Earlier this month – on November 9th – the largest marine aquarium in South America, AquaRio, opened its doors in Porto Maravilha, Rio de Janeiro. This ambitious building extends over 26,000 square metres and is home to 28 tanks that together hold a total of 8,000 fish.
aquarioVisitors can observe marine animals from an underwater tunnel / Image Source
When buying tickets at the entrance, the first thing visitors will appreciate is the stunning skeleton of a humpback whale that ran aground and died in Praia da Macumba in 2014. The tour itself begins with a walk down a central aisle surrounded by incredible marine wildlife – manta rays, seahorses, gigantic groupers, and countless other species can be seen. The journey through the aquarium is further enriched by accompanying information about the animals and their natural habitats. The main attraction is undoubtedly the oceanic tank, where bull sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks, and manta rays are swimming together. Visitors will certainly have a unique experience in this place as they observe these magnificent species from large windows and an underwater tunnel 20 metres long. The total cost of this stunning project was US$40 million and it was recently remodeled on the occasion of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The aquarium also has an area for research, run in collaboration with the Department of Marine Biology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Name: AquaRio (Marine Aquarium of Rio de Janeiro) Website: www.aquariomarinhodorio.com.br (information in Portuguese) Address: Praça Muhammad Ali, Gambôa Hours: Every day from 10 am to 6 pm. The last entry is at 5 pm Entrance Cost: 80 reales for the general public / 60 reales for residents of Rio de Janeiro / 40 reales for children and adolescents from 3 to 17, students from 18 to 24, adults over 65, and people with disability. *Children under 3 enter for free. To discover more tours and activities in Rio de Janeiro, visit rdj4u.com.

By: Daytours4u Content Team