Cabárceno Park: family plan to feel like an explorer for a day

To live an experience in the African jungle it is not necessary to travel thousands of kilometers, in this old open pit mining exploitation near Santander, just 15 minutes from the Cantabrian capital, we can spend a day with the family surrounded by hundreds of species of animals that live in semi-freedom in the natural environment of the Cabárceno Park.

The Cabárceno Nature Park is not a typical zoo, since its facilities stand out for their large dimensions, 750 hectares or 1,050 football fields, allowing large and well-structured herds of the same species to be formed. and housing the animals in large enclosures where they can interact with each other and follow behavioral patterns similar to those they would have in their habitats. Proof of this is that they reproduce freely.

The Cabárceno Nature Park is located in an unparalleled environment, an old open-air mining operation located near Santader, in Cantabria, where it is possible to see animals from the five continents. The natural environment is a space recovered after centuries of exploitation for the extraction of iron ore and that has great geological wealth thanks to its karst formations.

The park is home to more than 120 species of animals that live in semi-freedom, distributed in large enclosures where several species coexist. In addition, it has a cable car in its facilities, which allows you to obtain aerial views of the large enclosures where Cabárceno’s animals live.

News in Cabárceno: immersive experience

Cabárceno Park launches a new free immersive experience, the 360º room. Thanks to new technologies and a large screen in 360º format, the viewer will be able to contemplate the various corners of the region, as well as the ins and outs of the Cabárceno Park.
35 linear meters and surround sound are responsible for an experience that adults and kids alike will love.

Visits by e-Bike or wild, like a true explorer

The park also has E-bike electric bicycles, which can be used to tour the park in an ecological, fun and healthy way (experience for those over 9 years old) in groups of a maximum of 7 people and accompanied by specialized staff. This is a different visit, which allows you to learn in depth about the world of animal conservation centers.

Another of the most unknown proposals to explore the park is the “Wild Visit”, a different way to get to know Cabárceno. Would you like to know where brown bears hibernate? See the elephant boxes up close, or feel like an explorer for a day? This experience is carried out by the park’s specialized technicians, who will accompany you so that you can delve into the wonderful world of nature and fauna, learn about the reproduction programs or the research that is carried out, for example.

In addition, you will be able to know the insides of Cabárceno: how the animals are cared for and handled, where they sleep, you will visit the enclosures of the bears, giraffes, gorillas or rhinos, and much more. This visit is for a minimum of 2 people (one of them must be an adult). You dare? The price is 230 euros/person for adults, and 115 euros/person for children from 3 to 12 years old.