Ocean Park Hong Kong

Ocean Park Hong Kong has opened over 30 years (on January 10th 1977) and attracts more than 5 million visitors from all over the world every year. The Ocean Park Hong Kong covers more than 870000 square meters and is basically divided into two major attraction areas (The Waterfront and The Summit). These areas are connected by a 1.5 km long cable carried, the world second largest outdoor escalator or the newly added Ocean Express Train.

Before you enter Ocean Park, from far away, you already can see there are three cute mascots Goldfish, Red Panda and Crocodile welcoming the visitors in front of the gate.

Ocean Park is very unique in its structure and besides being just a fun amusement park it hosts exhibits, observatories and serves as an education center. Currently, Ocean Park has over 40 attractions, shows and rides. If you aim to take and experience all the shows and attraction you might prepare yourself to spend a whole day in the park. There should be enough entertainment for everyone due to sheer variety of education and entertainment facilities.

How to arrange the time inside Ocean Park?

Although Ocean Park is very large, basically it includes two parts: the Waterfront (on the foot of the mountain) and the Summit (above the mountain). Each part consists of aquariums, animal houses, animal shows, restaurants as well as amusement rides.

There are many great choices in the Ocean Park that you should not miss out.

Giant Pandas (the Waterfront)

The best-known celebrities of Ocean Park and even Hong Kong are the four adorable and cuddly giant pandas “An-An”, “Jia-Jia”, “Le-Le” and “Ying-Ying”. An-An and Jia-Jian come to Hong Kong earlier than the other two and they are living in Giant Panda Habitat while Le-Le and Ying-Ying are living in Giant Panda Adventure, which belongs to the “Amazing Asian Animal” Houses.

Btw…did you know that the two giant pandas “Le-Le” and “Ying-Ying” had been given to the HKSAR by the Chinese Central government to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China? But if you want to see the giant pandas moving around, you need to have a little bit luck. They will come out during lunchtime and keep eating their favorite bamboo. Otherwise, you can only see them sleeping movelessly through the TV monitor.

The Ocean Park recently added the very rare red pandas and it’s the first time to meet these kinds of pandas in Hong Kong. They live under the same building with giant pandas Le-Le and Ying-Ying and they also like eating bamboos.

Grand Aquarium (the Waterfront)

If you like the Ocean and their inhabitants you should not miss the Grand Aquarium.

Grand Aquarium – the artificial reef hosts over 5000 fishes and 400 different species and the aquarium is designed as a panoramic coral island and serves as an exact copy of the real ocean. You will have a great time to discover sharks, sting rays, guitarfish and other small inhabitants over the spanning aquarium. Find yourself a nice place behind the glass to enjoy the fantastic underwater view and swimming sharks, sea turtles, huge devil fish and other rare species. Don’t miss the opportunity to walk through the reef and bubble tunnels and watch the beautiful and amazing scene of deep-water fishes underneath it. We don’t need to put in words how great it is. Judge yourself from the pictures！

Besides, at the touch pool, you will have the chance to feel the sea cucumbers and sea stars.

Sea Jelly Spectacular (the Summit)

Sea Jelly Spectacular is a recently added attraction and is the first of their kind and offers you some amazing and spectacular views on all different kind of shapes, sizes and colors of jellyfish. The jellyfish can be as small as finger nail and as big as your head, showing a delicate and breathtaking world of creature. Currently, the Ocean Park displays over 1000 jellyfish from all over the world and in combination with the special effects of light, music and multimedia content it is a highly recommended attraction! Believe us, it’s definitely a breathtaking journey!

Sea Dreams (Dolphin Show) in Ocean Theater (the Summit)

One of the reasons that people come to the Ocean Park is to visit these five cute and smart dolphins and the two funny sea lions. There are 4 shows daily (11:30am, 2:00pm 3:30pm and 5:30pm).

Insider Tips: Since it is one of the hottest shows of the Ocean Park, it is always fully seated. To secure a seat for yourself, remember to come to the Ocean Theater 15-30 mins in advance. Before dolphin show, there will be a singing or dancing performance, giving more time for visitors to settle down.

There are much more about animals in Ocean Park, such as sea lions, goldfish, Chinese sturgeons, crocodiles and recently added gold monkeys. If you want to visit all of them, you have to arrange your time carefully.

Symbio in front of Aqua City (the Waterfront)

Don’t miss the splendid Symbio (water dragon show) next to the dancing fountain of the Lagoon of the Waterfront. Every night on 7:00pm, enjoy the world’s first 360 degree water screen show with the music, fire and firework. Remind you that the soundtrack is composed by an Oscar-winning composer.

Amusement Rides

If you are more into the rides and thrills then continue to read. This one is for all who loves to feel the adrenaline pumping in their veins . The rides we mentioned below are all at the Summit part of Ocean Park. There are some rides at Waterfront too, but not as exciting and thrilling as those at the Summit.

For the thrill-seekers and lovers: Make sure to visit the newly-opened attraction area (opened on Dec. 9th 2011) “Thrill Mountains”, which contains five new rides as well as eight game booths and food outlets. Want to know more about Thrill Mountains of Ocean Park, please click the link to refer to our previous article.

Ocean Park has another two rollercoaster rides “The Dragon” and “Mine Train”. These were and still are the most popular rides in Ocean Park. The Dragon ride guarantees with its speed, twists and turns, corkscrews and 360 degree turns, the ultimate adrenaline rush. “Mine Train” ride will take you on an 85m height trip with nothing between you and the ground. Although, you will have an astonishing view over the park, seaside and the ocean, you might don’t have a chance to enjoy these and this fast paced, thrilled ride.

For the ones who love to cream their lungs out: try “The Abyss Turbo Drop”. The vertical drop of the 20 floors above ground-level will make you losing your voice after you scream your lungs out. Be prepared to you get addicted to this ride. You might don’t want to waste your time at any other attraction and are eager to take it another few times.

Insider Tips: These rides have minimum height requirements (122/132cm). Furthermore, if you are above 190cm you might feel crunched and uncomfortable in some of the cars.

Other rides:

Raging River: While you climb into a log boat, prepare yourself for some rapids and splashes. You will navigate through hairpin turns, slopes and rapids which will end at a spectacular vertical drop with a velocity of over 58km/h. Be prepared to get wet when you finally plunge in the mist below.

SkyFair Celebration: This attraction is for the whole family or couples. A 22 meters in diameter measuring helium filled balloon. The beautiful balloon will take you more than 100 meters in the sky and you will experience some tremendous and amazing views of the southern side of Hong Kong! Notice: This ride depends on the weather! There is also a height minimum requirement whereas kids and children need to be attended by an adult.

Ferris Wheel: This 24 meter in diameter measuring Ferris Wheel is a classic family attraction. Prepare your camera to take some panoramic photos while you enjoy the great views of the Ocean Park Theme park and the South China Sea.

The Space Wheel

Insider Tips: The above mentioned attractions of this theme park are very popular. Especially, on weekends and holidays expect long queue lines. In order to save your time, try to these popular shows and rides first.

On the further end of the Summit (next to the Ferris Wheel), there are lots of game booths like carnivals. You can play the game to win some cute prizes.

After the fun day, don’t forget to take some cute souvenir home. You can find almost all the sea inhabitants you have seen, such as shark, jelly fish, sea lion, sea turtle as well as dolphin are waiting for you in the souvenir stores. Of course there are pandas too.

How to travel between two parts of Ocean Park?

There are two major means of transportation between the two parts of Ocean Park: the Waterfront (on the foot of the mountain) and the Summit (above the mountain): by cable car or by Ocean Express.

Ocean Express: The latest fast and smooth way of travel. Ocean Express is designed to resemble a submarine. Unlike cable car, the Ocean Express Train can transport hundreds of people in one ride. It takes about 4 minutes through the 1.3 kilometer tunnel between Waterfront Station and Summit Station.

Insider Tips: Make sure to hold the handrail during the journey. On Dec 5th 2010, by switching on the emergency track brake accidently, 7 passengers got injured and one passenger was sent to hospital with critical injury.

Cable Car Ride: The cable cars connect the two theme parks the Waterfront and the Summit and provide you a very convenient way to travel between them. The few minutes ride will give you a chance to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the surrounding area, sea and mountains. Each cable car can sit 6 persons and the ride takes about 15 minutes to arrive on the mountain.

Insider Tips: Cable Car moves slower and takes longer time than the Ocean Express. Be prepared to stand in a long queue for 15-30min (non-holiday). But the stunning views on the cable car ride is worthy the waiting.

Where to purchase the tickets?

You can purchase your tickets directly at the Admiralty MTR station or at the entrance of the Ocean Park. If you decide to book and order your tickets online, you also have the option to get the tickets delivered to your country by courier. The prices are:
Adult: HK$ 480
Children (3-11 years): HK$ 420
Kids under 3 years of age are free.

Updates:From 9th of May 2012, Ocean Park Hong Kong introduced the new E-Ticket system that you can purchase the Ocean Park tickets from all the 7-Eleven in Hong Kong. For more details of this E-Tickets, please refer to our previous article “Ocean Park Introduces E-Tickets at 7-Eleven“.

Discounted / Cheaper entrance tickets for everyone

If you have planned visiting Ocean Park in your itinerary, there are still some ways to save money on entrance tickets.

For enquires you can call +(852) 3923 2323

Most convenient way: Take MTR South Island Line to Ocean Park station.
Alternatively, you can also take Citybus 629 which and take you directly to Ocean Park. There are two stations of Citybus 629 : Admiralty MTR station and the Central Pier 7. You can either take MTR subway to Admiralty. Then take Exit B and transfer the special Citybus Route 629 or take the star ferry to Central and transfer to the bus. Departure time for the Citybus Route 629 is daily from 9:00am-4:00pm (from Admiralty, frequency is every 10 minutes) or from 9:45am-3:45pm (from Central Pier 7, frequency is every 20-60 minutes).

From Lo Wu / Lok Mau Chau:

Take the East Railway to the Kowloon Tong Station and transfer the subway to Admiralty Station and walk to the Exit B (approx. travel time is 58 minutes and a single journey ticket is about HK$ 45). Then get on the special Citybus Route 629 (see above).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long do I need to spend in Ocean Park?
A: It is a very large theme park that if you want to visit most of the major attractions, we recommend you to prepare a whole day. Also don’t forget the time that you need to wait in line.

Q: Where should I visit first, the Summit or the Waterfront?
A: It depends. Both parts have some most popular attractions. Generally, the Summit will close half an hour earlier than the Waterfront, including all the game booths, restaurants, rides and the cable car and Ocean Express. When it closes, most of visitors at the Summit will try to travel back to Waterfront and the waiting time for the Ocean Express will be much longer. If you want to watch the Symbio at 7:00pm, we suggest you either visit the Summit first or leave Summit half an hour earlier than its close time.

Q: Are there restaurants in Ocean Park?
A: Similar to Disneyland, bringing your own food and drink to Ocean Park is not allowed. There are many restaurants and food kiosks inside Ocean Park. Please be aware that the prices in restaurants are much higher than the market prices. For details you can refer to our article How to Save Money on Food in Hong Kong.

Updates: On March 2012, Ocean Park opened a new theme area: Old Hong Kong, which brings the guests back to Hong Kong 10 1950s and 1970s. You will go through many old Hong Kong memories such as Hong Kong style buildings, Tram No.120, old style grand theater. For more information of “Old Hong Kong”, please click the link to read our previous article.

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