It seems that a number of provinces in Thailand are starting to build their own aquariums that rival if not surpass the one in the basement of Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok. One of the latest ones to be built is at Bueng Boraphet in Nakhon Sawan. It was officially opened in 2008 and as you can see in this photo, it’s built a bit like Noah’s Ark, though this one contains freshwater fish.
The aquarium is built in the shape of a “krachaeng” boat. It is 35.3 meters wide and 105 meters long. This kind of boat was often seen floating along the river in Paknam Pho transporting goods. The aquarium was built to commemorate the 80th Birthday of H.M. The King. The fish tunnel that you can see here is 24 meters long.
Inside Bueng Boraphet Aquarium, the natural environment of freshwater fish has been imitated. The majority of these species are from the Chao Phraya River and the marshes of Bueng Boraphet. As well as the fish tunnel, there are also 30 fish tanks, marine fish tanks and a touch pool. All of the labels of the exhibits are in both Thai and English. It’s not a very large aquarium, but the admission price of only 49 baht for adults and 19 baht for children makes it good value for money. In comparison, the one in the basement of Paragon is something like 900 baht.
Behind the aquarium there is a Crocodile Farm with daily shows. There are six rounds per day starting at 10:30 a.m. and repeating every hour until the last show at 3:30 p.m. As well as the show you can walk around the crocodile pens. Entrance is only 30 baht for adults and 20 baht for children. Again, this is very good value for money.
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