UP FOR a fun-filled day in Manila? Why not spend a couple of hours or even a day at Manila Ocean Park? Whether you’re traveling alone or with your family, you’ll surely experience a world of fun and thrills inside this recreational area. Here’s a sneak peek of what you can expect at the Ocean Park.
Opened in March 2008, the park is well-known across the Philippine archipelago for its biggest draw – Oceanarium. Containing 3,000 cubic meters of sea water divided into 7 sections, the Oceanarium houses over 13,000 sea creatures from around 277 species that are indigenous in Southeast Asia. We strolled on a 25-m curved walkway tunnel and had a spectacular underwater view of amazing sea creatures swimming overhead.
A walk-through exhibit of the frozen continent with a bonus sight of live Humboldt penguins found us at the Trails to Antarctica. Our kids were amused with the movement of the jellyfishes at Jellies Exhibit.
Other delightful experiences were: being surrounded with hundreds of colorful Budgies in the Birdhouse; knowing the importance of often ignored and feared creatures such as frogs, spiders, bugs, and more, at the World of Creepy Crawlies; Birds of Prey Kingdom featuring one of the most stunning coastal raptors in the country, the Brahminy Kites, in their unique bird sanctuary; and fulfilling their superhero dreams at the fun-filled, picture perfect and interactive Super Zones where they checked out one of the largest toy collection – Super Toy Collection.
Services we did not avail of due to lack of time were: Mermaid Swan Experience where visitors are taught to swim while wearing a costume mermaid tail; Underwater Diving; and rides on a boat with a glass bottom. We also missed the Sea Lions Show, All Star Bird Show, and The Symphony Evening Show (a display of water fountains featuring larger than life characters from the sea), all performed inside the Ocean Park which seats up to 1,900 people.
We went as a family outing and everyone enjoyed everything the aquarium had to offer. I think it is a good way for the kids to realize that they should protect, nurture, and care for the environment. It may not be world class, but I saw that it gave a lot of delight and happiness to local tourists and families. The Manila Ocean Park was really fun and it provided great photo opportunities as well.