Dubai: Underwater Zoo & Creepy Crawlies (Review)

Underwater Zoo and Creepy Crawlies?! I am not a fan of creepy crawlies. Why would I want to go there?

Because I have two kids who are at that curious age, and because I have an 8-year-old son who at the moment LOVES creepy crawlies and makes it his daily mission to show me something creepy crawly… Gulp… the things a mother does for her kids…

The saving grace was that the Underwater Zoo & Creepy Crawlies is conveniently located in the Dubai Mall, one of the largest shopping malls in Dubai. I swear I needed major therapy after this visit.

There are two sections to the Underwater Zoo & Creepy Crawlies. On the first level of the mall house the Dubai Aquarium, which boasts the world’s largest acrylic viewing panel.

On the second level of the mall, lies the Underwater Zoo & Creepy Crawlies. The zoo is divided into three major zones according to their ecological nature — The Rainforest, the Rocky Shores and the Living Ocean. In each zone, you can view otters, catfish and piranha (rainforest), penguins on the rocky shores or sea dragons and sea jellies (living ocean).

Like most aquariums, they have interactive structures for you to have a better understanding of the underwater world or for you to view the fish clearer. Below is an inverted dome structure where the kids had fun pretending to be blowfishes.

Check out this colossal crab!!

Mom! Who is cuter? Baby crocodiles or me?

Help Mommy! The Giant Croc has got me!

We love the array of animals and the kids love interacting with the penguins who swam up to the glass. We are not too sure who is the specimen? The penguins or my kids?

The Creepy Crawlies at the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo

Remember to head up to the second level for the Creepy Crawlies, which promises to enthral you with rare collection of the creepy crawly species from arthropods to lizards and insects.

I have to confess straight up that I dragged my feet going up. It was not very encouraging to have a huge spider greeting us on the way up (see picture below). But for the sake of my kids (especially my 8-year-old son), I stayed at arms length of these creatures and secretly thank GOD for glass dividers.

This is as far as I could make myself go. Sorry if you can’t see much. If you are not freaked out by creepy crawlies, then I will highly recommend you visit this place with your kids. It is a very educational and interesting stop-over and your kids will go home with a new vocabulary of the insect world.

The hubs walked through with the kids ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the creepy crawlies. I just froze and took pictures. And looking at their faces, they were getting a good education on bugs and insects.