About
4 rating across more than 1,700 Google reviews. Families, first dates, road-trippers, and school field trips all end up here, and plenty of visitors describe losing whole afternoons to it. The centerpiece is the interactive stingray pool, where the rays glide right up to be touched, alongside a shark enclosure that general manager Steve Flores is known to walk guests to the top of, explaining the filtration and the care routine that keeps the sharks healthy.
The wildly popular Otter Swim Experience — led by handler Candice, who knows otters Harry, Cho, and Luna intimately — is, by several accounts, the most affordable otter encounter available in El Paso, TX, and the team takes pride in letting the otters behave naturally rather than perform tricks. Beyond the water, a walk-through aviary lets visitors feed birds straight from their hands, while floor staff bring out small snakes, a bearded dragon, a giant tortoise, a porcupine, and a Patagonian cavy for up-close encounters. You can feed almost everything — koi food and stingray food are sold by the token, so it helps to budget a little extra beyond admission for the feeding activities.
What reviewers return to again and again is the staff. Steve, Candice, Rosie, Chris, Israel, and Bryant come up by name as genuinely passionate caretakers who teach as much as they guide — patient with nervous toddlers and quick to share the rescue background of every animal. The space is compact, since it sits inside a mall, but the density of hands-on experiences and the obvious care for the animals make a visit feel far bigger than its footprint.
What they offer
Fish & livestock for sale at Jungle Reef in El Paso, TX
Jungle Reef stocks saltwater & freshwater fish for sale in El Paso, TX. As an aquarium store serving El Paso, TX, it also offers aquarium consultations.
- Services
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Interactive stingray pool where the rays swim right up to be touched
- Otter Swim Experience with Harry, Cho, and Luna — among the most affordable otter encounters in Texas
- Shark enclosure where GM Steve Flores walks guests to the top of the tank to explain its care
- Walk-through aviary plus hands-on encounters with snakes, a tortoise, a porcupine, and a Patagonian cavy
- All animals are rescues, looked after by staff reviewers praise by name
From keepers
Customer reviews
“It was really fun and entertaining, there was so many things to do and I would personally like to thanks Danna because of her good service, she explained everything very well and she made me want to come back haha! such a good staff and happy environment.”
— Ivana Fierro5.0an hour ago“It was ok, pretty small for my liking but my Date enjoyed it.”
— Rick May4.022 hours ago“It’s a fun family trip, however, it’s very small and lacks exhibits for the price.”
— Jeffrey Demlockian3.0a day ago“Really enjoyed it. My kid loves to go and feed the otters”
— jp poorbaugh5.04 days ago“Jungle Reef is great if you get there in the afternoon on a Tuesday. There were only a couole people there. Some of the employees could do better but we had a great experience with two of the ladies there. One feeding the Otters and other gal with the Capybara thing? Cuy? Anyways great place. Little bit of a scam with the tokens though. You end up spending more money than advertised.”
— Aaron Mitchell4.04 days ago“Lugar muy agradable y sorprendente para pasar en familia.”
— John Espinoza5.05 days ago“Best experience! Feed animals and swimming with otters is top! Staff is very prepare and so kind!”
— Elsa Balderrama5.06 days ago“Lots of fun for children. Unique animals and sea life. Loved seeing the otters, huge tortoise, and porcupine. The stingrays are beautiful and swim right up to be touched.”
— Rebecca Rider5.06 days ago“Jungle Reef is a unique concept for the El Paso and Las Cruces regional market, and walking in, the initial layout looks quite cool. Unfortunately, the experience quickly goes downhill once you look past the surface. The facility is failing hard in several critical areas. Animal well-being and habitat sizing need to be the absolute top priority for a business like this, yet many of the habitats feel entirely too small, cramped, and lacking in robust environmental enrichment for the species inside. To make matters worse, guest education is being completely ignored—most of the informative signage is completely missing, leaving customers with no idea what species they are actually looking at. It is incredibly disheartening to see public and internal concerns about animal welfare seemingly swept under the rug rather than transparently addressed. If this location wants to be a respected, long-term regional draw instead of a short-lived mall gimmick, the ownership group needs to invest the capital to expand the infrastructure, build larger habitats, fix the signage, and step up to modern zoological standards. Right now, it falls incredibly short.”
— Steven Lucero2.06 days ago“Very Nice and staff is super friendly!!”
— Claudia Mendez5.0a week ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (915) 800-1083 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Jungle Reef.