Estepona chosen as Andalusia's first Dinosaur Theme Park Location

Estepona, a 23 minute drive from Marbella and Puerto Banus, is to become the venue for Andalusia's first dinosaur theme park. Located just outside the resort, in the rural idyll of Los Pedregales, three new theme parks are to be constructed by experienced theme park creators Geopark, one of them being devoted entirely to the fearsome pre-historic critters. The new theme park is to open Easter 2015.

Situated some 32 km from Marbella, Los Pedregales is already home to the beginnings of a theme park, where visitors can enjoy 33 activities like paintballing, zip lining and orienteering. At present it is mostly schools using this area, but in time it is envisaged the triple theme-park attraction will see a large influx of tourists.

Triple Potential

Now Los Pedregales will become the first destination of its kind in Andalusia, where dinosaurs are to "roam free", thrilling blood-thirsty children of all ages for many years to come.

The third theme park area will be designed to attract parties looking for leisure activities, entertainment and nightlife. Geopark's plans for this area include the construction of a go-karting circuit.

"We are going to try to be a leader in Spain, as throughout the country there are only five or six similar parks," said Miguel Ángel Carrillo, the technical director at Geopark. Geopark are in charge of the overall project.

The dinosaur theme park will revolve around the toothsome beasts themselves. Young visitors will be tickled pink to see full-scale replicas, but will also be able to enjoy interactive activities. There will be several dino shows based on the pre-historic monsters and a visitor centre providing scientific background information.

"The idea is to make three parks which, although not too large, overall require a large area,” explained Miguel Ángel Carrillo early in December 2014. "Work is scheduled to start this month, with an investment of €400,000."

Rare Dino Sightings in Spain

Set against the stunning backdrop of the Sierra Bermeja Mountains, Estepona's Los Pedregales Park will become one of just six dinosaur theme parks located in the entire country. Estepona was chosen wisely, not only because it happens to be situated at the popular Costa del Sol, close to Marbella. The resort already boasts its own Museum of Palaeontology, where ten skeletons of real Argentine dinosaurs are on permanent display.

The Age of Reptiles

They stem from the Mesozoic Era, which is a geological time dating back 252 to 266 million years, when reptiles dominated our planet. The predominant dinosaur finds from this era are plesiosaurus, a marine-based dinosaur that often serves as the prime suspect in the hunt for the Loch Nesss monster,and  iguanodon and megalosaurus, all perfect candidates for an inclusion into the new theme park.

Located at the C/ Matías Prats s/n along the Plaza de Toros, Estepona's museum also features some 1,000 exhibits of molluscs and marine invertebrates from the Pliocene. Star of the museum's collection is an Upper Triassic coral reef, unique in the Iberian Peninsular.

Dinosaurs 30 Minutes from Puerto Banus?

Estepona, alongside Marbella, is a favourite destination for people looking to purchase a holiday home or a retirement residence. Situated at the foot of the Sierra Bermeja, which at its Los Reales peak manages an impressive 1,449 metres above sea level, Estepona is popular for its 21 km of lovely beaches and micro-climate with more than 325 days of sunshine per year.

Boasting two EC Blue Flag beaches, a gorgeous marina brimming with bars, restaurants and cafes, Estepona is also a popular day trip destination for Marbella residents looking for the occasional change of scenery and different shops to explore.

Estepona lost out to Paris at the start of the 1990s, when the French capital was chosen over the Spanish resort as the new location for the Eurodisney project. This triple theme park project will put Estepona firmly on the map for families looking to spend a great holiday at the Costa del Sol. Situated just 45 km from the resort, Gibraltar Airport is the closest international airport for Estepona. Malaga Airport is located some 80 km distance from Estepona.