Ancol Dreamland Complex is the most popular family attraction in Jakarta. It is a one stop shop for families looking for recreation and adventure. The Ancol Dreamland Complex houses the Dunia Fantasi, SeaWorld, Ocean Dream Samudra, Ocean Ecopark, Atlantis Water Adventure and Ancol Beach City.
I visited Dunia Fantasi (Fantasi World) with the Espiritu Family a year ago and just last week, I visited SeaWorld Ancol with the Villamors- another family who treats me as their own. This is one of the privilege and a blessing I should say when you have lots of friends who treat you as family.
SeaWorld Ancol is an underwater educational and recreational facility exhibiting the diverse tropical marine life of Indonesia. This huge marine aquarium is located in North Jakarta.
Since it’s the holiday season, I already expected a long queue and huge crowd. Good thing, we were able to purchase the entrance tickets faster than expected.
We then roamed around and checked out the many exhibits and facilities inside. We first head to the main aquarium which houses a variety of saltwater animals. Accordingly, the main aquarium is the biggest saltwater aquarium in Southeast Asia, capable of storing up to 5 million liters of saltwater.
Another worthy of a look is the freshwater area where you can enjoy watching electric eels, freshwater catfish and even piranha.
We also enjoyed the gallery showcasing different sea creatures, including a giant sting ray, a dead shark, and more.
The Otter Track was also very interesting, although the otters were quiet shy. I tried to take a picture of them but I had no luck and they won’t come out.
The newly opened jellyfish sphere exhibit features various kinds of jellyfish swimming gracefully around the tanks. The tanks are illuminated with color changing LED lights which make the exhibit more mesmerizing. COOL! No wonder it has easily become a popular stop for photo ops.
What the kids love the most, especially Katriel, is the Touch Pool area. Here, guests are allowed to touch the stingrays, sea stars, sea turtles, and even sharks.
What I personally love about the experience is the Sharkquarium. It was so delightful watching the sharks them although they were caged. Sharks in general are the most misunderstood sea creatures. In fact, sharks are among the world’s most feared predators.
Yes there are records of terrifying shark attacks in many different parts of the world but did you know that with around 400 shark species, only a few species of sharks attack people? Some need to be provoked first before they bite. But still, although the attacks are rare, many dread dipping their toes in the ocean for fear of attacks.
A not to miss is the Antasena tunnel. The 80 meters in length walk-through acrylic tube will give you deep sea panorama experience. Plus, is it equipped with conveyer so visitors can enjoy watching and observing the various kinds and colours of fishes swimming overhead without the need to walk around which can be tiresome especially those with toddlers and little kids.
After the amazing tunnel experience and some photo ops, we checked out the gift shop and the kids bought some accessories.
What a better way to spend the holidays than having a glimpse of the wonderful marine life!It was a fun and educational experience for the whole family.
Note:
SeaWorld Ancol opens from 9 AM till 6 PM.
Entrance Fees: 50,000 IDR (5 USD) at weekdays and 60,000 IDR (6 USD) on weekends
Green Destiny 