Most family holidays are quite naturally focused on the beach and associated water activities. However, family excursions can also add interest and fun to the family holiday, and the Murcia area has an extensive choice on offer for all families, accommodating varied interests and different ages.
Here you will find some of the most popular activities offered in the area…
Note: The listed opening hours and seasons are meant as a guide only, and may vary or be updated due to changing circumstances.
Terra Natura
Terra Natura is a great choice as it is an animal park, water park and pony riding centre all rolled into one. The animal park has more than 50 different species of animals, housed in an assimilation of their natural habitat; here you can study lions and leopards, bears and buffaloes, giraffes and antelopes, monkeys and apes, and hippos and rhinos – among other species that you may have not seen before. Areas have been set aside for snakes, amphibians and birds, including a falconry display. Also guided tours, “night safaris” and sea lion shows are offered.
The water park has slides, toboggans, river rides, a black hole, a kamikaze and a selection of pools to suit all ages, as well as sun beds. Around the different zones of the park you will find an ample selection of bars, cafés and restaurants, making Terra Natura a great day out for all the family.
- Where: Espinardo, 10 minutes north of Murcia city
- When: April to September, 10am to 7pm
For prices, online tickets, directions and more information go to Terra Natura
Tentegorra Aventura
Tentegorra Aventura is set amidst the natural beauty of the Rafael de la Cerda Nature Park, and has been a favourite for locals and tourists alike for the last 60 years.
The adventure park has various areas hosting different activities that cater for the whole family.
Here you will find two kilometres of suspended multi-adventure networks of varying difficulties, some up to 11 metres high in the treetops, with a myriad of challenges to overcome, such as the giant zip line.
In another area, a 300 square metre “ice” rink has been installed with capacity for over 60 people, and suitable for all ages. The rink comprises an artificial material that has the look and feel of ice, allowing it to remain open all year.
A state-of-the-art laser paint-ball course has been set up where opposing forces fire harmless lasers instead of hard paint-balls that can cause injury and require bulky safety masks. The trained monitors read-off the results of the “battle”, which is recorded on each individual’s equipment.
Tentegorra also has one of the largest natural labyrinths in Europe, where you can choose one of 12 entrances that will determine the difficulty of finding the exit.
Also on offer are:
- 5 swimming pools (rated for different ages)
- Water slides
- Bar area
- Sports tracks
- Children’s activities area
- Changing rooms
Where: Tentegorra, 15 minutes drive to the west of Cartagena
When: All year, every day from 11am (closed 24 & 25 December)
For more information…
Tel: +34 689 250 179
Website: Tentegorra Aventura
Museo de la Ciencia y el Agua
The Museum of Science and Water in Murcia has developed a popular, interactive and fun approach to learning that will appeal to adults and children alike. The museum is divided into four halls, each with its own theme.
Temporary Hall
This hall is for displaying contemporary scientific subjects and is regularly updated with exhibits featuring new technologies or new advances on existing sciences, as well as different ways of explaining or demonstrating a subject.
Water Hall
Water is one of the chemicals that we are familiar with and use in our daily lives, as well as being essential for sustaining all life forms.
This hall allows us to investigate the importance of water, as applied in scientific practices but in a fun and engaging way.
There are over 40 interactive components, including aquariums and terrariums to demonstrate the capabilities of water in four categories:
- Water and Science
- Water and Life
- Water and Geography
- Water and its Uses
Discover and Imagine Hall
This hall aims to engage younger members of the family, targeting the three-to-seven-year group and encouraging children to discover and use their senses to learn in an enjoyable interaction with the displays.
Monitors are at hand to assist youngsters to observe and learn about the living world and its characteristics.
Planetarium
The Planetarium has a multimedia system with a full dome digital projector. Some educational videos are projected, as well as a simulated night sky, as seen from the Earth and other planets.
The sessions are always guided by a qualified monitor, are participatory, and are adapted to the characteristics and interests of the public, with real-time projection of different videos and animations to help illustrate various astronomical phenomena.
Where: Plaza de la Ciencia, Murcia city
When:
1 September until 15 June, Tuesday to Saturday – 10am-2pm and 4.30pm-7 pm
16 June until 31 August – 10am-2pm and 5pm-8pm
(Sundays and fiestas closed)
For more information…
Tel: +34 968 211 998
Website: Ciencia y Agua
CIMAR Aquarium
Located on the shores of the Costa Cálida, in Águilas, the CIMAR Aquarium offers visitors an opportunity to understand and enjoy the natural and cultural marine heritage of Águilas.
The objective of this centre is to offer a panoramic overview of this part of Murcia’s important maritime heritage, promoting a commitment to protecting its future with regard to such aspects as landscape, biodiversity and tradition.
The CIMAR Aquarium building is not difficult to find as it is a modern design, painted an intense blue colour and crowned by an actual fishing trawler, the “Jose and Josefa”, which was donated to this “museum of the sea” by a family of fishermen, the Gómez Leóns.
Interpretation Centre (divided into three spaces)
- Museum
The museum covers an area of 400 square metres that includes the interior of the “José y Josefa”, which was once a working fishing trawler more than 20 metres in length. Featured here are displays that relate histories of the area’s maritime heritage.
- Aquarium
The aquarium contains a large tank filled with 30,000 litres of seawater housing many species; three 3,000-litre tanks, also containing Mediterranean species; and nine other aquariums of just over 500 litres, with species of animals and plants from the rest of the world’s seas and oceans.
- La Casa del Pescador
The “home of the fisherman” is an area that, highlighted by a marked ethnological character, recreates a typical fishermen’s home set in the 1950s, in which visitors are not only able to see the homes of fishermen of the time but also their way of life and the utensils used by families in their daily lives.
When:
Winter, 16 September to 14 June – Tuesdays to Sundays and public holidays, 10am-1pm and 5pm-7pm (closed on Mondays except for public holidays and long weekends)
Summer, 15 June to 15 September – Tuesdays to Sundays and public holidays, 11am-2pm and 6pm-8pm (closed on Mondays during April, May, June and September)
Where: Águiles, Murcia
Guided visits for groups…
Reservations Tel: +34 968 493 647 / 670 307 818 (admission free of charge)