Jungle Park Junior: The Former Kids' Climbing Park in Bendinat

Jungle Park Junior was a forest climbing park in Bendinat, near Cas Català-Ses Illetes, designed specifically for children. An acrobatic course awaited among the trees, where young participants could independently tackle challenges at height. The concept was not aimed at adults who wanted to climb together with their children, but specifically at young adventurers.

For planning a holiday today, one fact is crucial above all: the Bendinat location is permanently closed. Outdated directories and older municipal pages sometimes continue to list the attraction, but the former site no longer operates regular visits. The former website or historical booking listings should therefore not be taken as confirmation that it is open.

Nevertheless, Jungle Park Junior represents an interesting chapter in the family attractions available in southwestern Mallorca. It combined physical activity, concentration, and adventure in a manageable setting tailored to children. Anyone looking for a current climbing opportunity will, however, need to choose another attraction. The similarly named or related Jungle Parc near Santa Ponça is a different location and must not be confused with the closed facility in Bendinat.

What There Was to See

The Forest Course

Rather than an artificial plastic setting, the trees themselves formed the framework of the facility. Jungle Park Junior was designed as an acrobatic forest course: children followed a route through the trees and completed tasks above the ground. Its appeal lay precisely in the way balance, skill, and a little courage were required directly within a natural environment. Those completing the course did not merely view the forest from a path but experienced it as a space for movement.

The facility was described as having several courses. This was intended to allow children to choose challenges suited to their abilities rather than forcing everyone to complete a single identical route. During the allotted visit time, they could try different sections or return to a preferred course. Jungle Park Junior was therefore less like a traditional amusement park with rides and more like a sporting activity in which participants climbed, balanced, and made decisions themselves.

Reliable descriptions do not individually identify the specific obstacles at the former Bendinat facility. Details about zip lines, net tunnels, or particular course names that now appear in connection with Santa Ponça do not therefore automatically belong to this location. Images and equipment details from the two facilities are frequently mixed together online.

The Children's Concept

The course was intended exclusively for children aged 4 to 11. In addition to the age requirement, there was a minimum height of 1.05 metres for safety reasons. This limit was not merely a recommendation: the attraction and its safety system were designed for a particular height and reach. Shorter children were therefore not permitted to participate, even if they were especially athletic or courageous.

The clear division of roles was notable: the young participants were expected to complete the tasks themselves and develop confidence in their own movements. Adults were not part of the course's actual target group. The park therefore did not focus on a climbing trip for the whole family, but on a protected adventure in which children took centre stage.

Today, this site can no longer be visited as an attraction. The description of its former layout is therefore provided for context and not as a preview of facilities that can still be used at the former location.

Visiting

Current Status

Before travelling to Bendinat, the name should be checked particularly carefully on maps, in business directories, and in older travel guides. Jungle Park Junior is permanently closed. There is neither regular admission nor a bookable visiting time at the former location. It is therefore just as impossible to recommend a particular time of day with fewer crowds as it is to suggest a spontaneous detour during a beach day.

The confusion arises mainly because older listings continue to describe the former children's attraction, while the municipal tourism website of Calvià still lists the course as a family attraction. At the same time, another Jungle Parc with current climbing activities operates in Santa Ponça. Anyone searching only by name can therefore easily and mistakenly associate information, images, and booking options for the Santa Ponça location with the former facility in Bendinat.

Opening hours and admission prices for Jungle Park Junior should not be taken from old websites, as they have no practical validity for the closed location. Anyone wishing to visit a currently operating forest ropes course should check the alternative's exact place name and confirm its current operating status immediately before travelling.

The Former Experience

While it was operating, a time slot of 90 minutes was allocated for climbing. During this time, children could use several courses or repeat a particularly popular section. This made the visit easier to plan than an open-ended day at an amusement park: the attraction was a focused activity that could generally be combined with another stop in the area.

Children aged 4 to 11 could participate, provided they were at least 1.05 metres tall. Parents therefore had to consider not only age but also height in advance. The attraction promised sport, fun, and adventure at height under special safety precautions. It was not, however, a playground where younger siblings could use the same facilities alongside them regardless of the participation requirements.

Anyone who comes across older reviews today can still read them to understand the former concept, but not to plan a current visit. Information about available time slots, reservations, or admission tickets is outdated whenever it explicitly refers to Bendinat or Arquitecto Francesc Casas.

Getting There and Parking

From Palma Airport

From Palma Airport, the road route initially follows the Ma-20 and then the Ma-1 towards Cas Català-Ses Illetes. The journey to this area covers 22 kilometres by road and takes around 20 minutes. These figures expressly refer to Cas Català-Ses Illetes and not to an open entrance gate at Jungle Park Junior.

The former park was located inland in Bendinat on Arquitecto Francesc Casas. For the final part of the journey, visitors had to leave the coastal area and head towards Bendinat. Today, this address should no longer be used as the destination for a trip to an attraction, as there are no regular visitor operations at the former location, and searching for parking for a park visit is unnecessary.

From Palma

The road distance from central Palma to Cas Català-Ses Illetes is 11 kilometres. The journey via the Ma-1 takes around 19 minutes. The route is therefore considerably shorter than many drives to family attractions farther inland, but the convenient location must not be mistaken for a current opportunity to visit.

Anyone travelling from Palma to a climbing park that operates today should set a new navigation destination rather than simply following the similarly sounding name. The distinction between Bendinat and Santa Ponça is particularly important: Jungle Park Junior was located in Bendinat, while the current Jungle Parc is in another part of the municipality of Calvià.

By Bus

For the Bendinat and Ses Illetes area, the public transport network lists stops including IES Bendinat, Bendinat 1, Bendinat 2, and Platges d’Illetes 1. They continue to serve the residential and coastal areas, but they do not turn the closed Jungle Park Junior into an accessible excursion destination.

Anyone wishing to visit the area independently of the former attraction can use these stops to find their way around Bendinat or the beach area of Ses Illetes. Before travelling, it is advisable to check the appropriate current route and the walking distance to the actual destination, as the stops serve different parts of the area.