while offering a lovely environment of plant life, museums and fountains. If looking for a unique way to spend an afternoon in Lima during your vacation here, or just passing through on a trip, you can’t go wrong in stopping in to explore a bit of Peru’s generous and fascinating wildlife!