Zoomarine Algarve
The wave pool at Zoomarine runs on a ten-minute cycle — waves, then calm, then waves again — and once you know that, you can time everything else around it. Set on twenty-six hectares of the EN-125 highway corridor in Guia, about eight kilometres northwest of Albufeira, this is a park built around water and marine life in roughly equal measure. The Oceanus aquarium puts you close to sharks. Porto D'Abrigo, the on-site rehabilitation centre, takes in injured wild animals. The shows, the slides, and the new NAUTILUS coaster fill the rest of the day.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to arrive early for the slides — queues stretch to twenty minutes by mid-afternoon in July — then claim sunbeds (two, an umbrella, and a table for €15) before the wave pool fills. For the dolphin show, fifteen minutes early gets you a seat; the front three rows get wet.
The story behind Zoomarine Algarve
Pedro Lavia, originally from Buenos Aires, founded the operating company Mundo Aquático in 1989. Zoomarine Algarve opened on 3 August 1991 on a seven-hectare site in Guia — a park that positioned marine education alongside entertainment at a time when that combination was unusual in southern Europe. A roller coaster arrived in 1997, and by 2002 the Porto D'Abrigo rehabilitation centre had given the park a more serious conservation function.
The grounds eventually expanded to twenty-six hectares. In 2015 Dolphin Discovery acquired the park, bringing it into a larger international network. By 2025 annual visitors had passed 630,000. The 2026 season, marking the park's 35th year, opened in March with the NAUTILUS coaster as its centrepiece.
Good to know
The VAMUS bus from Albufeira's Terminal Rodoviário runs every two hours and stops 300 metres from the entrance — about fifteen minutes and a few euros. Parking is free. Buy tickets online to save several euros per person, and consider the two-day option: the park genuinely takes more than one visit to cover.
June through September is hot and dry — temperatures regularly reach 30°C or above, which makes the water attractions the point. Spring and autumn visits (April, May, October) are mild and noticeably quieter, though some attractions run reduced hours. The park closes from late November until early March.
Where is Zoomarine Algarve?
More tickets & tours for Zoomarine Algarve
Book directly at the provider
What travellers say about Zoomarine Algarve
Love this place!! I have been 3 or 4 times now (over 10 years since last visit) and we took our almost 2 year old this time. Great experience, so much to see and do, plenty for kids. Lots of open space, can take picnics but food available there too. Highly recommend and we'll be going again. Recommend doing 2 day tickets as have more time for the kids to play in the pools and slides as well as the presentations.
Zoomarine was one of the absolute highlights of our trip. The whole place is incredibly well‑run, clean, and full of things to do for both kids and adults. From the moment you walk in, it feels exciting but still really family‑friendly. The animal experiences were fantastic. The dolphin meet‑and‑greet was unforgettable — the staff were knowledgeable, gentle, and clearly cared about the animals. The dolphin and seal watching shows were beautifully done, educational, and fun without feeling rushed or overcrowded. You can tell a lot of effort goes into making the experience enjoyable and respectful. There’s also so much more than just the animals. The water rides, pools, and play areas kept everyone entertained for hours. It’s the kind of place where you can easily spend the whole day and still feel like there’s more to explore. What really stood out was how smoothly everything was organised. Queues moved quickly, staff were friendly, and the whole park felt safe and welcoming. It’s a brilliant mix of entertainment, learning, and relaxation. Overall, Zoomarine is absolutely worth visiting. Whether you’re going for the animals, the shows, or just a fun family day out, it delivers on every level. A memorable experience from start to finish.
Absolutely fantastic place to bring the kids, this place is super clean and tidy, there are loads of free carnival rides and dozens of pools with water slides and water fun zones, we have been there 4 or 5 times, we go every week we're here, there are various shows and the girls have swam with dolphins a couple of times, bird sanctuarys to butterflies, the food is RUBBISH accept the little restaurant beside the main pirate's pool. Some of the water slides are brilliant but you need to keep applying the sun cream. A must if your in the Algarve, DO NOT PASS IT BY. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE.
Great place with so many things to do that it’s impossible to cover everything in just one day. There are plenty of entertaining shows, including birds, dolphins, sea lions, music performances, acrobatics, a 4D cinema, and a beautiful butterfly garden. There are also animals to see, such as birds, turtles, alligators, and fish. The park is very clean, and the staff are friendly and helpful. There are many food and snack options available at reasonable prices. One thing to be aware of is that not all restaurants stay open throughout the day. I went to get food around 3:20 PM, but the Bamboo buffet restaurant had already closed. Another restaurant in the food court was also closed, leaving only one option serving pizza and hamburgers. Fortunately, the pizza was quite good. There are shaded umbrellas available for rent, with 2 sunbeds and 1 umbrella costing €10. Lockers/safe boxes are available for €7. The pools are clean, and the one I used was supervised very attentively by two lifeguards, which made me feel safe. To me, this park has it all. Although I visited in May and part of Zoomarine was still closed until the high season, I was still able to enjoy a full day there and didn't manage to experience everything that was available. I would definitely recommend a visit.
Amazing place! I went with my daughter who just turned 4 and she had the best day and didn’t want to leave! Usually I’m the one who’s bored when going to places tailored for kids but even I was entertained all day long! Some rides were a bit scary for her but the staff was so friendly and even stopped one ride for us, so we could get off. The shows were also amazing. There was so much to do, we could have easily spent two days, even though some attractions weren’t open yet (off season). My daughter hates water that’s too cold for her taste, so we missed out on the huge water park, but that’s our loss :) we also really enjoyed the animals, they looked well taken care of! highly recommend !
More of Albufeira
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Albufeira →More attractions in Albufeira
All of Albufeira →
Background adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ratings & place photos via Google · other photos with per-image credit. Ticket links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.