Anyone planning a trip to Tenerife almost always asks the same question: is it better to visit Siam Park, Loro Parque or Aqualand? These are the island's three big parks, very different from one another, and on a short holiday there is rarely time to see all three. Here is what to expect from each, indicative prices and how to choose.
The three big parks at a glance
| Park | Area | Type | Strength |
| Siam Park | Costa Adeje (South) | Water park | Spectacular slides, awarded best water park in the world several times |
| Aqualand Costa Adeje | Costa Adeje (South) | Water park | More family-oriented, slides and kids areas less extreme; dolphinarium |
| Loro Parque | Puerto de la Cruz (North) | Zoo and aquarium | Animals, parrots, shark aquarium; voted best zoo in the world several times |
Siam Park and Aqualand are both in the south, a few minutes from Costa Adeje and Playa de las Américas; Loro Parque is in the north, in Puerto de la Cruz, so it usually deserves its own day if you are staying in the south.
Siam Park
Siam Park is Costa Adeje's Thai-themed water park, awarded best water park in the world several times by Tripadvisor. It is known for high-adrenaline slides such as the Tower of Power (about 28 metres) and big attractions such as the Mai Thai river and the wave pool beach.
- Price: per the official rate around €44 for adults (from age 12) and €32 for children aged 3-11 (under-3s free), but rates are dynamic and can vary in high season: it is best to check and buy on the official website. In summer there is also an evening opening (Siam Park Night), priced differently.
- Indicative hours: 10:00-18:00 in summer, 10:00-17:00 in winter.
- How much time you need: a full day is the recommended amount. In peak months (July-August) queues for the most popular rides can be long: arriving just before opening and considering a skip-the-line option (available with the ticket or as an add-on) helps you fit in more rides.
- Who it suits: all ages, though it is the most adrenaline-driven of the three — some slides have a minimum height and are not suitable for the youngest children.
Loro Parque
Loro Parque is the large zoo and aquarium in Puerto de la Cruz, in the north of the island: around 350 parrot species and subspecies (hence the name), plus gorillas, tigers, penguins and an aquarium with a shark tunnel. It was voted best zoo in the world on Tripadvisor in 2017 and 2018. A free little train (the Loro Parque Express) leaves from Plaza de los Reyes Católicos, in central Puerto de la Cruz, roughly every 20 minutes.
- Price: per the official rate around €44 for adults and €32 for children aged 3-11 (under-3s free), but rates can vary in high season: check on the official website.
- Indicative hours: 9:30-17:30 every day.
- One thing worth knowing before you go: Loro Parque also runs shows with orcas and other cetaceans in a dolphinarium, and over the years it has faced criticism from animal welfare organisations about the wellbeing of animals in captivity. The park says its programmes serve conservation and education purposes; some visitors still prefer to skip the cetacean shows. It is a personal choice worth thinking about before booking.
- Who it suits: visitors who enjoy animals more than high-adrenaline rides; since it is in the north, it is worth giving it a separate day from the water parks in the south.
Aqualand Costa Adeje
Aqualand is the south's second water park, a more family-oriented alternative to Siam Park: several water attractions — with new additions such as Splash Tower, Pelican Bay and the Kids Pool — a dolphinarium with a daily show included in the ticket, and a free shuttle bus from Playa de las Américas and Los Cristianos.
- Price: booking online on the official website, from about €35 for an adult and €27 for a child (5-10); around €16 for toddlers 3-4 and free for under-3s. The online price varies by date.
- Indicative hours: 10:00-17:00 every day, closing at 18:00 in July and August (the water attractions close about 30 minutes earlier); the dolphin show is at 15:30.
- Who it suits: families with children looking for a calmer day than Siam Park, without giving up slides and pools.
- Worth knowing: Aqualand also has a dolphinarium, with bottlenose dolphins and a daily show. If animal welfare in captivity is an important factor in your choice, it is something to consider before buying a ticket.
Which park to choose
| If you want... | Choose |
| Adrenaline and record-breaking slides | Siam Park |
| A calmer water day with young children | Aqualand |
| Animals, parrots and an aquarium | Loro Parque |
| To visit both water parks and you are in the south | Siam Park and Aqualand together (they are close by) |
| Just one day and you want "the big classic" | Siam Park, the most awarded of the three |
| To save money visiting Siam Park and Loro Parque | Consider a combined ticket (see below) |
How to save money and plan your day
- Siam Park + Loro Parque combined ticket: a Twin Ticket combines the two parks and can be good value if you want to visit both (indicatively around €78 adult and €57 for children per the rate). Conditions and validity can change: check them when you buy.
- Book online in advance: on the parks' official websites, prices are often lower than buying at the gate on the day, especially in high season.
- Watch out for tickets resold outside official channels: as with day trips, street stalls and hotel reps often add a markup. We cover this in the guide on the most common mistakes that make you spend double in Tenerife.
- Plan on one park per day: with Loro Parque in the north and the two water parks in the south, it is hard to fit in more than one a day. To move comfortably between north and south, a rental car helps a lot: the guide on car hire in Tenerife explains how to organise it.
- Travelling with kids: if you are planning the whole family holiday, the guide on Tenerife with kids also covers where to stay, safe beaches and what to do by age.
With prices that change by season and several ways to book, it always pays to compare before choosing: with TPCard you can see which activities in the network offer a benefit to cardholders.
