“Los animales son muy buenos amigos; no hacen preguntas, no critícan”

The incredible Keeper for a Day experience gives you a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the most popular animals at Mundomar.

The unique insight into some of the species of exotic marine and land animals at Mundomar and get a feel of the day-to-day life of the keepers.

If you like animals climbing all over you, this is an unmissable Benidorm experience for you.

I highly recommend this experience, considering all the extras you get included it’s a great deal. Included in the cost is the entrance to the park all day. You can buy your ticket for €60 direct with Mundomar here: https://tickets.mundomar.es/

A Keeper for a Day – August 2016

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The park opens at 10:00am, however, the experience begins at 11:00am. We decided to take a taxi, costing €15 from Poniente end of Benidorm to arrive around 10:30, as advised. This would give us time to find where we needed to go and take a quick look around the park.

We booked our tickets online through the Mundomar website Mundomar Keeper for a Day Tickets.

On arrival, we handed our voucher and we were given the all-clear to enter. We were told to meet under the television to the left promptly at 11:00am and two other guests would be joining us. We had a small group, so it was ideal.

Our guide met us at 11:00am stocked up with t-shirts and goodies, we opted to put everything in the lockers that are available to hire. We wore the T-shirts as required, they are there to protect your clothes, but also distinguish you as part of the group.

The first stop was the tortoise. 

The tortoise was very inquisitive. Having no fear of humans or contact it happily ate from your hand and let you stroke his shell and his face which I was reluctant to do!

Interestingly, tortoises have nerve endings in their shells. So, when you pet and stroke him, he feels it! I think he quite likes it, too.

Tortoises love to eat plants, fruit and veg, we were able to give our new tortoise friend his salad.

I was quite surprised that I was into the tortoise experience as much as I was!

Then, we should have gone to the meerkats…

Alex is a big meerkat fan. It was one of the reasons I was able to convince him to book the keeper for a day experience. When we arrived at the meerkats, our guide told us, unfortunately, we were unable to enter. The meerkats had been fighting and scratching so they didn’t want to upset the meerkats anymore, or for any of us to get hurt.

I told Alex they’re not the cutest of animals!

Next was the Kinkajous.

We asked our guide to speak in Spanish, trying to get better here! So, I actually had no idea what these animals were. I thought it was my Spanish that held me back from knowing these animals, but in actual fact, I’d never heard of them!

These animals were so inquisitive. They were clambering over each other. The animals originate from tropical rainforests in Central and South America and are omnivores. Apparently, these little creatures eat lizards, small snakes, rodents, insects and fruit. Not my kind of diet, but sounds like a good pet!

They’re often referred to as “honey bears” because they use their long tongues to raid and steal honey from a bees’ nest!

These Kinkajous were little babies and hadn’t yet grown to full size. They were super adorable when they were using their tails as a little blanket.

I’d love to go back and see how much they’ve grown now.

The Aviary

The aviary is filled with different species of birds all of which are more than happy to land on your head or arm or shoulder or anywhere else they can attach their feet, especially if you have food!

The birds are more than happy to let you stroke them, so if you want to feel like Snow White with the pretty birds in your hands, then this is for you.

You can enter the aviary and pay separately for a photo, like most of the animals listed, however, each photo will cost you €10, so it soon adds up!

Black-and-white ruffed lemurs

I for sure have a new found love for lemurs. The black-and-white ruffed lemurs were the first of the two lemurs we would visit. Usually found in the Madagascan rainforest, there is a unique opportunity to see and interact with them at Mundomar.

These lemurs are endangered, the cutting down of the forests and being killed for meat, it’s impossible to comprehend how somebody can hurt such an animal. They’re caring, they’re playful and they’re very intelligent.

These lemurs love to climb on you and play around, they love the interaction and we didn’t even have any food for them… to begin with!

Did you know: Lemurs are really good at spreading pollen just like bees?

The ring-tailed lemurs

Mundomar definitely saves the best until last. Both of the lemurs will steal your heart.

If your kids want to meet King Julian from Madagascar, then be prepared for them to meet 30 King Julian’s from Madagascar (ok maybe not thirty, I didn’t count them!). 

They truly were everywhere. One, however, took an instant shine to me. We were like best mates. He sat there holding my hand, holding my leg and gazing up at me. Can you take lemurs home??? 

It’s so upsetting to think how the lemur population is decreasing and since being at Mundomar it’s made me realise how amazing these animals are. They are only found on the tiny, remote island of Madagascar, and with the rapidly declining of the forests, zoos and nature parks are able to conserve these animals and keep the population steady.

After we finished our experience, we wandered around the park and took a closer look at some of the other animals, such as the penguins, the dolphins, flamingos, seals and sea lions. There is so much to do and so much to see.

Mundomar is fairly hilly, but, the views from the top of Benidorm are fantastic. Located up on the mountain of the Sierra Helada (ice by name, fiery heat by nature!) it boasts views of Levante, Puig Campana and beyond.

 

For just 60€ per person, you too can experience this fantastic opportunity. It’s an absolute bargain for 60€ when you break it down. Included in the price is:

• Entrance to the Park
• A Keeper for a Day T-shirt
• Three professional photos, taken with the black-and-white ruffed lemurs, the tortoise and the ring-tailed lemurs
• A keychain
• A Mundomar folder to keep your photos

Most of the animals included you are able to visit once you are in the park and pay for the photo separately. Each photo costs €10, so when you calculate the cost of each photo, the extras and the entrance, it really is a great deal!

If getting up close and personal with the animals isn’t your cup of tea, then general entrance for adults is €31, junior and seniors €25 and disabled entrance is €19. However, keep your eyes peeled at Alicante Airport, Carrefour or McDonalds as there are usually offers on! You can buy general entrance tickets here: Tickets

Good news parents, you don’t have to do the activity if you don’t want to! Children over 8 years old can do this on their own! Children aged between 5 and 7 (both inclusive) must be accompanied by an adult. 

Try the keeper for a day experience at Mundomar and be truly blown away. The keepers also speak English. It is an absolutely amazing two hours, plus you have the rest of the day to enjoy the park! Have fun!

Hasta luego,

This post was created entirely on my own experience. It was NOT endorsed, promoted or paid for by Mundomar or any associated companies. We attended in August 2016.