Sea Life Benalmádena is the aquarium inside Puerto Marina – sharks, rays, sea turtles, jellyfish and an underwater tunnel walk, open daily from 11:00. Ten minutes away on foot is the Monowa Butterfly Park, a tropical greenhouse with hundreds of free-flying butterflies and exotic insects. Both together take 3–4 hours and cover the best of Benalmádena's family attractions without needing a car.
- 01Sea Life: open daily from 11:00, last entry ~17:45. Premium online tickets from ~€20 – cheaper than the door and skip the queue
- 02Highlights: shark tank, sea turtle pool, underwater walk-through tunnel, interactive rockpool touch tank
- 03Monowa Butterfly Park: tropical greenhouse with 1,500+ butterflies and exotic insects, 10 min walk from Sea Life
- 04Both together: 3–4 hours, ideal half-day from anywhere on the Costa del Sol
- 05Puerto Marina location – combine with the marina restaurants and the dolphin watching boats that depart from the same quay
- 06Book Sea Life online – the queue at the ticket desk in summer can add 30 minutes
Sea Life Benalmádena
Inside Puerto Marina on the eastern end of the harbour. The aquarium covers marine life from the local Mediterranean coast to tropical oceans across themed zones.
Main highlights:
- Shark tank – sand tiger sharks and nurse sharks in a large display tank
- Sea turtle pool – loggerhead turtles, some recovering from injuries
- Underwater tunnel – a walk-through acrylic tunnel with rays and sharks overhead
- Jellyfish zone – illuminated display tanks with multiple species
- Interactive rockpool – touch a starfish, hermit crab and sea anemone
Daily creature feeds and talks are scheduled throughout the day – check the board at the entrance when you arrive for times.
Practical: allow 1–1.5 hours. The aquarium is inside Puerto Marina and signposted from the main car park and the train station. Book online – the premium ticket includes skip-the-line access and is usually cheaper than the gate price.
Monowa Butterfly Park
A tropical greenhouse 10 minutes on foot from Sea Life, at the base of the Benalmádena cable car. The Monowa houses over 1,500 free-flying butterflies from around the world in a warm, humid garden with tropical plants and waterfalls. An insect room with beetles, stick insects and other species adds variety.
Quieter than Sea Life and often overlooked by visitors who stop at the aquarium. Allow 45–60 minutes. Tickets are available online at the GYG location page or at the entrance.
Combining Both Attractions
The practical order: Sea Life first (opens at 11:00), then walk to the Butterfly Park (10 min), then lunch or coffee at Puerto Marina. The whole loop takes 3–4 hours and stays within the Puerto Marina area.
If you are also booked on the dolphin watching cruise from Puerto Marina, book the morning departure (10:00–11:00) for the dolphins, then do Sea Life and the Butterfly Park in the afternoon.
Both sit inside a much longer list of things to do – see the Benalmádena guide for the rest.
Images: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
