Ocean Park Hong Kong

Ocean Park Hong Kong, commonly known as Ocean Park, is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, animal theme park and amusement park, situated in the Southern District of Hong Kong.

Big Christmas tree near the entrance (Left: During the Day | Right: At Night)

It was opened in 1977 and became very popular until 2005, when it was threatened by the newly built Hong Kong Disneyland. It was unprofitable and expected to lose, however, it gained and maintained it's popularity and still one of the best attractions in Hong Kong up to now.

I've only been to Ocean Adventure in Subic, Pampanga and I find it big already and I didn't know that it's nothing compare to Ocean Park Hong Kong. It is huge! In order to fully enjoy your visit, I think you will need 2 full days. Well, that's if you like to see all the attractions and try all the rides in the park. I have a motion sickness so I only tried the cable car which is scary for me and my friend (BUMMER!).

 

Not only that you need time to explore the park, but you really need to have the energy.  If you are going to visit for just a day or a short time, make sure to plan your visit carefully.

Check their website and the map and choose the attractions and rides that you want to try. Oh and don't forget to bring a lot of patience, because you will definitely get tired and lose your patience along the way.

What I love about the Ocean Park Hong Kong is, it doesn't only offer amusement but also entertainment and educational activities. It has various attractions and rides including four roller coasters.

It showcase animal exhibits with different themes. The park is also known for it's world's largest aquarium dome, although we weren't able to see it because of lack of time.

Although the park was criticized by wildlife advocates, they are still continue to do their shows with these animals performing. And let's be honest, for normal people, you can only see these animals in this kind of entertainment facility, unless, you want to go to the wild or the ocean or the north pole to see them. I'm sure they are being taking care of anyway, still not right, but if people are paying to see them, then the business will still continue.

The park has 2 locations, each featuring unique animal exhibits, attractions, and rides. To get to the other location, you will have to ride the cable car or the Ocean Express. We want to experience both, so we took a cable car to the Summit and the ocean express back to the Waterfront. Either-way, it's really convenient going to and from upper location of the park with these modes of transfers

Along the way, my friend and I were screaming inside the cable car because it's a scary ride! I got more scared when I looked down and saw the rocky shore. Compare to the cable car at Ngong Ping, this one is really small and it sways when you move! My friend shouted at me when I tried to move to take pictures (LOL).

To add more to my fear, as we approach the summit's station, we can hear the people screaming in the Hair Raiser ride. Just be prepared if you are planning on riding the cable car, specially if you are afraid of heights. Best to ride the cable car during the day so you can enjoy the view of the city and the shore below.

 

What you need to do when planning your visit is to identify which attraction you really want to go, then go straight there. You can drop by the attractions along the way, but don't take your time because you might end up not seeing the ones you really want to see. 

Also, make sure you check the schedules of when the animals are active or awake. You don't want to be disappointed when you don't see them if you're really looking forward, like what happened to me. When we visited, the Panda is eating and hiding behind the bushes so I wasn't able to fully see it.

The park has lockers for rent if you don't want to carry your bag while exploring. They also have stroller and wheelchair, just in case you need them. See below for the rate.

We were able to visit many attractions even though we got there at around 2:00pm. It's very tiring though, so make sure you go there earlier to enjoy a not stressful adventures.

I know you will only visit the attractions that you find interesting, but nevertheless, you might find this helpful. Please follow the links below for the list of attractions and rides per location:

Ocean Park Waterfront Attractions & Rides
Ocean Park Summit Attractions & Thrilling Rides 

When I visited the park, the MTR Station is still under construction, now it's already operational, making the park more accessible than ever. To avoid the long queue in the ticket window, buy yours from Klook, convenient and also cheap.

Make sure to get the copy of the map at the entrance or click here to print.