Dubbed the ‘Most Beautiful Park on Costa del Sol’, Paloma Park will certainly make you feel like you’re visiting an exotic destination in Thailand, and not strolling through the middle of a town in Spain.
200 square meters of gorgeous lush surroundings with sea views, exotic tree varieties and bunnies chasing running around in the grass – what’s not to love here?
After spending over 6 years living in Cyprus, with zero access to city parks of this size (or grass for that matter), spotting a huge park close to my new home was certainly a huge reason to get excited.
The park has an artificial lake in the middle, complete with swans (and their babies!), turtles sunbathing on the rocks, ducks and perfectly manicured gardens.
As you walk around, you can spot chickens, ducks, rabbits and peacocks strolling around and finding new hiding places among the exotic trees and plants in here.
If that wasn’t enough, there are over 90 species of palm trees and one of the best collections of bamboo, cactus and succulents in Europe.
The walkways are all named and easy to navigate through, and when you get tired you can take a sip of coffee in one of the three cafes here.
The absolute highlight for me was the cactus garden, in fact, Europe’s richest collections of cacti and succulents. Just the sheer size of them was amazing and I was walking around like Alice in Wonderland.
My husband and son didn’t share the same enthusiasm as running around prickly friends in 36C heat wasn’t their idea of fun. To get you an idea of the size, there are over 2,000 cacti from over 450 different species.
I can’t wait to return here very soon, as the autumn takes charge of the changing leaves and transforms the park for its winter season.
For now, I will let you enjoy a virtual visit through the photos!
Most Popular Activities & Day Trips in Benalmadena
Here is a selection of some fun activities and day trips from Benalmadena – these are independently organized tours with pick-up from the town. To see available dates and check the prices please click on the link for each activity.
- Caminito Del Rey Guided Tour – with pick up from Benalmadena, a guided tour of the famous walkway along the El Chorro Gorge, with transportation, entrance fees and tour guide included.
- Dolphin Watching Boat Trip in Benalmadena – explore the coast of Benalmadena from a boat, enjoy a trip that includes spotting dolphins in their natural habitat, swimming and sunbathing on the boat.
- Day Trip to Ronda and Setenil de las Bodegas – see one of the wonders of Andalusia, the Puente Nuevo in Ronda with one of the oldest bullrings in Spain, and admire the houses built into massive rock formations in Setenil. Includes pick up from Benalmadena, a tour guide, a glass of Ronda wine, and entry to Palacio Mondragon.
- Day Trip to Granada with Tour of Alhambra – see one of the most famous monuments in Andalusia, the palace complex of Alhambra with a tour guide with a pick up from Benalmadena.
- Day Trip to Gibraltar – enjoy a trip to the UK territory with free time for shopping and an optional visit to the Nature Reserve with a guide.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links – if you decide to book using one of the links, I will earn a small commission that helps me run this site. This is at no extra cost to you.
