One of the new entertainment facilities of the family type, which the capital of Tatarstan is proud of, is the oceanarium. Kazan is not considered a seaside city where you can go diving. However, since 2015, its residents and guests can feel like conquerors of the deep sea and get to know their inhabitants by going to the building of the Barionics water park located at ul. Gafuri, 46.
Oceanarium (Kazan): description
The first thing that visitors see on the first floor of the Barionics water park is the colorful installation of the seabed. Further, the guests pass directly into the aquarium area through the toothy mouth of a huge fish and get into the hall, where they are met by three-dimensional images of cartoon characters - SpongeBob and his friends.
So that visitors can get used to the situation and prepare for a trip from Kazan to the depths of the ocean, the first rooms are designed in such a way that resemble the landscapes of the Volga coasts in the vicinity of the city. There you can also see pools with sturgeons swimming calmly in their native element. Next, guests go into a room with a 50-meter aquarium, which is inhabited by colorful tropical fish, and in the middle there is a large aviary with penguins. These waterfowl are considered the pride of the oceanarium, as are the rare swine turtles that appeared on our planet more than forty million years ago.
Lake, sharks, cat
In the center of the oceanarium is a hall where guests can go fishing and feed the fish. It is designed as a lake, surrounded by branchy trees growing between islets that you can travel using bridges. Further, visitors who came to the aquarium in Kazan (photos of this institution have recently decorated all the tourist avenues of the city) pass through a glass tunnel with sharks and a huge turtle. They are also waiting for a walk around the hall, where the ramps live. Moreover, visitors are invited to walk on a transparent glass floor and see the animals swimming underfoot. Among the rare animals that can be seen in the water park of Kazan, you can name the fur seal Semenov, amusing his guests with tricks that could become part of the program of any circus.
Terrarium
It is probably hard to find someone who would call crocodiles cute creatures. However, there are few of those who consider them not worthy of attention. To familiarize the inhabitants of Kazan with crocodiles closer, the organizers of the oceanarium assigned a whole hall-terrarium with a glass children's labyrinth made of heavy-duty glass to accommodate them. Your kids will be able to walk along it into the aviary for crocodiles and observe their behavior, being at arm's length. True, visitors complain that most aggressive and cunning reptiles spend most of the time, depicting stone statues, and are active only at feeding times.
Mode of operation
The oceanarium (Kazan, 46 Mazit Gafuri St.,) can be visited on any day of the week except Monday, when there is a day off, like in many museums in the city. Opening hours - from 10:00 to 21:00. Especially a lot of visitors come on Saturday and Sunday, so if it is possible, it is better to visit the Kazan Oceanarium on weekdays, since on such days you will not be prevented from calmly observing animals and taking pictures of them with cameras and cameras (remember to use the flash when shooting prohibited).
Prices
Ticket offices of the Aquarium on the days when it is open for visits are open until 20:00. Ticket prices depend on the age of the guest. So, children under 3 years old accompanied by one of the adults can visit there for free, but if they are older, but they have not yet turned 12, then you must pay 500 rubles for admission. As for an adult ticket, its cost is 700 rubles. You can also purchase a subscription to visit the aquarium, the price of which depends on the length of the period during which you want to have free access to its territory. The cost of a pass for a period of 1 year is 2900 rubles. for adults and 1900 rub. for children, and for six months - 1900 and 1400 rubles. respectively.
Oceanarium in Kazan: how to get there
When the information about the opening of a new entertainment facility in the capital of Tatarstan, in which you can see the inhabitants of the ocean depths, got into print, many were perplexed about the choice of location. The fact is that the microdistrict where it is located is far from the most convenient from the point of view of transport accessibility in the city (Kazan). The oceanarium (46 Gafuri) might lack visitors, but the right decision was made to launch a free bus, which carries out transportation of everyone who wants to go there from the Tukaya Square metro station. Thus, getting to the building of the Baryonyx water park is not difficult.
Reviews
Since the opening of the Kazan Oceanarium, very little time has passed. However, thousands of residents of Tatarstan have already visited it. And these are not surprising, since the Aquarium (Kazan), reviews of which are mostly positive, is the longest in Europe. In addition, it is the only one in the Volga region, therefore, people from neighboring regions and republics come to look at its inhabitants. In favor of visiting the aquarium, tourists and residents of the city who have already visited there cite the following arguments:
- excellent work of decorators who designed the halls;
- the opportunity to use the free bus, which delivers visitors to the oceanarium from the nearest metro station;
- the diversity of marine life that can be seen there.
As for the negative points, the main drawback of the aquarium, judging by the reviews, is the high cost of tickets.
Once in the capital of Tatarstan, be sure to visit the local aquarium. Kazan is a city where tourists never have to get bored. However, after the opening of this tourist site, another bright paint was added to the palette of sights of the village.