We saw Afrykarium under construction when we visited Wroclaw ZOO last time. It was in September 2014. Since then we wanted to come back here. And here we are, two years later …
The new building of Afrykarium-Aquarium is located inside the Wroclaw Zoo. It is not possible to buy tickets only to that object (as you could do in Berlin ZOO where tickets for aquarium and zoo are separated). We bought family ticket and went into the ZOO area.
The building is located near main entrance, where are ticket offices. Inside the building, the same natural environments as in Africa were recreated. In total, the complex has 19 pools, including tanks, coral reefs of the Red Sea, the depths of the Mozambique Channel pool (shark was swimming there), hippos (River Nile), manatees, crocodiles and penguins.
The tour through Afrykarium follows a designated trail that initially passes through a part of the Oceanarium. Beautiful aquariums welcome us with fish and coral reef. Then we move among the Nile hippos and overcome the jungle. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any maps — no zoo maps or Afrykarium floor plan. So we are walking without information how much is ahead of us.
In the aquarium, we are impressed by the size of swimming pools. Justin even wanted to swim with the fish (if only it were possible).
A moment later, a large swimming pool appeared before our eyes, seemingly empty, in which we couldn’t tell what animal was inside. Suddenly a hippopotamus swam towards us . The ability to see this large hippopotamus floating and swimming in the water was a priceless sight. This heavy beast moved through the water like a butterfly. Did you know that in Greek, hippopotamus means ‘river horse’? First, we saw hippos in the water, and a moment later outside the pool. They came out of the water, because the keeper called them for feeding.
Moments later, we are in a long tunnel located 18 meters underwater. We are in the Mozambique Channel. Above us sharks, turtles, and stingrays swam. Thick glass separates us from these dangerous animals and we could observe them at arm’s length.
The next section took us to the Congo jungle, the entrance to which is through a special gate/door – this is because the temperature and humidity inside are higher. A crocodile greeted us there, it was strange because it was hanging on a rock with his head at the window. Everyone wanted to take a photo with it and see if it was real.
During our visit, the penguins were on the outdoor enclosure. To see them we have to go around the building. The children couldn’t wait to see them. Moments later, they were already naming them after characters from the cartoon “Penguins of Madagascar”.
We went out and explored the rest of the zoo’s pathways. Along the way, we found a statue of Hipoczyściciel dwarf, which stood at the old hippo building.
We went back to the hotel to rest, later for dinner. In the evening, we wanted to see Multimedia Fountain show.