During low season here in Phuket there are days that are a bit too rainy to partake in outdoor activities. On such a day last week, we decided to check out Phuket Aquarium.
The aquarium is on the smaller side, but at only 100 baht per adult and 50 baht per child for tourists (half price for locals) it seemed like an entertaining and inexpensive way to spend an afternoon.
We easily made the short drive to the aquarium in Cape Panwa as there is much signage along the way to guide those that are driving. When we arrived, we were very impressed with the beautiful landscaping. The aquarium is also at the far end of the cape. so the view was spectacular.
Zoë was very excited to be going to the aquarium, she is all about anything to do with the water. She was literally squealing with delight as we made our way through the entrance and saw our first fish tank. She ran around making herself dizzy until we could calm her a little. The staff was extremely nice though and seemed to enjoy the fact that Z was so excited. It was a very comfortable atmosphere and was very kid-friendly.
We strolled through the hallways looking at all the fish and spending time explaining to Z about what kind of fish they were and such (thank goodness for information signs in English!). I have never seen her so fascinated and we have taken her to bigger and more flashy aquariums in her lifetime. I think the small size and the fact that there were minimal crowds helped to put her at ease. For you parents out there, the aquarium is very stroller friendly.
We meandered around and then caught a show called “The Secret of Pa-Luek Island” which was a movie that interacted with a large robotic mermaid. It was in Thai, but had English subtitles, so it was not that interesting to Z, except for the moving and talking mermaid. I was trying to explain what was going on for Z, so I think the movie is about taking care of Thailand’s oceans. I think your kids will really like this 5 minute movie if they can read already or really love mermaids.
Along the walkway through the exhibits, there were many informational area’s that taught about types of coral, sea grass, and how the ocean is becoming polluted and how we can help stop that. There was also a walk-through glass tunnel tank with a couple of sharks and a huge manta ray that was fascinating to all of us.
There was a small alcove that showed specimens (I call them that because they were all dead in jars) of deep-sea creatures, many of them unknown as to what they are. It seemed really interesting, but the dark room with creepy looking creatures was not fun for Z at all. We pretty much had to run out of there. It was completely understandable really, some of the creatures were so strange looking!
We had a wonderful afternoon walking through the Phuket Aquarium. It was well worth the 200 baht ($6.25 USD) to look at all the sea life. After you exit there is a snack bar (17 baht ice cream! Hooray!) and a little souvenir shop with fairly priced products of all shapes and sizes. I would definitely recommend checking it out if you are in Phuket and happen to catch a rainy day. I hope you like it as much as we did!
22 comments for “Afternoon Adventure at Phuket Aquarium”