The aquarium in Bangkok is rightfully considered one of the best and largest in Southeast Asia. In size, it competes with another giant, which is located in Singapore. Despite the fact that it is indoors, not outdoors, its area is huge. The oceanarium occupies more than ten thousand square meters. A huge number of marine inhabitants, including the most exotic, attract adults and children from all over the world. In addition, the aquarium is interactive. Here you can feed fish and animals, take pictures with them and ride on top of a glass-bottomed boat, as well as scuba diving. The Aquarium opened in 2005 and since then it has been steadily included in the list of necessary attractions in Bangkok that you definitely need to see. Let's get to know in more detail what wonders this landmark promises us. After all, reviews about her are almost unanimous - this is the place where you should definitely go to Bangkok and not regret money for it.
Location, opening hours, prices
The aquarium in Bangkok is located on the lower two floors of the largest shopping center in the capital of Thailand, Siam Paragon. This is a gigantic structure that is difficult to get around even for a whole day. There are always many tourists who come to sales. The shopping center also has an excellent food court, there are plenty of other entertainments. At the same time, travelers also visit the Aquarium (Bangkok). Opening hours are convenient for both city residents and travelers. It is open from nine in the morning until ten in the evening. But try not to come under the curtain. At least three to four hours of his time must be devoted to this miracle. The ticket price is almost a thousand baht (for reference: 1 baht is 1.63 rubles). Children will take 710 baht. Often there is a queue at the box office, especially on weekdays when groups of schoolchildren arrive. Therefore, try to take tickets online or in travel companies with small margins. There are packages for visiting with big discounts, they are called “Family Ticket”. These tickets are intended for families with two or more children. Cashiers will explain the benefits of different packages in good English. You can stay in the aquarium at least all day. Nobody will drive you out before closing. The price includes one glass-bottom boat ride, viewing a stereo movie and a free set - a drink with popcorn. Tickets can be paid by card, which is a rarity for Thailand.
Aquarium in Bangkok: how to get
If you want to get to the Siam Paragon shopping center, you need to take the subway. But not to the underground, but to a special railway that goes over the city. It is called a sky train. Exit should be at the Siam stop. From everywhere, a shopping center is visible from its platforms, at the lower levels of which there is an oceanarium. From the far ends of Bangkok you have to travel with transfers or take a taxi. By the way, if you live in a hotel in the center of the capital of Thailand, it is best to walk there if you do not want to use the subway. And you can use a tuk-tuk. In half an hour you are guaranteed to get to the place where the aquarium is located. Bangkok (the address “Siam Paragon” - Rama Street, 1 Rd - is well known, and any rickshaw will not get lost), of course, is a big city, but it is easy to get to the shopping center. Taxis will cost more, and in addition, you will spend more time in traffic jams.
The history of the shopping center and its underwater world
Siam (Aquarium, Bangkok) was opened on December 9, 2005. It is owned by the Oseanis Australia Group. This is a well-known multinational corporation. She owns similar facilities in China, South Korea, as well as Australia. The underwater miracle that she built in the shopping mall literally translates as "The World of the Siamese Ocean." The shopping center itself, containing not only shops and restaurants, but a huge multiplex cinema, an art gallery and an opera concert hall, was built on the site of the former Intercontinental Hotel.
Infrastructure
The aquarium in Bangkok is divided into seven zones. Each of them has its own specifics and name. Indeed, in real life you are unlikely to meet all the inhabitants of the underwater depths. And this aquarium gives you the opportunity to get acquainted with literally all of them at a very close distance. Despite the fact that the aquarium is huge, getting lost there is almost impossible. Everywhere posted diagrams and pointers on how to get to a particular thematic area. To the halls you can go down the escalator. A sign with a detailed description of who lives there and what his habits are located next to each aquarium. All zones have a special design style that meets its inhabitants. In some, deep-sea tunnels are laid, while others are decorated with real rocks. Here you can see the blue octopus, sea dragons and the giant arachnid. At the top level there is a store with thematic publications.
Concept
Bangkok Oceanarium Siam Ocean World was conceived as a piece of the real sea in the heart of a noisy and hot metropolis. Everything here is aimed at providing and enhancing the effect of presence. Each hall can really surprise with something, even a spoiled visitor. Take, for example, the “Strange and Beautiful” theme zone. It is dedicated to corals and bizarre creatures that live with them. These are crabs similar to spiders and living for a hundred years, and also fish like snakes. And if you're lucky, then you will meet such strange creatures that it is not even clear who they are - animals, plants, reptiles? Tourists claim that you will feel as if you are the heroes of Cousteau documentaries. Thin, vertically swimming fish, human-sized crabs and bright blue crayfish are far from a complete list of what you can see there.
Other subject areas
The largest aquarium occupying an entire zone is called the “deep-sea reef”. It can be viewed from different angles. The huge fish that live there shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow. Glass bottom boats float just above it. Another place most often mentioned by travelers who visited Bangkok’s Siam Ocean World is the labyrinth where deep-sea creatures live. Here you will see colors hidden from any eyes, even the inhabitants of the waters themselves. After all, they are usually blind from birth - in the dark, vision is not necessary. These creatures play, jump and chase after each other, showing travelers their bizarre shapes and colors.
Effect of presence
There are also areas in the aquarium where not only underwater inhabitants live. In the "Rainforest" zone, you can see cliffs, rivulets, waterfalls, creepers and real mangroves. Here birds sing and various small creatures inhabiting the jungle and streams hide in them. There are strange snakes, poisonous frogs, turtles, chameleons and amphibians. And the “Rocky Coast” will give you the opportunity to watch otters and penguins in the natural environment. It is especially interesting to watch how they are fed. Unlike otters, penguins do not fight for food, but lined up orderly. And the glass tunnel, made right in the water column - the “Open Ocean” - is a completely frightening sight. It is as if you are walking along the seabed, and fish are floating around you. It seems that you are about to touch them. But, probably, the most unusual zone is the Jellyfish. They swim and swirl around you to the accompaniment of light music. All this affects you also because the room itself is designed as a lounge with comfortable sofas and pleasant sounds. Jellyfish just complement the atmosphere of relaxation - you relax, you immediately want to take a “fish spa”.
When to visit the Aquarium
Although many people like to come here in the evening, experts say that it is better to visit this “water world” in the morning or at least at lunchtime. Why? During this period, the hours of pet feeding often fall, and this is a special bonus that the oceanarium in Bangkok offers you . The photos of this event are truly impressive! The main thing is not to shoot with a flash, otherwise the picture will glare. In addition, it is in the afternoon here, as indeed in the entire shopping center, that you will find relaxation in the hot weather. And most of the different shows are also held just at such hours, so that children can watch them.
Additional service
If you buy packages more expensive, you can get some pretty interesting services. For example, peeling legs with fish. Some tickets include an introduction to the inner life of this establishment. The aquarium in Bangkok will open all the secret doors in front of you. You will see water purification systems, offices of doctors and oceanologists who monitor animals. You will be shown special aquariums where those recently brought in live. They have not had time to adapt. There is also an infirmary for aggressive individuals who like to fight. You will see fridges with food for sea and river inhabitants, as well as find out who, when and at what time they feed. True, photographing is prohibited here. Most expensive are: scuba diving (with the help of an instructor), swimming with sharks and other exotic creatures, as well as walking in spacesuits along the bottom of the aquariums. Some tickets offer entry to a branch of the London Wax Museum, which is located on the sixth floor of the mall.
Shows and interactive classes
The oceanarium is intended not only for entertainment, but also for cognitive work. Therefore, there are many different interactive devices. One of them, for example, gives you the opportunity to compete with the electric ramp in terms of power generation. You sit on a bicycle and pedal, producing current. A special machine shows you who generated the most energy - you or the ramp. A separate entertainment is feeding different fish with the help of scuba divers and divers.
Aquarium in Bangkok: reviews of tourists
"Siam Ocean World" really does not leave anyone indifferent. This is one of the most visited attractions of the country, which is not related to religion. Impressions after him remain very bright, especially since everything here is equipped with the most modern technologies. The Aquarium itself is designed for the fact that a lot of children go here. There is a contact area where starfishes and cucumbers are located. Although the children constantly touch these creatures, the special worker ensures that they are not harmed. Please note that the air conditioners in the aquarium are turned on at very low temperatures. Those who come here in short-sleeved clothing or shorts will soon have a chance to bang their teeth from the cold. So, if you want to spend more time here, grab a blouse or a light jacket for an excursion to the aquarium in Bangkok. Reviews of tourists, however, assure that this is a great place to relax from the sweltering city heat. Visitors leave the most enthusiastic reviews about the underwater tunnel, passing through which you feel like a speck of dust in the thickness of the ocean, and sharks scurry about next to you. By the way, those who happened to swim next to them claim that these ominous fish are so well fed that they make no attempt to eat not only people, but also the rest of the inhabitants in the neighborhood.