Theme Parks in Hong Kong -
Ocean Park
Ocean Park (built in 1977) is a quarter century old theme park. When I was a
kid, it's always a treat to go to the Ocean Park. I can see it grow bigger
and bigger and it's keep changing to survive.
The 1.5km long cable car joins the headland and lowland which offers
spectacular panoramic view of the southern part of Hong Kong Island. It's
peaceful and quiet up here. It's one of my favorites in Ocean park though
some people still can't cope with it. And it's much safer than the 360
cable cars in Lantau!
There are two entrances to Ocean Park - the main entrance which takes you to
the lowland or the Tai Shue Wan entrance which takes you to the headland.
At the lowland part, don't miss
- the Giant Panda Habitat
It starts with 2 giant panda and in 2007 the Chinese government gave HK
another two to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the HK
SAR government. Be prepared to keep your children quiet there.
- the Dinosaur Discovery Trail
Model dinosaurs are all around this trail and finishes with a giant T-Rex near
the exit.
- Butterfly House
Enjoy a peaceful time with these delicate insects.
- Whiskers' Wild Ride - simulation ride. One of those motion
simulation seats allow you to feel as though you are flying or swimming.
Probably too exciting for me. I haven't tried.
- Dolphin University
You can have a casual chat with the trainers and found out the animals' habit
and funny stories.
- Goldfish Pagoda - if you are interested in goldfish. (goldfish
no more, 2008)
- Amazing Amazon
A discovery trail with flamingos, toucan and waterfall on the way.
- Caverns and Darkness 3D
You have to wear a pair of 3D glasses and walk through this Amazon rainforest
to see the illusion - lizards, spiders and all kinds of creepy-crawly.
My son doesn't like the sound of it ('darkness') so I haven't tried.
- Kids' World
It's full of games and rides for the little ones.
There are animal shows like:
- Amazing Birds Theatre - Macaws, owl and different birds shows
- Whiskers Theatre - Sea Lion show
At the Headland part,
If you get off from the cable car, you can find:
- Atoll Reef
A three-tier aquarium which I think is one of the best in the world.
It's a shame they don't have areas where you can touch sea animals like
starfish or animals alike. But then again I can understand that there
are far too many inconsiderate visitors who simply don't understand the
concept of gentleness or kindness. You can easily spend half an hour or
longer here.
- Shark Aquarium
It's much smaller than the Atoll Reef by comparison. If you are not
reading any of the material there you can finish it in 5 to 10 minutes.
It has a short travelator which brings you under the arch-bottom fish tank.
You can see the sharks and Sting Ray by the sides and above your head!
Very similar to the aquarium in Santosa in Singapore.
- Jelly Fish Aquarium (open in 2006)
It features over 400 jelly fishes. Amazing!
- Ocean Theatre
It does dolphins and sea lions show. We used to have a killer whale here
but it passes away several years ago. Many people still miss it.
- Pacific Pier
You may feed the sea lions there.
- Rides and games for older children and adults includes
Ocean Park Tower
Flying Swing
Ferris Wheel
Dragon - the roller coaster
Crazy Galleon - big boat swing back and forth
The Abyss
Eagle
and various counters and game kiosks
You can then take the escalator towards the Tai Shue Wan entrance/ext. There,
you can find more birds like:
- Flamingo Pond
- Mini Aviary - natural habitat
- The Aviary - natural habitat
and more rides:
- Mine Train - similar to roller coaster but with drops to make you sick
- Raging River (a bit wet for winter)
- Space Wheel
If you think its a quarter century old and is running down, then I can tell
you it's not true. They've been knocking down old attractions and building
new stuff. In fact, there are old stuff that I miss but they need changes
to survive. It doesn't feel old at all.
Besides being a theme park, Ocean Park also has established the Ocean Park
Conservation Foundation and the Hong Kong Society for Panda Conservation.
In fact, in 2001, two female dolphins delivered two healthy calves in Ocean Park
which was the world's first successful conception
using artificial insemination (AI) in bottlenose dolphins.
I like Ocean Park. Maybe because I grow up with it.
And I do hope that Ocean Park can survive and continue to look after the animals
after Hong Kong DisneyLand is open.
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