Guilin Aquarium

Guilin Aquarium only opened in 2003. It is located on the south side of town near Nanxi Hill, on the road out to Yangshuo. It is easily reached by taxi, though you could take a local bus.

Unfortunately, the entrance fee has been set too high; 80 Rmb is more than the fee to enter the Forbidden City. This is probably because groups get such a large discount - and you will probably see several of these race through during your visit. That said, children get in for just 30 Rmb so the total for a family can be more reasonable.

The building doesn't look very interesting from the outside; it's very square. However, the design inside has shown much more imagination and you will find a good range of species displayed clearly and interestingly.

There is a mix of salt and freshwater fish as well as some amphibians, reptiles and mammals.

Best to let pictures do the talking so here's a collection of thumbnails. Click on any of these to be taken to a larger, clearer version and use the back button to return to this page when you are finished.

         

   

Slightly more than halfway along there is a cafe area that doesn't offer much more than drinks, ice creams and sausages. Perhaps business is not so good. It certainly looks like the plan was to offer more. Opposite is a play area where children can burn off a bit of energy before continuing. Not a bad idea as any youngster will struggle to stay interested for the whole site without a break.

Later, there's also a delightful shallow pool at adult's hip height where children can get up really close to a large shoal of goldfish. Apparently the contents of this pool vary from visit to visit, and sometimes the exhibits can be handled.

My two-year old's favourite was the Seal. A pity we had just missed a feeding time.

On the way out there is the obligatory shop. Check out the DVD. It's quite reasonable and will help you remember your great visit to Guilin Aquarium for years after.