Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park (Bica)

Founded in 1922 around a natural spring, the park known as "Bica" combines a botanical garden and a small zoo in the Tambiá neighborhood.

Parque Zoobotânico Arruda Câmara, popularly known as "Bica," is located in the Tambiá neighborhood and occupies an area of 26.8 hectares, registered by the Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute of the State of Paraíba (Iphaep) since August 26, 1980. The park was inaugurated in December 1922, under then-mayor Walfredo Guedes Pereira, who expanded and urbanized the area drawing inspiration from European park models.

The popular name "Bica" comes from a natural drinking-water spring that existed at the center of the area and that, for many years, helped supply the city. Its official name, in turn, honors Manoel Arruda Câmara, a friar, physician, philosopher and Paraíba-born naturalist who dedicated himself to the study of Brazilian flora in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Local legends also formed around the old spring, among them that of the young indigenous man Tambiá, of the Tabajara tribe, who gives the neighborhood its name.

The space brings together two functions: a botanical garden, with centuries-old trees and ornamental and medicinal plants, and a small zoo, housing birds, reptiles, fish and mammals — the best known among visitors are the monkeys that live freely in part of the wooded area. In 2022 the park turned 100 years old, which was marked by news coverage and by the João Pessoa City Hall itself, highlighting its historical importance for the city.

Since it is a municipal public facility, it's best to confirm visiting hours and any seasonal restrictions directly with the City Hall before going.