Swim with giant crocodiles - Crocodile Park in Australia's Northern Territory
There are many parks and zoos all over the world where you can see wild or captive crocodiles, but I believe the only one with crocodiles as the sole theme is Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, where you can even swim with crocodiles.
The most popular activity in Crocodile Bay is the Cage of Death. Visitors who participate in this activity will stay in a 13-centimeter-thick, 2.7-meter-high transparent plexiglass tank. Then a 5.5-meter-long, 794-kilogram crocodile will be released into the crocodile enclosure. Visitors can have a very close face-to-face contact with the ferocious crocodile through the thin glass, and see the giant crocodile's bloody mouth and sharp fangs, which is chilling. The park will also arrange special photographers to take 360-degree photos of tourists and crocodiles, recording this thrilling moment in full. If tourists are worried that it is too scary to swim with crocodiles alone, they can find a friend to give them courage and experience it together. Younger people (between 15 and 17 years old) must be accompanied by an adult to participate in this activity. The death cage is only open 12 times a day, each time for 15 minutes. Although the price is high (AUD175), it is still very popular. Interested friends are advised to book in advance to avoid wasting their trip.
In addition to the death cage, the park also provides other different types of opportunities for close contact with crocodiles. For example, its VIP Tour provides visitors with the opportunity to fish and feed crocodiles in person, and they can also hug baby crocodiles and feel their scaly skin and flippers. This 1.5-hour VIP tour also provides access to the aquarium's backstage area, giving you an in-depth look at the habits and characteristics of Australia's saltwater crocodiles and other reptiles. There are only two VIP Tours per day, each lasting 1.5 hours and costing AUD85 per person.
In addition to a large number of saltwater crocodiles, the Crocodile Theme Park also has a reptile house that displays more than 70 species of reptiles, such as mangrove monitors, pig-nosed turtles, and other species that are relatively rare in other places. There are also reptile feeding shows at 10:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. every day, allowing visitors to get close to these reptiles and learn about their characteristics. In addition, there is a two-story freshwater tank with a capacity of 200,000 liters in the park, which houses more than 15 species of fish. There are also fish feeding shows at 11:00 in the morning and 15:30 in the afternoon every day, which is really not to be missed.
Each activity in Crocodile Park has a fixed performance time. You should plan the shows you want to watch before departure and go to the performance venue in advance after arriving at the park. However, in addition to the performances introduced above, there are many other performances to watch, such as the crocodile feeding show at 11:30 am, 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm, the turtle explanation activity at 1:30 pm, and the activities of hugging baby crocodiles and swimming with crocodiles are available all day. You can check the official website for the latest information before departure to make arrangements.
Ticket Price: AUD36
Opening hours: 9am to 5pm
Address: 58 Mitchell Street, Darwin City