Mini Zoo

The public park on Magdalena Peninsula has a free mini-zoo with penguins, seals, sea lions, and ducks. The pools are fed with natural sea water so the animals have a nicer environment, though I must admit that being in the wild would be best, really.

Although I don't really approve of zoos, I had a good time with the seals and how they startled passersby with their cries. I also liked the penguins and the "spa treatments" that the sea lions did.

Magdalena Peninsula is one of the most beautiful places in Santander. It's not hard to find reasons to linger for hours and hours, visiting the beautiful palace at the top, swimming at the beaches, or enjoying the mini-zoo.

The mini-zoo is fully integrated into the landscape and the tanks are fed with real seawater, replicating the animals' natural environment as much as possible.

As you enter the peninsula, you turn left and discover this unique place where nature is on full display before your eyes. There are swans, penguins, seals, and even sea lions. If you’re patient, many of the animals do fun stunts and you can live some very touching moments.

The Magdalena Mini-Zoo is located on the Magdalena peninsula. The views are stunning, and the mini-zoo is right next to the main viewpoint. Sometimes, when the tide is high or the waves are particularly big, the waves splash all the way up to the areas where the animals are located.

This small zoo houses different species of birds (swans, ducks, etc.), penguins, and gray seals. And if you time your visit right, you get the amazing chance to see the animals frolicking around the frothing waters of the Cantabrian Sea.

Other species living in this zoo were moved to the Cabárceno