Jungle Island

Tropical Oasis... Wild Encounters...

We have known Jungle Island from the early days when it was "Parrot Jungle" in South Miami. In the early days it was known for the gigantic variety of colorful birds, the parrots, macaws, flamingos... now, Jungle Island has branched out to encompass a wide collection of animals beyond the feathered kind, some unusual and exotic like the white lion, and an array of unique encounters which are one of the main attractions of the park.

Its new location in Watson Island, just minutes from downtown Miami is a beautiful tropical setting with killer views of the bay and the Miami skyline.

The park is small and compact, so you can cover most of it in a couple of hours, but like mentioned before, there are a lot of activities, shows, animal encounters, even a beach and a water park, so you can easily spend the whole day.

The grounds are beautiful and carefully landscaped with lots of shaded areas...

And along the paths throughout the park you are likely to find free-roaming cranes, iguanas, turtles, and lots of parrots and macaws perched on trees or stations all over, they are cageless and you can feed them and really get up close.

Also throughout the exhibits, watch for keeper talks and presentations where you can learn about the animals, their habitats and their daily routines.

One thing to keep in mind when you visit Jungle Island is that while many of the activities and exhibits are free with admission, many activities carry an extra fee, and in some cases as in the premium interaction and encounters, reservations are necessary. Check out our summary below of all activities and additional fees if any, know what to expect and plan your day.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Three animal shows

• The Animal Exhibits

• Animal Interactions and Encounters

• The Beach and Water Park

Three Fantastic Animal Shows

First thing we do upon arriving at the park is check out the day's schedule for show times and plan the day accordingly. There are three shows with several acts throughout the day. Shows are free with admission to the park.

"Winged Wonders" Show

The Bird Show "Winged Wonders" is where our feathered animals perform their little stunts from huge impressive condors soaring above the audience to adorable little macaws riding their bikes and answering phones...

"Wild Encounter" Show

The Big Cats Show "Wild Encounter" where tiger cubs are the stars, totally adorable! Also the orangutans are playful and really fun to watch and interact with the trainers. If you stick around the show you have a chance to have pictures taken with the tiger cubs or the orangutans.

"Wild Adventures" Show

"Wild Adventures" at the Serpentarium... yes, reptiles... snakes... AND audience participation! Sit close to the front... if you dare...

The Animal Exhibits

The exhibits are scattered throughout the park in no logical arrangement so just make sure you get a map and find everything that interests you. There are some unusual and exotic animals you should not miss, for example the "Liger" a cross between a Lion and a Tiger. The White Lion and Tigers are also fantastic, you can see them very close from behind the fence.

Most of the big wild animals in the exhibits are in cages or behind fences, unlike some of the other zoos, Zoo Miami or Lion Country Safari where the animals roam freely.

There are exhibits for exotic birds, penguins, kangaroos, lemurs, baboons... and also a Petting Zoo, and many offer interactive activities where you get to play with and feed the animals.

Animal Encounters and Interactions

This is where Jungle Island really excels, from cuddling with Lemurs and Kangaroos, feeding llamas and birds, holding snakes and alligators... even bottle feeding a tiger cub, the range of their interactive activities and encounters is really superb.

As you can guess, many of these activities come with an extra fee, ranging from a couple of dollars to buy feed for the animals, $5 to cuddle with Kangaroos, to several hundred dollars for some of the more exclusive VIP experiences, the backstage tour of Jungle Island so to speak.

Playing with the Lemurs has been a favorite of ours. My nieces really enjoyed cuddling with the fluffy critters, you have them climbing all over you, sitting in your lap, your shoulders, your head... You need to make a reservation for the Lemurs and for some of the other encounters.

Here is a summary of all interactions, fees and age requirements for each activity.

Parrot Cove: A Beach and Water Park

At the tip of the island with sweeping views of the Miami skyline is Parrot Cove, a private beach within the park. And at Parrot Cove, one of Jungle Island's latest additions is the Rainforest Riptide, a humongous floating water park-bounce house-obstacle course, together with trampolines, swings, water slides and certified lifeguards.

Parrot Cove is free with admission; however, there is an extra fee for Rainforest Riptide, a day-pass is $15.

Jungle Island - What - Where - How Much?

Where to find discount tickets or coupons to Jungle Island Miami?

Entrance to the park which includes all shows and exhibits is $34.95 plus tax for adults, Children $26.95 plus tax, Seniors $32.95 plus tax

You can get discounts from regular admission in several ways:

• If you have the Go Miami Card, entrance to Jungle Island is FREE.

• If you are visiting a couple more attractions in South Florida, consider getting the South Florida Explorer Pass where savings of up to 40% start when visiting 3 attractions or more. You can choose what attractions to visit as you go.

• Check the attraction counter at your hotel with all the different pamphlets and adverts for coupons for Jungle Island and any other attraction you will be visiting. Coupons are often for $2 or $3 off, sometimes more.

• During the summer vacation period, you get unlimited visits to Jungle Island and 6 other South Florida attractions with the South Florida Adventure Pass which costs Adults $50, Children $40. You can buy the pass at Jungle Island.

• Check the Jungle Island site for online discounts.

Special Offers and Tours to Jungle Island