Travel Review of Miami: Jungle Island

One of my favorite places to visit in Miami is now called Jungle Island....formally called Parrot Jungle Island....Having been a fan of this park for so many years, way before it moved to the new location on Watson Island, away from it's suburban spot in South Dade Miami where it had thrived for so many years.... I was dismayed when I heard the name was being changed...after all, it was the Parrots that were the main attraction back then and still are in my mind....but things change and the owners want to focus on the many other animals and aspects of the park to bring in more tourists and accentuate the fact that it is a Jungle Out There!...not just birds. I know whenever I have brought my guests from out of town to the jungle regardless of what it is called , they have always enjoyed it and its uniqueness and loved tje birds!

The setting for this new park is really quite perfect, located on the McArthur Causeway between the city of Miami Beach and Miami...as you walk though the Jungle, the glistening waters of Biscayne Bay are on one side of you and, if you look carefully, you might even see a dolphin swimming along in the sunshine...My husband did once, though I haven't been as lucky.

The one thing that many people who live in Miami don't care for about the new location is that the causeway is on the other side of the park...we were used to overgrown, lush tropical surroundings, not the sight of concrete or the sound of cars...but in the 3 years since it was relocated the trees and carefully planted shrubs have grown and it doesn't seem to be much of an issue now

Upon entering, the first thing I like to do is visit the Flamingos at Flamingo Lake...these beauties are always together and standing just at the waters edge, giant fish swim in the waters below your vantage point and it is just a lovely sight to see...

factoid; These were the flamingos featured in the opening sequences of Miami Vice ...when a hurricane or storm threatens they put them in the rest rooms so they won't run around and break their fragile legs

The beautiful waterfall nearby is also a favorite sight of mine and I can see why the area is used as a back drop for many weddings and other events that take place in the evenings...The folks at the Jungle have big catering halls in the large building to the right as you enter and I've been lucky to have been invited to a few parties there, one, when the park first opened and baby animals were brought in for us to see, I even had two blue Macaws on my shoulders and stood thisclose to a baby tiger as well as the distinct pleasure of holding a chimp in my arms.

Anyway, there really is so much to do...this week we took two of our grand kiddies to see what changes had occurred since our last visit and found everything just about the same except for the shorter show held at the Jungle Theater...

Basically, the park is arranged very well, just hop on a trail and it takes you to wherever you want to go...there are easy to read signs at all the crossroads...we checked our map and show schedule and found the cat show was starting soon so off we went to the Jungle Theater...I was really looking forward to seeing the big white cats and the Liger, part Lion, part Tiger, weighing over 900 pounds. I had told the boys about him so we were very disappointed that he wasn't there that day...The show was shorter then I remember and a bit disappointing...even the big white cats weren't brought out, but they did have the white Bengal Tiger and another Siberian Tiger as well as a few babies and some cute monkeys. The trainer of these animals are very involved with saving endangered species and offer you the opportunity to take a picture holding a baby tiger or monkey at $40 a shot, all proceeds to go to the case of preservation and I was surprised at how many people did stand in line for that pleasure...we had done it two years ago and I still proudly display my picture on my TV set!

Since we were near the Serpentarium we headed over there, through the flourishing green trails...once there we looked for and found the biggest reptile in Miami, the 2000 lb Crocosaurus...he is 20 ft long and quite a sight, though he really did nothing as we watched him through the glass enclosure...we went upstairs to see him from above and I must say I wouldn't want to run into him anywhere else but there...we had missed the morning reptile show so just walked around to look at the snakes, the big spiders and other smaller alligators.

Then we took the boys to the playground...on the way we passed the monkey cages and saw a vast array of little gibbons and silly Capuchin monkeys carrying on like, well, like monkeys!! Then in another display we saw the amazing Orangutans, who actually look like they are communicating with you...

On of my favorite features in the Jungle is the fact that you can run into some very interesting creatures and their trainers along the paths... we spotted a small alligator and the boys were able to hold him while we took pictures..of course there was a park employee keeping an eye of the gator as well as a photographer who would take your picture for sale later on, but I took my own...

It was off to the petting Zoo in the barn like structure they built for these little animals, baby pigs, goats, sheep and other cute little guys....You can buy bottles of kool aid for a buck a piece which they love to slurp right down...Nearby are the Giant Tortoises where these huge lumbering creatures sleep and every once in while you might actually see one move from one place to another.

One of the things I love about this park is that it is not huge so when we decided to have a bite to eat at the café, it didn't take us long to back track for a few burgers...be forewarned, the prices aren't cheap but the food is decent.

Back to park we went this time on another trail that took us to the Everglades Habitat which, on a much much smaller scale, provides a sense of what the true Everglades has to offer.... it is quite interesting to see the alligators lying at the edge of the water, without cages. Well, there are some mesh fences around the overall exhibit to keep them in and you out...we spotted the Albino Alligator and he actually showed us his big toothy smile. The ambiance of this area is really special with small bridges to walk over the waters of this mini-Everglades along with lovely native flowers and plants everywhere.

Ok, it was time to see the Parrots! We headed over to the Parrot Bowl for the next show...along the way we went into the Manu Encounter where you can see the parrots who live in this unusual replica of the clay cliffs of Manu Peru where they come from...They actually imported the clay from Peru for this exhibit and the birds fly free within this natural aviary, greeting you with a squawk or two. Here, as in much of the park, along the trails, you can buy seeds to feed the birds who love those sunflower seeds, that is, if they haven't just been fed.

Along these trails are other beautiful and exotic looking birds and they will eat right out your hand. Just put the seed up near the cage and they will come to you....the boys loved doing that! Just bring plenty of quarters!

In my mind there is nothing like the colors of these birds and when nature invented color it was to paint the feathers of these most exotic birds.

But, bad news, we spent too much time feeding the birds and missed most of the show in the Parrot bowl, from past experience though I can say it is an interesting show and offers the rare view of trained birds, who really do entertain for the enjoyment of children of all ages...many of these birds were the same ones who put on the show in the original park including Polly the bicycle riding Cockatoo.

Well, we were tired by this time so decided to say our goodbyes to the creatures of Jungle Island. On our way out we posed for some pictures in the posting area with a few parrots and though they charge for these pictures they let me take my own shots, even though I don't think they usually do that.

There is also a new attraction that we didn't take advantage of, the giant water slide, since we didn't have suits for the boys...we could see it in the distance and I imagine it would a great deal of fun and very cooling on one of our blistering hot days down here.

All in all we had a great time but, that said, a day at this park doesn't come cheap: as the prices below will attest, but I have found some deals on the internet and on special occasions or holidays the prices are reduced by a few dollars...

This truly is a unique spot on the Miami map so enjoy and have fun on Jungle Island!

Adult - $27.95 plus tax
Children- (ages 3-10) is $22.95 plus tax, and children under 3 are admitted for free.
Senior and student courtesy discounts are also available for $25.95 plus tax per person upon presentation of identification
There is no charge for those in the military