Discover the world's largest indoor rainforest
The Tropical Islands Rainforest is a fascinating world to explore and discover. It is home to around 50,000 trees, bushes and groundcover plants. Jungle creepers twist their way up 18-meter-high trees, tree orchids hanging from their branches. Around 600 different types of plants thrive here, including palms, ferns and mangroves. Most stem from the Asia-Pacific region or South America.
Exotic wildlife
A winding path almost a kilometre long takes you through the heart of the world's largest indoor rainforest, past flesh-eating plants, banana trees and coffee bushes. A bridge over the mangrove swamp offers wonderful views. Guppies, perch and catfish swim in the balmy waters. Particularly interesting are the shark catfish and related species. Recent additions include three exotic arowanas, also known as "bony-tongues".
There's other wildlife in the Tropical Islands Rainforest, too. Blue-breasted quail and gold pheasant pick their way through the undergrowth or stop and display their beautiful plumage.
The Rainforest – a natural biotope
The Tropical Islands Rainforest is a natural biotope. We maintain its equilibrium without the use of chemicals. To keep pests such as the banana moth under control, we use beneficial organisms. These useful insects also help keep the soil from becoming overly compacted.
One of the useful insects you might come across is pycnoscelus surinamensis – also known as the Surinam cockroach. The Surinam cockroach has nothing in common with our domestic cockroaches (you won't find any of them at Tropical Islands!). Its natural habitat is warm, moist soil. It is very unhappy in other environments, so if it wanders away from its home by mistake, it will try to return to it as quickly as possible.
The cockroaches and beetles found in the Tropical Rainforest are in no way harmful or dangerous. In fact, they're essential for sustaining the natural ecological environment. For example, they help turn the leaves falling onto the ground into top soil. We control their numbers in a natural way, too: the eye-catching gold pheasant, blue-breasted quail, peacocks and geckoes you're sure to meet on your tour of the Rainforest ensure a natural balance is maintained.
Please note: All the animals living at Tropical Islands are wild. Touching or feeding them is not allowed!