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I was very pleasently surprised by the Santo Domingo Aquarium – while it is certainly not comparable to SeaWorld or any large aquarium in Europe or the United States, it is rather nice!
It is well kept, clean and although not huge does have a nice variety of fish and other marine life.
Immediately as you walk in is a small pond absolutely brimming full with turtles – big sea turtles, all flapping about and seemingly attracted by visitors. It’s great to see these fantastic animals so close up, but very sad to see them in such a small and over-crowded space.
After the turtles is a series of smaller tanks set into the wall – just as you would see in any other aquarium, with various types of fish, lobster, crab, sea urchins – nothing overly exciting but nice enough to spend about 20 minutes wandering around.
The highlight as with all aquariums is the water tunnel – I was hoping to see a big shark, but unfortunately they didn’t seem
to have any, but it was still a fun walk-through journey and kept me amused for about 5 minutes!
Aside from the actual ‘aquarium’ there is also a rather charming outdoor area – literally on the edge of the Caribbean sea, with a fantastic view of the rest of Santo Domingo.
Opening: 9.30-6.30 Tuesdays-Sundays
Cost: RD$30 (Dominican residents) and RD$50 (Tourists)
Address: Av 28 de Enero, across the Rio Ozama from the Zona Colonial
Final Verdict: Not a ‘must see’ but a great place to amuse the kids, or to pass a little time – if you’ve got nothing else to do!
Some more photos:
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