Acuario y Museo del Mar del Rodadero

Location:
Main ticket office:

Carrera 1 and Calle 8, Edificio Fuentemar, El Rodadero

El Rodadero, Santa Marta, Colombia

Museum Types:
Aquarium, History

By Lorraine Caputo

The small boat takes you across the deep blue-green bay to Ensenada Inca Inca, 10 minutes away. There on the cove’s shores is Latin America’s first aquarium, founded in 1966. Its 15 tanks and six sea pools are home to angel fish, barracudas, sharks, starfish, corals and other denizens of this corner of the Caribbean Sea. The guides, a few of whom speak English, will teach you about them. Canela and Manuela, the sea lions, will put on a show for you, as well as the bottle-nose dolphins. You can even swim with those twittering mammals. The adjacent Museo del Mar gives a fascinating historical and biological look at this sea.

Getting There
The aquarium is 10 minutes away by launch. Buy your combined ticket (boat ride and entry) only from the Acuario’s office in El Rodadero.

Travel Tips: Many boating outfits along the beach will make it seem theirs is the only way to get to the aquarium; their fares are $5.30 per person, minimum 5 passengers. To save money, go directly to the Acuario’s office in El Rodadero to buy the combined ticket.

Price Description: ENTRY: $8 adults, $4.75 children 4-10 years old; if buy tickets from the main ticket office, add $1.05 for the cost of the launch, also. Entry includes both the aquarium and museum; to swim with the dolphins costs an additional $48 for 15 minutes.

Relative price: Expensive

Open Hours from:Daily 9:30 a.m.

Open Hours to:Daily 5 p.m.

Travel Skills: None

You Need to Bring: Take along a camera; swimwear if you want to play with the dolphins.

Visit Mundo Marino in El Rodadero and other museums in the area; practice various aquatic sports, including scuba diving and snorkeling; visit the near-by Playa Blanca, or those of Santa Marta, Taganga and Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona; go fishing with local pescadores.

Currencies accepted
Colombian Peso

Contact Information:
Phone: 5-422-7222 / 422-2405
E-mail: acuariorodadero(at)remove-this.gmail.com
URL: www.acuariorodadero.org