Elephants and giraffes on a desert island, a huge cactus garden, camel rides across the dunes and a headline parrot-and-sea-lion show — Oasis Wildlife Fuerteventura is the biggest family day out on the island. Set on the sun-baked south coast at La Lajita, this sprawling zoo and botanical park is home to hundreds of animals and one of the largest collections of cacti and palms in Europe. It's a full, easy day for all ages, and comfortably the top pick for visiting the Canary Islands with kids on Fuerteventura.
The zoo: hundreds of animals
Oasis is a proper zoo, not a petting corner. Wandering the shaded paths you'll meet African heavyweights like elephants, giraffes, hippos and zebras, big cats and cheetahs, plus lemurs, meerkats, crocodiles, flamingos, porcupines and a large collection of reptiles. The star residents are the animals you can get close to on scheduled feeding and encounter sessions — feeding a giraffe by hand is a favourite with children. Throughout the day, keeper talks and demonstrations dot the timetable, so it's worth grabbing a map and the day's schedule as you arrive and planning your route around the ones you don't want to miss.
Photo: Frank Vincentz · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · scaled
The shows and encounters
The park is well known for its live shows, staged in shaded arenas across the day. The big draw is the exotic-bird and parrot display, a colourful, free-flying spectacle, alongside a sea-lion show and reptile presentations. These run to a fixed timetable, so the trick is to build your visit around show times and fill the gaps with the enclosures and gardens in between.
Plan around the timetable and go early. Shows and feeding sessions run at set times, and the animals are liveliest in the cooler morning hours. Arrive near opening, pick up the day's schedule, and tackle the outdoor areas before the midday heat. Bring hats, sun cream and plenty of water — this is one of the hottest, driest corners of Fuerteventura, and there's a lot of ground to cover.
Camel safaris
Fuerteventura has a long history with camels, and Oasis keeps one of the largest herds in the Canaries. A gentle camel safari takes you swaying up and down the dusty slopes behind the park in a caravan, just as the animals once carried goods and worked the land here. It's a short, good-humoured ride that children love and a nice nod to the island's past. The camel experience is usually a separate add-on to general entry, so check whether it's included in your ticket or bought on the day.
The botanical garden
Easy to overlook next to the animals, the botanical side of Oasis is a highlight in its own right. The park holds a vast collection of cacti and succulents — thousands of specimens from around the world — along with towering palms and other desert plants that thrive in this arid climate. Shaded, green and quiet, the gardens are a lovely, cooler contrast to the enclosures and a welcome place to slow down midway through the day.
Tickets and opening
Oasis Wildlife is open most of the week, typically from morning until late afternoon, though days and hours vary by season, so check before you travel. As of 2026, adult tickets are in the region of the higher end for Canary attractions, with reduced prices for children and free entry for the youngest — and booking online in advance is usually cheaper than paying at the gate. Add-ons such as the camel safari and special animal encounters may cost extra. Always confirm the latest prices, opening days and show times on the official Oasis Wildlife website before you set off.
Allow a full day and wear good shoes. The park is large and spread out across uneven, sunny ground, with a lot of walking between the animals, shows and gardens. Comfortable footwear, sun protection and regular water breaks make all the difference, especially with younger children. There are cafés and picnic areas on site for refuelling.
Getting there and combining your day
Oasis sits at La Lajita on the FV-2 coast road in the south of the island, an easy drive of around 15–20 minutes from Morro Jable and the Jandía resorts, and roughly 40 minutes to an hour from Caleta de Fuste and the airport. A hire car is the simplest way to arrive and gives you flexibility with timings; there's ample parking on site. Without a car, buses run along the south coast and many resorts offer organised excursions that include transfers.
With the park on the way to the south of the island, it's easy to pair a morning at Oasis with an afternoon on Fuerteventura's spectacular beaches — the endless golden sand of the Jandía peninsula near Morro Jable, or the wild, remote sweep of Cofete beyond the mountains. For a full island picture, add the whitewashed old capital of Betancuria inland on another day. Oasis is the kind of big, dependable attraction that keeps every age happy, from toddlers to grandparents.
Giraffes, cacti and camels on the edge of the dunes — Oasis turns Fuerteventura's arid south into a green, roaring day out for the whole family.