The beautiful beach resort of Benalmádena lies on the southern coastline of Spain. This super tourist hot spot is well known for it’s sandy beaches and Puerto Marina (Marina Port). The Marina houses the Sea Life Aquarium and vast array of yachts.
Benalmádena lies on the coast of the popular Costa del Sol in the region of Andalucia. The town of Torremolinos sits to the north of here with Fuengirola to the south. Benalmádena covers an area of around 27.5 km’s and has a population of some 65,000 people.
The Beautiful Benalmádena, Costa del Sol
Like most of southern Spain, Benalmádena spent over half a millennium under Moorish rule. During this time, there was significant redevelopment of this town. Many constructions such as the Moorish Castle can still be seen today.
The amazing weather here in Benalmádena is fantastic all year round. The climate here yields an average yearly temperature of 19 Celsius.
Best Attractions
This coastal area has 10 km’s of sandy beaches to enjoy during your visit. These are among the best on the Costa del Sol and indeed the south of Spain. The Marina lies on this strip of coastline also. Puerto Marina (picture above) boasts the popular Sea Life Aquarium and floating hotels. Here there are luxury yachts of the rich and famous and some excellent places to shop and enjoy fine dining.
Benalmádena Pueblo lies inland away from the busier coastal areas and is well worth a visit. Arroyo de la Miel connects the old village to the coastal areas and beaches. There is also a train station at Arroyo that allows travel to Malaga which is the capital of the Costa del Sol. You can also reach many of the other resorts along the coastline by train.
Tivoli World Theme Park
Tivoli World Theme Park is one of the top attractions for the whole family. Here you will find over 300 rides, attractions, shops and enjoyable things to do. The outdoor theatre has a capacity for 3000 people alone. Often hosted here are an assortment of musical events and shows such as Flamenco.
For refreshments, there are over 30 bars and restaurants dotted around Tivoli. The different themed areas host a variety of shows and entertainment. Tickets are available for as little as 7,95 €. Check here for timetables and ticket prices on the Tivoli website.
Stupa Benalmádena
Stupa Benalmádena is a Buddhist monument dedicates itself to peace, and prosperity in the world. This is an ideal place to learn, reflect, and meditate. The monument was inaugurated on October 5th, 2003. It’s now become one of the most interesting and spiritual places in the town.
Jardín de las Águilas
Garden of Eagles or Jardín de las Águilas is a picturesque bird of prey centre. This garden is set 250 metres above the Mediterranean Sea level. Here you can watch spectacular displays of flight throughout the afternoon.
In all, there are around 160 birds of prey to enjoy. These include, eagles, vultures, condors, hawks, falcons and Owls. It’s important to bear in mind that this place is set at altitude. It’s only accessible by cable car which may be a nervy experience for some.
Jardín de las Águilas is open all year round from 1 – 5pm but stays open later in the summer months. The ticket prices at time of writing are 6 € for adults and 5 € for children. This includes the cable car fare.
Butterfly Park
Benalmádena Butterfly Park dedicates itself to the preservation of butterflies in Spain. This butterfly park is the biggest of it’s kind in Europe. Here you will find over 1500 butterflies from more than 150 different species. These butterflies come from a variety of tropical environments from around the world.
Although the butterflies are from different parts of the world there is no conflict between them. They live in perfect harmony for their 2-3 week life span. Follow this link to the English version of the Mariposario de Benalmadena website.
Benalmádena Pueblo
Benalmádena Pueblo is the original village located a few km’s from the coastal area. The village lies at the foot of Mount Calamorro. A very traditional Spanish looking village which has an elevation of 200 metres. This vantage point offers some of the most stunning views of the coastal areas below.
Here you can find the picturesque Plaza de España. An idyllic location containing bars and some great restaurants to enjoy fine dining.
Sea Life Benalmádena
The popular Sea Life Benalmádena is home to over 2000 different species of marine animals. This is one of the leading aquariums in Spain.
Sea Life is one of top attractions in the beautiful town of Benalmádena on the Costa del Sol. This fantastic aquarium boasts a modern underwater tunnel. This allows you to get up close and personal with all types of marine life. Sea Life is owned by Merlin Entertainments. Their aquariums attract over 60 million visitors per year around the world.
Sea Life Ocean Tunnel & Interactive Rock Pool
Some of the best aquarium features include a modern underwater tunnel. The interactive rock pool allows it’s visitors to touch some of the smaller marine animals. These include crabs and starfish. Sea Life offers all types of behind the scenes tours. There are opportunities to watch feeding times. They also provide plenty of educational insights for the younger ones to learn all about marine-aquatic life.
Opening Times & Ticket Prices
Sea Life is open from 10am – 6pm Monday – Friday and from 10am – 8pm at weekends. Ticket prices vary depending on what type of ticket you want. Online tickets are available for 9.95.
There are exclusive and group tickets available also. Some come with a price reduction based on age. you can follow this link for information about the various ticket prices and types of tickets on offer.
Sea Life Species
There are many amazing sea creature at Sea Life. Some of the more popular being Sharks, Jellyfish, Turtles, Seahorses and Pipefish. Rays, Otters and Octopus are a few more marine species on display.
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Selwo Marina
The Selwo Marina is the only park of it’s kind in the whole of the Costa del Sol and another good educational experience for the young ones.
The popular Selwo Marina also lies in Benalmádena on the sunny Costa del Sol. Selwo Marina is split into 5 super areas inhabited by different animals. The main areas Las Antillas, Ice Island, La Hondonada, Amazonia, Los Trópicos. The main areas allow you to take a closer look at some of the animals you will not get to see in everyday life. Some of the top animals here are the bottlenose dolphins, sea lions, parrots, flamingos, lizards and various types of snakes. Selwo’s main focus is towards educating people about the animal life that live here.
Selwo Marina Experiences
Selwo offer several exclusive experiences which allow you to get up close and personal with some of the marine mammals. These experiences include encounter with dolphins and swimming with sea lions. You also have the opportunity of feeding the friendly penguins.
Encounter with Dolphins: An enjoyable and educational experience under the guidance of expert instructors. This involves a small interaction pool which allows you to be close to these intelligent marine mammals.
Meet The Penguins: Another unique experience which allows you to approach and feed the penguins. The small feeding area is designed to replicate their original freezing Antarctic home.
Selwo Marina Opening Times & Tickets Prices
Selwo Marina tends to open at 10am and closes at 6pm in the evenings during the winter and spring although there are a few exceptions. As summer approaches and during summer the closing hours become later, normally 8-9pm. Tickets for adults are normally priced at 19.90 € and 15 € for children over 3 years of age. Under 3 years old have free entry and there are further discounts for disabled and group tickets. There are massive discounts if you purchase your tickets online on the Selwo website.
La Hondonada – Exotic Birds
The La Hondonada area (The Hollow) is where you will find the exotic birds such as the various species of Macaw and the white cockatoo.
Las Antillas
Las Antillas contains 5 pool areas in the style of the Caribbean which is where you will find the dolphins, sea lions and other marine mammals.
Map of Selwo Marina
Below you can find a map to plan your visit to Selwo Marina with directions.
Parque de la Paloma S/N
29630 Benalmádena, Málaga
Motorway A7, exit 222 Benalmádena – Arroyo de la Miel
On the N-340 (Coast): Avda. Antonio Machado.