🐡🪼 Go to see the fish! Pingtung Marine Life Museum: A showcase for marine life education 🐋🐠

The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium (NMMBA) is located in Houwan Village, Checheng Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan. It is one of the largest marine biology museums and research institutions in Taiwan. The museum began planning in 1991 and was officially opened to the public on February 25, 2000. It has a total area of 96.81 hectares, of which the museum occupies 35.81 hectares. It is located in the northwest corner of Kenting National Park and aims to promote marine life education, research and conservation. The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium is divided into three main exhibition areas: Taiwan Waters, Coral Kingdom and World Waters, displaying more than 15,000 species of marine life, including whale sharks, beluga whales, penguins, stingrays and tropical fish. Since 2004, the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium has cooperated with National Dong Hwa University to establish the College of Marine Science, becoming the first academic unit in Taiwan to cooperate with a university and a museum. In 2018, it cooperated with the international Frozen Ark project to freeze and preserve the DNA of species in Pingtung's waters, actively participating in global marine conservation. In the exhibition hall, the Taiwan Waters Hall simulates Taiwan's water system, from mountain streams to the ocean, and displays Taiwan's native fish and marine ecology; the Coral Kingdom Hall displays the coral reef environment from shallow sea to deep sea, with an 80-meter-long underwater tunnel, where visitors can observe fish and corals up close; the World Waters Hall introduces global marine life, including penguin exhibition areas and whale shark exhibition areas. The hall also has an interactive experience area and a VR virtual ocean world, which are suitable for parent-child visits. The weather was cold in winter that day, so it is recommended to wear a thick coat. There are rest areas and restaurants in the hall. Some exhibitions may require reservations, so it is recommended to confirm in advance. In terms of transportation, the Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium can be reached in a variety of ways. On that day, the author chose to drive there, starting from Kaohsiung, going south along Provincial Highway 1 to Provincial Highway 17, about a 2-hour drive, and parking in the parking lot of the hall after arrival. The parking fee is 50 yuan, and there are about 300 parking spaces, which is suitable for self-driving tourists. If you take public transportation, you can take the High Speed Rail from Kaohsiung to Zuoying Station, transfer to Kuo-Kuang Bus to the "Aquarium of Marine Biology and Aquarium Transfer Station", the journey is about 2.5 hours, the ticket price is about 300 yuan, and then walk for about 10 minutes or transfer to a taxi. If you depart from Pingtung City, you can take Pingtung Bus to the "Aquarium of Marine Biology and Aquarium Transfer Station", the journey is about 1.5 hours, the ticket price is about 150 yuan, and then walk for about 10 minutes. It is open all year round (09:00-17:30 every day, extended to 18:00 in summer), suitable for tourists planning to travel to Pingtung. ============================ 📍 Address: No. 2, Houwan Road, Houwan Village, Checheng Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan 🕰️ Opening hours: 09:00-17:30 every day