In Lima, the capital of Peru you can visit Parque Kennedy, a park full of cats. It's up there with Machu Picchu with things to see and do in Peru... All joking aside, Parque Kennedy or Kennedy Park is a beautiful, well kept park in the tourist district of Lima called Miraflores. Full of fresh flowers, cats, and with free wifi it is a great place to go and relax amongst nature in the city. Click through the slideshow below to view some of the adorable cats living in the Park:
Where is Parque Kennedy?
Parque Kennedy is located in the centre of Miraflores, one of the main tourist areas of Lima. Miraflores is full of shops, restaurants, hotels and hostels, a very clean and safe area to walk around at day or night. Miraflores is approximately 18km (11 miles) away from Jorge Chávez International Airport and some 11km (7 miles) from Lima's downtown area. Parque Kennedy is less than a mile away from the coastal park areas (Malecon de Miraflores) on the cliffs overlooking the ocean and the beaches themselves of Miraflores and the Costa Verde.
Why all the Cats?
At some stage in the not too distance past people started dropping off their unwanted cats to the park. It didn't take long and there were over one hundred Cats in Parque Kennedy and further breeding started. When I first visited Lima in 2011 there were actually a lot more cats than there are today due to the help of a local feline adoption association called 'Gatos Parque Kennedy'. The majority of the cats are now sterilized, and well fed and looked after by the local volunteers. Via the association people can now adopt the cats which has helped to keep the numbers down. Although the numbers have gone down there are still plenty of Cats throughout the park, climbing the trees, shading in the flowers and getting spoilt by the tourists and locals alike.
Kennedy Park, aside from the Cats
In addition to the cute cats, and well kept gardens there is plenty to do and see in Parque Kennedy making it a regular attraction for both tourists and locals alike. Surrounding the park are several artists who sell their arts and crafts including paintings, fabrics and so on. Delicious fast food, sweet and savoury can be bought at affordable prices throughout the park. In the centre of Kennedy Parque is a small amiphetre which is often used for small concerts, performances or dancing. Sunday's in particular are a good day to go and watch the local people dance salsa which always draws a big crowd. There is even a beautiful church, so visit Parque Kennedy when in Lima and stroke some cats...
More of my travel photography can be found on my website, Instagram, Facebook Page and my Flickr account. If you are interested in purchasing any prints, or are interested in collaborating please send me an email at: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.