Benalmádena Butterfly Park

www.mariposariodebenalmadena.com

Muérdago Street n/n

29639 - Benálmadena, Málaga, Spain

E-mail:
mail@mariposariodebenalmadena.com

Phone: (+34) 951 211 196

Benalmádena Butterfly Park Information

The Butterfly Park of Benalmádena is over 2,000 m2 the

largest space dedicated to the butterflies in Europe.

The building was built in butterfly thailand style what has

been an added difficulty to the inherent complexity of the
project.

To give the building authenticity many building materials and

decorative elements were brought directly from Thailand. The
blue tiles covering the pagoda entrance hall were made in that
color expressly in Chiang Mai for the butterfly, and is the
original tile that is traditionally used in the temples of
Thailand.

Thailand style choice for the building has been motivated by

several factors

1.- Aesthetic and conceptual harmony with Tibetan Temple

located near the Butterfly. The Buddhist philosophy is
consistent with what we suggest butterflies (beauty, serenity,
silence). In Asia, the butterfly symbolizes the soul and
spirituality.

2.- It was in Asia, particularly in China where it started 4,000

years ago butterfly farming for silk production and later in
Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia for display in captivity.

The flight of the butterfly area is a tropical garden

conservatory of over 900 m2 and 8 m in height where they fly
between 1,500 and 2,000 butterflies of exotic species
originating in tropical areas worldwide. Throughout the year
you can see more than 150 different species. 70% of
individuals that fly in the butterfly are produced in-house and
30% is imported from their homelands.

Benalmádena Butterfly Park 1

www.mariposariodebenalmadena.com
We paid particular attention to the naturalization of the
garden so that visitors feel immersed in the habitat of these
species. The garden is designed as an open space to provide a
clear visual as natural as possible.

The main difficulty of this project is the climate, because for

the life of these species require very specific environmental
conditions (24-28 º C and 70% relative humidity) difficult to
maintain in this size.
Garden maintenance is also difficult because it could not use
any plant protection product pest control must be performed
manually or by biological control.

The Butterfly is a private initiative that has, from the outset

with the support of the City of Benalmádena by transferring
the soil. Imago Dracaena SL is the entity behind the project
and is composed of José Antonio Plaza (employer) and
Asunción Gómez (veterinary). The company also has another
unique butterfly garden and butterfly farm in Europe, North
Entomology Centre, both in the Canaries.

The butterfly is a zoo in every sense of the word. The main

difference from other parks is that working with animals that
have a lifespan of two weeks, so it is a very dynamic zoo
where the population is completely renewed every 15 days.

The other aspect that sets us apart from other zoos is logically
direct contact with the public. The butterflies are flying around
visitors and it is possible to directly observe their behavior.
This is what is called zooinmersion which means that the
visitor is immersed in the habitat of animals is meant to
minimize or conceal the visual barriers between the public and
animals.

As zoo we have a commitment to conservation and education

and so we will work closely with schools preparing classrooms
in nature and seminars in their own butterfly.

The butterfly adds to the vast range of existing parks and on

the Costa del Sol Benalmádena confirmed as a key destination
for family leisure and nature.

Hours:

From Monday to Sunday: 10:00 to 19:00 h.

Benalmádena Butterfly Park 2

www.mariposariodebenalmadena.com