A journey through the jungle

If you like adventure, nature and wild fauna, you must not leave without visiting the biggest zoo in the country, Auto Safari Chapín.

This singular destination is found on kilometer 87.5 of the road leading to Taxisco. In here, a wide roadway, where palm trees seem to be folding and forming a natural roof, is the beginning of an adventure that seems to be coming out of the best pages of jungle stories.

The visit, which takes around one hour and a half, takes you in your vehicle through 14 different compounds; including an aviary, a walking zoo and a spacious lagoon that can be visited by boat.

A wide variety of animals live in an almost wild environment that recreates their natural habitats. Among the ones who awake the greatest attraction are the numerous colonies of hippos, the lions and a smashing white rhinoceros, which in spite of being isolated by a ditch scares the visitors when he threatens to attack the vehicle.

Together with them, the zebras, antelopes, tapirs, peacocks, deer and different species of monkeys and birds make an astonishing quantity of 1700 animals from 116 different species that live in the place. In here it is possible to visit the island of the howling monkeys, the squirrel monkeys, Capuchin monkeys with white face, and with brown face. If you are lucky, among these last ones you will find Marino, a friendly monkey who, contradicting its own nature, learned how to swim and better yet, this apelike admiral has taught another two of his mates, who will surely surprise you.

When the path is over, the participants will surely be thirsty, hungry and desiring a nice splash and swim. The place also offers options to calm all these needs. A spacious ranch covers the tables and restaurant area from the sun, and in here you can buy hamburgers, grilled meats, beverages, and ice creams.

This antelope's jump shows the spacious compounds that shelter the designated habitat for each species.

At last, a big pool is the perfect place to end this adventure and rest a little bit from the car's journey, as well as reload batteries for the returning trip.

This zoo started functioning about 24 years ago and in the present ithas around 1000 specimens, 60% of which have been born in captivity. AsMr. Juan José Pérez, administrative manager told us, its highreproduction rate has turn it into one of the most successful zoos inLatin America, and the reason to achieve several exchanges with otherzoos in Central America and Mexico.

The panthera leo, a big cat, used as emblem for royal houses.

Great part of this success has been that "there is almost no contactwith the animals. The food is left in vehicles and far from their zone,so they can be the ones to get it and fed themselves. Of the 60 personsthat work in here, we might say that only those who clean the compoundsonce a week are the ones who have a closer approach with the animals,but still they have no direct contact."

The park opens from Tuesdays thru Sundays, from 9:30 to 17:00 hours, the whole year round.

The entrance fee is Q39.00 per adult and Q32.00 per child and itincludes the entrance to the park, a boat ride and the use of the pool.
The complete package is Q58.00 per adult and Q53.00 per child, whichincludes all the above plus a lunch of hamburger, fries, beverage andice cream.

Marino is not only a swimmer but a swimming teacher for others of his species.

If people do not have a vehicle, or if they arrive in pick-ups, withoutadditional cost they can ask for a microbus service with the entranceguards.
If you would like to know each species better, you can take a guidewhich can accompany you without additional cost and offer youinteresting facts about the animals, as well as the park.