Description: Siam Ocean World is located in the shopping district of Bangkok on the lower floor of the Siam shopping mall. It’s not the cheapest place to get into, especially when you compare it to the prices of other attractions in Bangkok, but it is worth a visit if you have a spare afternoon and you are all templed out.
There are various different entry prices depending on what package you want. The price reflects which parts of the attraction you want to see and take part in. You can do things like diving with the sharks in the huge tanks and back room tours. We opted for one of the more basic packages which cost about £20 per person and included entry to the aquarium, a drink and some popcorn, a back room tour, a boat ride and film showing, which we thought was quite good value for money.
The aquarium is split into different zones, which makes it easy to explore. When you get your tickets, you get a pretty good map which shows you the zones and the location of the extra features as well as giving details about feeding times in the various areas.
The first zone is the Weird and Wonderful, which was pretty funky. It includes giant crabs, obscure looking fish and some really bizarre looking sea worm things. It is a very aptly named zone and is a unusual and interesting introduction to an aquarium. There are lots of big cylindrical tanks in the centre of the room which means that you can see all the way round through the rocks and things. The room is fairly big and the displays aren’t too packed in so there is plenty of room to wander around even if it is busy. The tanks all have a few of each creature in so you aren’t looking for a needle in a haystack, but they aren’t overcrowded either.
The Deep Reef zone is exactly that and it is a huge tank that features a massive coral reef. There are chairs in front of the tank which we used to full effect because we were pretty mesmerised. The idea of the tank is that it shows you the different fish and creatures that you’d find at each level in a real reef. There are some pretty huge eels and we were particularly drawn to a massive grumpy looking blue fish.
The Living Ocean is where you take a boat trip on a glass bottomed boat which is pretty tame but gives you a good look at the rays and sharks below. There was a queue for this attraction, but there are two boats operating and they hols about eight people each, so it doesn’t take too long. You get to wear fetching life jackets too!
The Rain Forest zone is a nice one and very well designed. There are lots of huge trees, albeit artificial, and sounds of the rainforest playing which adds to the atmosphere. Many of the tanks contain huge toads and poisonous frogs. The exhibits here are all freshwater creatures and there are some pretty obscure ones. My absolute favourite was the random spread eagled black frog that seemed to be suspended in the water!
The Rocky Shore was one of my favourites because this is where the penguins are. Again there is a seating area in front of the huge tank and it is a great place to sit and watch the funny little penguins going about their business. There is also a little area where there are crabs and star fish that you can touch, which is fun if you have the nerve.
Next is the Open Ocean, which is apparently Asia’s largest panoramic oceanarium. Here there is a fairly impressive selection of sharks and rays of all sizes and it is lined with box seats so you can have a sit down and really feel like you are lost in the ocean.
The last zone is ‘Jellies’. I am seriously afraid of jellyfish so this really wasn’t my favourite part at all. Aside from that, I didn’t really get this zone because it is supposed to be a ‘theatrical display of light and musical symphony’ but I thought it fell a bit flat to be honest. There was a huge squashy sofa in the middle of the LED lit room and you are supposed to sit and feel at peace. This was my least favourite part of the aquarium and not just because I don’t like jelly fish!
Overall I thought the aquarium was very good. It is well maintained and there are lots of informative displays. It is well designed and a lot of fun for adults and children alike and, even though it is quite expensive, I would say it is worth the money.
Close