Parque Temático Hacienda Napoles is the former ranch of Pablo Escobar where he conducted business, entertained guests and drowned his enemies in the pool.
At the height of Escobar’s powers, Hacienda Nápoles oozed the type of extravagance matched only by Elvis Presley’s Graceland or Michael Jackson’s Neverland.
Among its attractions were a zoo with animals imported from around the world, giant dinosaur statues, a bullring and an airport. Escobar’s first plane, a Piper, which carried his first shipment of cocaine to the United States, was mounted at its entrance.
It is said that Escobar paid Colombian and international football stars huge sums of money to play in private matches at the ranch and that Escobar would bet millions of dollars against some of his rival drug barons on the outcomes.
After his death, the government took ownership of the property and donated many of Escobar’s exotic animals to zoos, including a hippopotamus which still resides at Parque Zoológico Santa Fe de Medellín.
However, many animals escaped the ranch, including hippos which, although not resident in Colombia, adapted well to their surroundings and multiplied.
Not content to have killed Escobar himself, the government then declared war on his wild hippos due to fears they may harm locals. And despite uproar from animal rights activists and caring citizens alike, the hippo’s are still on the run.
Parque Temático Hacienda Napoles has now been converted into a nature park with the aim of promoting eco-tourism and helping the local community. The park has three upmarket hotels while it’s also possible to take a tour to Escobar’s crumbling mansion and see many of his personal belongings.
Parque Temático Hacienda Napoles
Municipio de Puerto Triunfo
www.haciendanapoles.com
