Anyway, Day 2 of our family’s Hong Kong getaway last April was dedicated to visiting Ocean Park Hong Kong. Have I mentioned how easy commuting in Hong Kong is??? I love their public transportation system; hoping we have disciplined commuters and effective commuting system, too!
I highly recommend buying an Octopus Card once you get to Hong Kong. The Octopus card is similar to the LRT/MRT card; only BETTER. Aside from using the card at the MTR, you can also use it to pay for your bus fare. In addition, you can use it for your purchases at 7-11, SaSa, and other retail stores, parking lots, and more! It’s a reloadable card that you can use to pay for almost everything! The regular Octopus card costs HK$150 (HK$100 load but HK$50 is refundable). It has other card types, such as the Tourist Octopus card. We opted to get the regular one, so we can still refund the HK$50. You can buy the Octopus card at the airport or any MTR station (that’s where we got ours). Also, fares are relatively cheaper if you use the card compared to giving cash for your fare.
We wanted to get there as the park opens (10AM), so we left the hostel at 9AM. Mirador Mansions is very near the MTR station (Tsim Sha Tsui station), so commuting was really easy for us. To get to Ocean Park, ride the Tsuen Wan Line train towards Central, and get off at the Admiralty Station. Walk to Admiralty West Bus Terminus (Exit B) and wait for the 629 Bus that will take you to the Ocean Park Main Entrance (bus trip is around 25 – 30 minutes). The bus will drop you off the entrance; ride the escalator going up, and HELLO, OCEAN PARK!!!
Lace longsleeves top from Forever 21, Aztec print skirt from Pixie Dust, black tights from Hong Kong, Red jelly flats from MEL, Le Pliage Longchamp bag
Ocean Park Hong Kong is soooooooooooo big. Unlike Manila Ocean Park, HK OP has tons of rides and other amusements aside from the usual aquariums. It has two areas (The Waterfront and The Summit), which are connected by the cable cars and the Ocean Express.
The Waterfront area has 5 “sub-areas” : Amazing Asian Animals, Aqua City, Waterfront Cable Car Station, Ocean Express Waterfront Station, and Whiskers Harbour. The Summit has 7 sub-areas: Submmit Cable Car Station, Ocean Express Summit Station, Marine World, Adventure Land, Thriller Mountain, Polar Adventure, and Rainforest.
We visited The Summit first, and we rode the cable car going there. IT WAS AMAZING! ‘Twas my first time to ride the cable car. A bit terrifying, yes, but the experience was worth it. Take the cable car option if you’re a thrill junkie; if you’re afraid of heights, I suggest you take the Ocean Express instead. My parents visited Ocean Park Hong Kong in 1994, and they swore the cable car ride wasn’t that loooong then. I guess the park underwent tons of renovations since then.
The Summit has more rides compared to The Waterfront. However, we weren’t able to ride everything ‘coz most were scary! The most adventurous ride we went on was the Mine Train! The track is more than half a kilometer long and is 85 meters off the ground. Plus, it was beside the ocean! We felt like we would fall off to the ocean!
Here’s a picture of the Mine Train!
My favorite attraction at The Summit was the South Pole Spectacular. Was able to meet real live penguins!!! They were really cute and playful! Be warned though, it’s verrrry cold inside! Around 8-10 degrees inside the building.
We also got to watch the dolphins show. It was quite similar to the show at Ocean Adventure in Subic.
They were many things to see at The Summit, but we were really tired from all the walking. We then headed back down to The Waterfront via the Cable Car. Once there, we visited my next favorite attraction: the Giant Panda Adventure!
This was the highlight of my trip to Ocean Park! I loooove pandas <3 Good thing the pandas there were awake! One of the pandas just woke up from his nap and he was hungry, so he ate in front of us! UGGGGH. CUDDLY PANDAS!!!
I also bought a souvenir: a panda plushie. My boyfriend and I named him (
The dancing lights fountain show marks the closing of the park, which is at 6PM. So be there before 6PM, as people would flock that area. We didn’t wait for the show since we were too tired.
We went back to Tsim Sha Tsui the same way we went to Ocean Park: 629 bus and MTR ride to Tsim Sha Tsui. We headed back to our hotel and rested for a while. After, we headed out to scout for dinner, and we landed at KFC. Haha!
‘Till next post, readers!
Love,
Dianne
(See previous posts about our Hong Kong trip here and here!)
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