Once the site of Pablo Escobar’s country retreat and private zoo, this new theme park is refurbishing the ruins. There’s a large mariposario (butterfly enclosure) – the stereo plays Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ on continuous loop. Escobar’s 18 pet hippopotamuses somehow survived decades of neglect; there are zebras, dantas (tapirs) and ostriches too. Loudspeakers blast ‘dinosaur noises’ as you rock up at the main gate – there are numerous life-sized replicas of dinosaurs, constructed by the artist Escobar employed. The main house has been left in ruins as a reminder of the mayhem Escobar once caused the country; his collection of burned 1920s automobiles is still here too.
