Benidorm – when you hear this name, the first things that come to mind are the sun and the surf. Known as having some of the finest and most exquisite beaches in all of the Iberian Peninsula, Benidorm invites millions of tourists every year. Besides the awesome beaches, other excellent ventures in Benidorm include the theme parks and wild animal parks. One of the largest and most visited of which is the Vergel Safari Park. Take a trip here, and your Benidorm holiday is something you surely will never forget.

It is not that hard to get to Vergel Safari Park. Most would recommend you to take the N322 highway towards the city of Valencia. Your exit point is at Pego on the C311, which is a little after the town of Ondara. Once you’re there, get ready to experience a nature trek like no other.

Vergel Safari Park is the perfect venue to be closer to nature. There are many activities that you and the rest of the family can enjoy. Besides offering an educational experience for the young ones, even the adults can have a blast with the many goodies Vergel Safari Park has to offer. Now, you can truly say that learning about wildlife has never been more fun.

For those who want that added thrill of being so close to nature, there are safari rides available for you and the family. The guided tours allow you to take a drive through the open terrain, and watch wild animals roaming freely. However, there is always a word of warning that comes with these safari treks. Because you are very close to the wild animals, such as the tigers and lions, it is strictly implemented that you remain inside the vehicle at all times. Guests at the Vergel Safari Park are not allowed to feed or even approach the animals in the open areas, as they are wild and can be dangerous.

After the driven tour, you can take a hike on other open areas in the safari park. Some of the animals you can expect to see at Vergel Safari Park are: zebras, ostriches, Iberian wolves, primates, and giraffes. There is also an area where domestic animals like ponies and pigs can be found, and you and the kids can have fun petting and feeding them. On the other section of the safari park, you can get to watch marine mammals like seals and dolphins perform tricks in one of their daily shows. Other animal species you can expect to view are reptiles and birds, as there are dozens of them in Vergel Safari Park.

After your long trek along the open terrains, you might want to take a break at the restaurants inside the park. The kids can also unwind at available facilities like playgrounds, go-karts, and mini-trains. Truly, experiencing nature first hand can be a remarkable and memorable experience for you and the whole family to cherish. Next time you come to Benidorm, be sure you explore its wilder side at Vergel Safari Park.

Nearly 14000 people had to run for their lives in a bizarre fire incident that occurred due to the collapse of an electric pylon. It engulfed La Nucia at 0930 hours on Saturday.
Costera and Vall d’ALbaida in Valencia too saw an infusion of army personnel out to brave the forest fires.

The mammoth blaze shook 14,000 people belonging to different communities who had to be cleared off their premises in La Nucía, Benidorm, Finestrat, Polop de la Marina and Alfaz del Pi, just as the flames emerged at 0920 in the El Copet area, confirmed Bernabé Cano, the Mayor of La Nucía, Bernabé Cano to Europa Press. It was an electric pylon which is believed to be the real cause of the fire abetted by strong wind.

The municipal refuges, such as Sports Centre and Casa de la Cultura sheltered them in La Nucía. These centers are providing 24*7 services.

The main buildings to be emptied were the Terra Natura and Terra Mítica theme parks and Villaitana hotels in Benidorm. Butane gas deposits and petrol stations are under heavy use by the firemen at work.

The rescue personnel are all around in good number, with 500 firefighters getting assistance from 60 Guardia Civil and 40 National Police. Alongside are the 171 military men from the Military Emergency Units in Zaragoza and Cuenca and fire fighting experts from Valencia and Madrid.

Whenever weather permits, the Canadair planes, three in number, and a Kamov helicopter will get in motion. Snarling winds at 120 km/hr negated any air help on Saturday. Five houses have been casualties but thankfully, the people are all unscathed according to reports.

There was 10 degree escalation in temperature brought forth by 100 km/hr winds in Alicante substituting the frigidity of past week with the tropical temperatures from the Canaries.

There has been a forest fire also at Genovés in Valencia, eliciting rapid action by UME emergency units in Costera and la Vall d’Albaida.

Even though 20 pylons have been thrust down into ground by the wind wheel of 200 km/hr, Power Company REE has confidently stated no inconvenience in national power distribution. The northern parts may however be under the effect at least till the winds die down.

There are regular reports on the dual fire by the Ministers for Defence, Environment and Industry to the Prime Minister.

Barring odd circumstances, Bruce Springsteen will paint the Foietes football ground in Benidorm red this summer; rest assured. The American singer arranged for his agent to make a trip to the city and analyze ready options. The representative referred to the show being held either on the 31st July or the 2nd August 2009 by “The Boss.” Springsteen is currently on a promotional tour for his ‘Working to a dream’ album and Benidorm and few other Spanish cities are dotted on his circular.

Still in the pipeline

Though emphasizing that there have been discussions, a town hall spokesman duly said, “There is nothing confirmed or signed, but a simple offer has been made that will be studied along with others.” Still, confirmation clues are in sight at the Foites, where Bruce’s agent studied the details regarding the capacity and services available to the anticipated crowd of 35,000 on the D-day. Aside from the representative, the New Jersey’s ace musician’s updated webpage named Benidorm as one among the quintet of cities in his chart. His website elaborates on the tour as: 26th July in Bilbao; 28th July in Santiago de Compostela; 29th July in Valladolid; 31st July in Benidorm and finally 2nd August in Malaga. It was officially notified by the promoter of the Springsteen concerts in Italy that Benidorm would be the final straw in the extensive tour of 23 different concerts.

Cancelled

The Foietes stadium has had a history of mania and depression ever since the Rolling Stones turned down the concerts due in the month of September, 2003. A couple of deferments along with the final cancellation broke the hearts of over 30,000 music lovers. Benidorm more than made up for this error by lapping up Sting, the Doors, Lenny Kravitz, Bob Dylan, Jamiroquai, Tom Jones, James Brown and Marc Anthony who turned up with his better half, Jennifer Lopez. Andres Calamaro and Fito Cabrales were the latest major presence along with their group RBD at the spacious Foites in 2007. The concerts have been low profile ever since. There has been continuous failure in the endeavor to get to the pulpit biggies like Prince in 2008 or the others from Nelson Mandela Foundation concerts.

Act of Faith

The Bruce Springsteen Concert will have great repercussions for the desperate economy of Benidorm city and the ‘knock on’ would be much in view. The leading artist is surely going to lure a ‘full house’ to the stadium even in times of recession and thus prior bookings of tickets by the promoters would give many the priceless feeling of trust.