Multi-hued starfish.
No journey to Kenting is complete without making a stop at the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium (NMMBA) at 2 Houwan Road, Checheng, Pingtung in Taiwan. This museum is top notch and well worth the$450NT (approx $14 US) admission price to get in.
The museum exhibits the diverse natural water habitats of Taiwan. The Waters of Taiwan exhibit showcases the beauty and variety of Taiwan’s underwater world.
Visitors will experience a completely realistic waterfall and river, an oyster culture and intertidal zone, a subtital zone and an estuary.
Neon jellyfish.
The Coral Kingdom Pavilion features an Open Ocean exhibit with a viewing window 16 meters in width and 4 meters in height. The tank holds 1 million gallons of water. The main attraction here is the whale shark, which can grow up to 18 meters in length.
The pavilion includes a giant coral reef environment in an artificial ocean which can be viewed by walking through an underwater tunnel 81 meters in length. Visitors can also explore a sunken ship to see how corals grow and how other creatures of the sea make it their home.
An underwater tunnel lets visitors get up close and personal with their favorite sea creatures.
One of my dreams is to swim with giant sting rays and manta rays. I’m fascinated by these shy and elusive creatures.
The Coral Pavilion also features a marine mammals exhibition which allows visitors to learn about beluga whales. Take a stroll through the underwater tunnel and experience the sensation of having one of the world’s most beautiful creatures swimming elegantly beside you. Or visit the whale visiting stand to find out more about how these gentle mammals are cared for.
Schools of fish.
The Waters of the World exhibit is a whole different experience. Grab a pair of 3D sunglasses and learn how life evolved from the oceans through 3D animation in a virtual reality environment. The exhibit holds four different themes: Ancient Ocean, Kelp Forest, Deep Sea and Polar Seas. There’s also a Discovery Zone for kids.
And schools of miniature jellyfish…
Posing King Penguin. The aquarium has five species of penguins including the King Penguin, Gentoo Penguin, Chinstrap Penguin, Adelie Penguin and Macaroni Penguin. These little guys put on a show-stopping performance.
I spent some time with the beluga whales.
Even the hermit crabs and mudskippers came out to play in the estuary exhibit.
I watched kids play in the whale display pool all afternoon.
A giant squid sculpture faces the Taiwan Sea.
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This looks absolutely stunning Carrie. Your photographs are amazing and richly illustrate the experience.
aww thanks for the comment. i’m with you too! feel so disconnected these days. never enough time to do all the creative things i wanna do.
i love that shot of you with the beluga whale. and the neon jelly fish… very hot… but wouldn’t want to run into him on the open water. yikes.
ps. i love love the headbands and scarves you wear. do you make them buy them???
Looks pretty cool!
Wow. Three awesome comments from three of my favorite bloggers. Thanks guys.
Lisa,
My hair is curly and doesn’t handle well in humid weather. If I don’t keep it covered, I get a ‘fro. No joke! I pick up scarves and crocheted headbands on my travels. I don’t leave home without one when I’m on the road. I found the crocheted ones in Bangkok a few months ago. I love ‘em too.
Carrie, great job on the photo tour of the aquarium and the rest of your tour of Kenting! I like your fish and jelly-fish pictures. We were just there at the end of August and also visited the Aquarium. It is well worth the admission and a great way to escape the heat or rain, or whatever the weather conditions might be at the time. And of course lots of fun for the kids.
[...] Carrie visits the Marine Biology Museum. [...]
Hi Globetrotteri. Really enjoy reading your adventures at Taiwan (and other places too). Photos you took are also creatively inspiring! Never cease to be excited with each visit to your blog.
My kids and I went to NMMBA in July, 2007. We were absolutely thrilled to see all the displays and shows. One regret I had was I couldn’t get a clear picture of the whaleshark which kept swimming on top of the aquarium. (I was told it once scraped itself on the coral reef and didn’t like to swim near the bottom anymore.) Did you have better luck with that?