Best Theme Parks in Gran Canaria

Among the best things to see and do in Gran Canaria are adventure excursions to the highest points of the island, visiting the paradisiacal beaches in the north and surfing experiences in Las Canteras, but also visiting some of the theme parks in the Canaries.

You can opt for the water parks of Lago del Taurito or Aqualand Maspalomas, or the roller coasters of Holiday World. Or the tropical animals at Cocodrilo Park or the Angry Birds characters , especially if you plan to visit Gran Canaria with children. There are theme parks for all ages, so you're sure to find one you like.

If you want to visit a conventional amusement park then you have to visit Holiday World Maspalomas, one of the largest in the Canary Islands, with a wide range of rides for children and adults. There you can ride roller coasters, enjoy the panoramic Ferris wheel, get dizzy on the Pirates of the Bay ride and have fun on the bumper cars for the whole family.

If you're not afraid of anything, you can also try the free fall rides and the Loop Loop Spin. Holiday World also includes swimming pools, an escape room, karaoke and even a casino for the adults. Inside the park there are restaurants and bars and an open terrace with a botanical garden.

Holiday World is one of the best things to do in Gran Canaria. It's located in what is regarded as the epicentre of fun on the island, where you can also make the most of your visit by visiting the Maspalomas Lighthouse and the Maspalomas Dunes, where you can go on a guided tour or take a ride on a camel.

Interesting details

• Price... Tickets cost approximately 16 euros for children from 13 years old and 12 euros for adults, although some options offer discounts if purchased in advance online.
• Opening times... Wednesday to Sunday from 4pm to 11.30pm. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• Location... Av. Touroperador Tui 18, Maspalomas.
• How to get there... By car from Las Palmas on route GC-1 or by bus lines 10, 11, 17, 82 and 91 combining with lines 30 or 50 to Holiday World station.

This theme park was built in 1972 as a film set for Wild West movies and has since become one of the city's main attractions, with its typical buildings, animals, church, sheriff's office, blacksmith shop and saloons where the wild cowboys challenge each other to the death.

Sioux City Park is not a museum, but a real town where you can sample a drink in the saloons or visit the Sheriff. You can also watch the bank robbery or train robbery shows, although you should be very careful as you might get caught in the middle of a gunfight between the bandits.

This theme park also houses a zoo with horned cows, giant Jersey chickens, emus, meerkats and crocodiles. Although it may seem hard to explain, it is one of the most faithful reproductions of the American Wild West, and it is located on a volcanic island in the Canary Islands.

Note that Sioux City Park is often used as a film set for movies and publicity events, so I recommend that you check before booking the tour to make sure it is open during your trip, especially if you plan to visit Gran Canaria in December, which is when the theme park is most often used for filming.

Interesting details

• Price... Tickets cost approximately 23 euros for adults and 18 euros for children up to 13 years old.
• Opening times... Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Mondays closed.
• Location... Barranco del Águila s/n, Maspalomas.
• How to get there... You can get there by car from Las Palmas on the GC-1 road. There is no direct public transport to the theme park area.

If you are an animal lover, you can't miss Cocodrilo Park, a zoo in Gran Canaria where you will find more than 500 animals, most of them tropical, as well as the largest alligator exhibit in Europe.

During the tour you can interact with the animals and feed them as well as take guided tours led by instructors.

At Crocodile Park you will see turtles, lizards, raccoons, birds, tigers, deer, goats, llamas, monkeys and chimpanzees. You will also be able to visit the zoo's gastronomic area and have fun in the leisure areas. It can be an ideal experience if you are planning to visit Gran Canaria with children, as there are also children's activities on offer.

Cocodrilo Park is located on the outskirts of Agüimes, one of the most picturesque towns on the island with a beautiful old town at the foot of the ravine, so if you want to make the most of your visit you can also visit the town, which is usually included in full day tours in Gran Canaria

Interesting details

• Price... Tickets cost approximately 23 euros for adults and 18 euros for children up to 13 years old.
• Opening times... Friday to Sunday from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Closed from Monday to Thursday.
• Location... Ctra. General Los Corralillos, Km 5.5, Agüimes.
• How to get there... You can get there by car from Las Palmas on the GC-1 road. There is no direct public transport to the theme park area.

Palmitos Park is one of the most visited attractions in Gran Canaria and its fame is due to the natural valley that is the nucleus of the botanical garden and zoo in the south of the island. It is a subtropical oasis that brings together species of fauna from all over the world and also a large number of native plants and plants from other places.

Palmitos Park has an aquarium, an aviary and a reptile sector with alligators and lizards, but one of its main attractions is the dolphins, with whom you can swim and interact in one of the park's main pools.

This park is located in the area of Maspalomas, in the south of the island and is one of the favourite places for children visiting Gran Canaria.

If you are interested in whale watching excursions, you can also go on a whale and dolphin watching excursion in Gran Canaria from Puerto de Mogán, by catamaran or glass bottom boat.

Interesting details

• Price... Tickets cost approximately 33 euros for adults and 24 euros for children up to 10 years old.
• Opening hours... Every day from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm.
• Location... Barranco de Los Palmitos s/n, Maspalomas.
• How to get there... By car from Las Palmas on route GC-1 or by bus lines 1, 11, 17, 17, 82 and 91 combining with lines 30 or 50 to Palmitos Park station.

Lago del Taurito, in the Playa de Mogán area , is a small water park with slides and pools for all ages. It also has an 18-hole mini golf course, bowling alley, cafeteria and a restaurant area.

Lago del Taurito is also the only water park in Gran Canaria with salt water pools.

This water park also offers a sunbeds and umbrellas area and is an ideal place to visit if you plan to tour Gran Canaria with children, as it offers reduced rates for family groups and for children under 12 years old.

Note that Lago del Taurito is located in the Playa de Mogán area, in the south-western part of the island, so you can combine this visit with a boat trip in Gran Canaria.

Interesting details

• Price... Tickets cost approximately 17 euros for adults and 5 euros for children up to 12 years old. Discounts are available for family groups.
• Opening hours... Every day from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm.
• Location... Calle Alhambra s/n, Mogán.
• How to get there... By car from Las Palmas on the GC-1 route or by bus lines 223, 224 and 317 combining with lines 1, 30 or 91 to Taurito station.

Gran Canaria's theme parks are not just for children, so if you are planning to visit the island as a group or with friends, you will probably be interested in visiting Hangar 37. This is a battlefield in Bahía Feliz where you can compete against another team with airsoft guns, a system similar to paintball, but without paint.

Hangar 37 has a recreated scenario in which up to 100 players in total can compete against each other in two teams. This theme park also offers a shooting gallery and laser gun battles, but without a doubt the main attractions are the missions that each team has to complete.

The interesting thing about Hangar 37 is that by paying the entrance fee you can play as many games as you want during the day of your visit, as the missions are reset every 10 minutes and you can join a team at any time.

Plus, the airsoft balls don't leave the bruises on your body that paintball paintballs do, so with the protection provided by the park's staff you won't suffer any pain.

Interesting details

• Price... Tickets cost approximately 25 euros on weekdays and 30 euros at weekends.
• Opening times... Tuesday to Friday from 3pm to 8pm. Saturdays and Sundays from 10.00 to 20.00 hours. Mondays closed.
• Location... Ctra. Gral. del sur GC-50, Km 45, San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
• How to get there... By car from Las Palmas on the GC-1 road or by bus lines 9, 12, 25 and 54 combined with lines 1 and 30 to the Karting Tarajalillo station.

The Angry Birds Theme Park is the ideal plan for a family outing, as the activities on offer are for all ages and include skating, climbing, zip-line courses, jumps, race tracks and musical and entertainment shows in the general areas.

Furthermore, this theme park is located in the Puerto Rico area, close to Playa de Mogán, making it the ideal place to combine this visit with other attractions such as diving experiences, snorkelling and boat rides or dolphin watching excursions.

The park has daily admission, annual and family passes and offers discounts for advance online bookings, so if you plan to visit this attraction, I recommend you book in advance to access the discounts.

Also note that the park offers differential rates during low season months, so you could save money if you plan to visit Gran Canaria in October, for example.

Interesting details

• Price... Tickets cost approximately 12 euros for adults and 16 euros for children up to 16 years old.
• Opening times... Thursday to Monday from 10am to 6pm. Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
• Location... Avenida la Cornisa 2, Puerto Rico.
• How to get there... By car from Las Palmas on route GC-1 or by bus on lines 1, 10, 17, 80 and 91 to Puerto Rico station.

Aqualand Maspalomas is not only the largest water park in the Canary Islands, but also one of the most spectacular, with mazes to unleash your adrenaline, slides for adults and children, heated pools and relaxation attractions such as the Pirate River and whirlpools.

If you want to have fun in a group, you can also opt for the Kamikaze, Boomerang and Anaconda slides and the speed boats. For children, Aqualand Maspalomas has Polynesia and Adventure Land, a set of water labyrinths and slides of varying difficulty and speed.

Aqualand Maspalomas, located at the southern tip of the island, is an ideal visit to combine with a tour of the Maspalomas Lighthouse, a symbol of the Canary Islands, and the dunes, which you can visit on a guided tour to watch the sunset from the desert.

Interesting details

• Price... Tickets cost approximately 33 euros for adults and 24 euros for children up to 10 years of age.
• Opening hours... Every day from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm.
• Location... Carr. Palmitos Park, Km 3, Maspalomas.
• How to get there... By car from Las Palmas on route GC-1 or by bus lines 10, 11, 17, 17, 82 and 91 combining with lines 1 and 30 to Barranco Maspalomas station.

Cactualdea Park is a theme park consisting mainly of the largest cactus forest in Europe. It stands out as a reserve of succulent plants from different parts of the world, from Mexico to Madagascar, Bolivia, Guatemala and other American countries.

In this park you can walk around the site at your own pace and take some of the best photographs in Gran Canaria, as well as attend audiovisual shows and workshops on flora conservation. At Cactualdea Park you can also have breakfast or lunch at the naturist café and visit the souvenir and gift shop.

Cactualdea Park is located in the eastern sector of the island, an area little visited by tourists, but which has one of the most beautiful beaches in Gran Canaria, Güigüi, which stands out for its black volcanic sand and for being a nudist beach.

Interesting details

• Price... Tickets cost approximately 4 euros for adults and 2 euros for children up to 7 years old.
• Opening hours... Every day from 10.00 to 17.00.
• Location... Camino Tocodoman s/n, El Hoyo.
• How to get there... By car from Las Palmas on the GC-1 road combining with the GC-200 or by bus lines L1 and 1 combining with lines 91 and 38 to the Tocodoman station.