Our experience with the National Aquarium
This is an authentic and honest review of the National Aquarium Abu Dhabi from the point of view of local students from Zayed University. The biggest aquarium in the Middle East is the National Aquarium Abu Dhabi which houses 46,000 sea creatures that are distributed throughout 9 zones. The National Aquarium opened on the 21st of November 2021 and it was created by Al Barakah International Investment in collaboration with the Environment agency Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Municipality.
The first room of the National Aquarium
As soon as you enter the aquarium the first room is the UAE’s Natural Treasures, where they will offer you a greater understanding of the Arabian Pearl fishing as a tribute to our historical past. While walking through the first zone of the aquarium Abu Dhabi, discover the wide variety of species that live along the Eastern Arabian Peninsula’s shores, witness firsthand how oysters and pearls are created in nature. To keep the children entertained, the National Aquarium included a glass floor, above a water pool for the kids to be able to watch the fish and turtles swim around, as well as maniquened divers, wearing traditional scuba diving gear.
The second room of the National Aquarium
The second room of the National Aquarium is the Red Sea Wreck, where you will have the opportunity to discover some of the sea’s most incredible gems. The National Aquarium Abu Dhabi will take you on an underwater exploration through a shipwreck, where you will get up close with numerous fish and coral native to the Arabian Red Sea. To make this room more interesting to the kids the National Aquarium has a screen with an animated local man stating facts about the Arabian Red Sea.
The third room of the National Aquarium
In the National Aquarium, the third room is the Atlantic Cave, where you will explore this rocky atlantic cave to find some of the most incredible wildlife that is often hidden in the smallest holes. Few people realize that the atlantic ocean sea is actually home to some of the most amazing caves, which are dispersed throughout its shores.
The fourth room of the National Aquarium
The fourth room of the Abu Dhabi National Aquarium is The Sub, when you enter The Sub you will be transported below the surface so you will be able to learn how a submarine works under the spectacular water. Moreover, you will be able to see marine life in its natural setting and if you are fortunate enough you might even see the Nautilus, which is a distant relative of Jellyfish, octopuses, and cuttlefish, the Nautilus is a marine mollusk that lives inside it’s tough external shell.
The fifth room of the National Aquarium
In the aquarium, the fifth room is the Ring of Fire, which is the world’s longest series of volcanoes, known as the Ring of Fire, is found on land that borders the Pacific Ocean. A volcano’s power can wipe out human civilizations, but it may also nourish the earth with nutrients and other chemical elements. You will discover the wonderful marine life that resides in these dynamic ecosystems. The National Aquarium Abu Dhabi made this room one of the most enjoyable rooms for the kids as not only can they crawl inside of the aquarium and pretend to be swimming with the fish as well as an interactive sand are where can move it around to visualize how volcanoes look like based on how much sand they pile on.
The sixth room of the National Aquarium
The sixth room of the National Aquarium Abu Dhabi is the Ocean Magic, where despite the beauty of the oceans, they can be extremely hazardous due to their complex systems and the need for marine animals to be highly adaptable. You get to discover the marine life that propers in the underwater world with the ever-changing environments. In this room you get to see the different fish and ocean creatures in different environments, for example a red phone box has these tiny fish and this small car has another type of small fish inhabiting it. To make this room more fun for the kids the aquarium included a screen with an animated diver where the kids can touch the plankton that can be found deep in the ocean, with a short fact about them.
The seventh room of the National Aquarium
In the aquarium Abu Dhabi, the seventh room is the Frozen Ocean, where the fact that this area is essentially a gigantic glacier, it is the home of a wide variety of creatures, especially marine life. While many people would complain about the cold, the frozen ocean is crucial for maintaining the planet’s temperature so that creatures can reproduce and live happily. Some of the creatures that inhabit frigid waters, include fish and Arctic seabirds. The National Aquarium offers an interactive sand where the children can move the sand around to visualize how glaciers are on the planet and surrounded by water.
The eighth room of the National Aquarium
The eighth room of the Al Qana aquarium is the Flooded Forest, where you get to experience the spectacular canopies, exotic birds and very humid air. You also get to learn about the importance of the rainforest to our ecosystem. You can find different types of turtles and reptiles, like snakes and lizards, as well as several animals that are found in rainforests, such as monkeys. In this area, the Abu Dhabi National Aquarium offers a Bella & Rio’s Playground, where kids can closely view the exotic birds as well as an interactive screen where the kids can color in the animals of their choice and then name it.
The ninth room of the National Aquarium
In the National Aquarium, the final and ninth room is the Bu Tinah Island, where it has a wide range of marine life due to the shallow seas, tall mangroves, and large coral reefs. You get to appreciate island life in all its splendour while assisting the Environmental Agency of Abu Dhabi to educate people about the value of preserving the islands. In this section the children get to sit and enjoy the aquarium and closely view stingrays and starfish as well as a map of all the marine protected areas in the UAE. After viewing Bu Tinah Island, you get to walk under the aquarium tunnel where you get a spectacular view of all the marine life and the various corals. If you are lucky you might get to see people scuba diving with all the sharks.
The National Aquarium ticket prices
They offer a wide variety of tickets to access the Abu Dhabi National Aquarium. The National Aquarium Abu Dhabi ticket prices range from AED 105 to AED 2,500. While they do offer an expensive aquarium ticket that includes all the activities the aquarium has to offer, they still offer general tickets for a good price that includes most of the main activities.
Types of tickets of the National Aquarium Abu Dhabi
One of the main Abu Dhabi aquarium tickets are the general admission aquarium tickets, which are only AED 105, which gives you access to the 10 aquarium zones.
The second type of tickets offered by the National Aquarium are the beyond the glass experience, for only AED 130, where you get access to not only the 10 zones but also get the chance to walk on a glass bridge over the aquarium.
The third type of tickets the National Aquarium Abu Dhabi offers are the Bu Tinah Dhow, for AED 150, to get the overall experience of the 10 zones, walk on the glass bridge, as well as glass bottom tour with an explanation of the history of Bu Tinah Dhow preservative and its inhabitants.
The fourth type of Abu Dhabi aquarium tickets are the all-access tickets, for AED 180, where you get to visit the 10 aquarium zones, walk on the glass bridge, go on the glass bottom boat tour, and get a behind the scenes tour of the National Aquarium, where you get to view how they take care of the animals as well as all the hard work Al Barakah International Investment have put to make sure the Abu Dhabi National Aquarium is fully equipped with all the necessary equipment to guarantee the safety of the sea creatures.
They do offer more tickets and I would recommend checking the Pick your adventure page to view all the experiences they offer.
If you are interested or wanting to try out diving, National Aquarium Abu Dhabi offers a diving experience for both beginners, for AED 1,210, and certified divers, for AED 790. You could book a session or ask them for more information on their Ready to go diving page.
The location of the National Aquarium Abu Dhabi
The new aquarium Abu Dhabi has opened up in Al Qana, a new project that is located right in the middle of Abu Dhabi and it is easily accessed with the help of the signs located on the road as well as google maps. Al Qana aquarium is located next to Al Khaleej Al Arabi St, which is one of the main highways in Abu Dhabi, and right before the Musaffah Bridge, the bridge that takes you onto Abu Dhabi Island. If you need more clear instructions on how to get to the National Aquarium at Al Qana you could visit their Locate us page.
If you are driving to the Al Qana National Aquarium, they offer 3,000 free parking space on the National Aquarium side of the project as well as a valet parking service that charges AED 40 for the standard parking, Al Qana aquarium also offers designated parking for people of determination.
We hope you have enjoyed reading our review on the National Aquarium Abu Dhabi, and if you are looking for more family-friendly places in Abu Dhabi check out our review of A Guide to Sheikha Fatima Park.
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