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| SOUTH AFRICA TRAVEL |
USHAKA MARINE WORLD, DURBAN
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Submitted by: Nadine B. 18 April
2007
Port Elizabeth, South Africa |
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My visit to Durban and
Ushaka Marine World in Durban, KwaZulu Natal: I had never been to Durban before
so when we received an invite for a wedding there, we jumped to the opportunity. I was
rather excited about the trip until my husband decided that we would drive up with one of
our friends in his car. They informed me that it would take us 12 hours to get there and
that we were going to leave at 5:30 am! I hate long trips! The longest amount of hours I
can endure is 8 before I start getting claustrophobic and highly irritated. To add to the
irritation, our friend drove slowly, the weather was 40 degrees and the car we were
driving in convoy with broke down delaying our trip an additional 2 hours! I was ready to
pull every strand of my hair out!
When we finally got back on track, I was tired, hot and bothered and literally banging on
the windows begging for someone to let me out. The view on the way there, thankfully, is
absolutely beautiful and kept me entertained most of the way.
Unfortunately, we could only spend 3 nights there so we never really got to explore Durban
much in between all the wedding arrangements. What I did get to experience, however, was
Ushaka Marine World.
Ushaka incorporates fresh and sea water, natural materials, the re-creation of a wreck of
a 1940's cargo ship with the 5th largest aquarium in the world by volume of water. There
is an abundance of indigenous African imagery, lush vegetation as well as the most awesome
water slides amusement park! One can snorkel, go on thrilling water rides, enjoy the super
tubes or generally laze on the tubes whilst floating along the long paths of water. Of
course, after we had to wait for our friend, we only arrived there after 11 am and the
weather was miserable! The rides had closed but we could go visit the aquarium and
exhibits. The rides looked amazing though and I was highly annoyed that we could not
experience them. Next time I visit, I will make sure we do!
We could spend hours here at Ushaka Marine World! There is plenty to do and see. There is
a Village Walk comprising of hundreds of exciting retail food, clothing and beverage
outlets. I got a henna tattoo on my arm and purchased plenty of souvenirs! The sea and
Dolphin World was absolutely exquisite! Located in the centre of uShaka Marine World, it
comprises of a salt water aquarium with indoor and outdoor displays and exhibits, a 1200
seater dolphin stadium, the seal stadium and penguin rookery. The underwater exhibits were
some of the best exhibits I have ever seen! We witnessed a few professionals dive into a
massive water exhibit and feed the sharks and manta rays. They even stopped and posed for
us so we could take plenty of photos. We watched a few other brave volunteers shark cage
dive and snorkel in these dangerous waters. These volunteers had the opportunity to touch
the fearsome and enormous sharks as they swam pass them.
The next stop was Dolphin World. These endearing creatures were incredibly intelligent and
performed a vast array of entertaining tricks that kept us amused for hours. The specially
designed viewing windows enabled us to see the animals both above and below the water,
where their remarkable speed and power could be appreciated more fully. They were the
fattest dolphins I had ever seen so when they breached the surface and sat on the bench, I
was bowled over! Less fish guys!
After the fantastic dolphin show, we headed off to the seal show much to my dismay. The
show is cute but definitely aimed for children. Amusingly, our friend enjoyed it.
I would have loved to stay longer, but we had to unfortunately leave. Ushaka was
definitely a breath taking adventure and next time I will explore its breadth, depth and
height before I leave. It is exquisitely beautiful, entertaining and a must visit! |
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Additional info / Related Pages:
uShaka
Marine World in Durban
Durban
Attractions
Accommodation
in Durban
Accommodation
in KwaZulu Natal |
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