September 8th, 2015

Despite it’s grandiose name (the Park of Legends)  this place is basically Lima’s main Zoo, albeit with a few ruins of ancient civilizations sprinkled throughout.  We’re going to do this as a photo essay so I’ll just include a few paragraphs about how to get to the zoo before moving into the animals.

Parque Los Leyendes is a sizeable taxi ride away from the tourist centres of Lima which makes it harder to visit, luckily there are buses from Miraflores which take you near by.  If you’re looking to go head to Avenida Jose Pardo street and look for any bus that say LA Marina on it.  This will take you to the massive street of La Marina and you want to get off near the intersection with the street Parque Los Leyendes.  Head right up that street and you will come to the main entrance of the zoo.

there are lots of small restaurants and shops around if you need anything but soon enough you’ll find yourself paying the 14 soles admission fee and entering the zoo and archaeological complex  It includes lots of huaca’s similar to what I saw in Trujillo, some botanical gardens, tons of animals, and lots of family fun activities. Above all though there are animals, mostly in modern and reasonable enclosures.  In fact this zoo turned out to be a lot less depressing than I thought it might be.

The zoo is divided into 4 sections:  Selva (jungle)  Costa (coast)  Sierra (mountains)  and International.  The Jungle and International sections were what I enjoyed most, but all four are worth a visit for sure. Now what you’ve all been waiting for. Way too many pictures.

To get back to the centre of Lima just head back to the far side of La Marina and find a bus that says Miraflores.  If you have any trouble just ask around and the friendly locals will help you out.

While the Zoo is hardly a highlight of South America it was a fun day out in the city and would certainly be a great family activity too.