Ocean Park Hong Kong Review: Pandas, Rides, and Is It Worth It?
I’ll be honest. When we started planning our family trip to Hong Kong, Ocean Park Hong Kong was one attraction I wasn’t quite sure about. Would it worth for our family? Was it worth spending a whole day there, when we already had two days in Hong Kong Disneyland on our itinerary? I won’t make you read our whole Ocean Park review to get the answer, because the answer is yes! Ocean Park is absolutely worth visiting!
In fact, after visiting Ocean Park Hong Kong in October 2026 as a family of four with our two boys, I can honestly say that it ended up being the unexpected highlight of our trip!
We saw all six pandas (the absolute high point for all of us), watched a hilarious baby Sichuan monkey learning to swing, enjoyed incredible coastal views from the cable car, and even fed penguins. And because we visited on a weekday, the crowds were minimal and almost every ride was a complete walk-on!
That doesn’t mean Ocean Park Hong Kong is perfect. And I always try to be as honest and open as possible in these reviews. Some of the rides are definitely showing their age (the boys said it reminded them of a Scooby-Doo fairground), and if you’re choosing which theme park to visit, it’s a very different proposition to Hong Kong Disneyland.
In this Ocean Park Hong Kong review, I’ll share what we loved, what could be better, how and where to see the pandas, which rides are worth riding, ticket prices, and ultimately, whether Ocean Park Hong Kong is worth visiting with kids. So let’s dive straight in:
Disclosure: We received complimentary admission tickets to Ocean Park Hong Kong in exchange for coverage of our visit. All opinions are entirely our own, and we paid separately for our additional experiences. This article contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you book through them, at no additional cost to you.
Is Ocean Park Hong Kong Worth Visiting?
From the moment we arrived, we ended up absolutely loving Ocean Park Hong Kong and we’d definitely pay to visit again. It ended up being such a highlight of our trip: I wasn’t really sure what to expect before we visited, but it definitely exceeded my expectations.
For us, the biggest attraction was the chance to see the pandas. Ocean Park is home to six giant pandas, and we were lucky enough to see them being incredibly active during our visit. That makes Ocean Park the zoo with the largest giant panda population outside of mainland China. We would visit again for the pandas alone!
But the pandas weren’t the only highlight. We also loved the cable car ride between the two sections (not the only cable car we rode in Hong Kong, as we also experienced the Ngong Ping 360), the boys loved the River Rapids ride which was a great way to cool down on a hot day, and our penguin-feeding experience was genuinely unforgettable.
That doesn’t mean it’s all sunshine and roses. There are a few things worth knowing before you visit.
Ocean Park is an older theme park, and some of the rides and attractions feel a little tired. If you’re expecting Disney-level theming and presentation, you might be disappointed. This felt a little more prominent to us, because we’d spent two days in Hong Kong Disneyland before we visited Ocean Park Hong Kong.
However, if you love animals, enjoy a good roller coaster and want to experience something a little different from Hong Kong Disneyland, I think Ocean Park is an excellent addition to a family itinerary. The animals were much more of a highlight to us than the rides!
We visited on a weekday in October and found that the park was exceptionally quiet. Almost every ride was a walk-on, and we didn’t even have to queue to see the pandas. Of course, this won’t necessarily be the case during weekends or school holidays, but it made our day incredibly relaxed, and if you can I would definitely recommend choosing a week day.
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What Is Ocean Park Hong Kong?
Ocean Park Hong Kong is a large marine-themed attraction and amusement park on the southern side of Hong Kong Island. It was opened in 1977, and it’s the oldest operating theme park in Hong Kong. But actually, Ocean Park is so much more than just a theme park!
Unlike a traditional theme park, Ocean Park combines animal exhibits, aquariums, educational experiences, and thrill rides in one destination. In my opinion, it’s actually more zoo than theme park (but I know opinion on this differs).
The park is divided into two main areas:
- The Waterfront: Home to the giant pandas, Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys, Grand Aquarium and several family attractions.
- The Summit: Home to the bigger thrill rides, penguins, other animal exhibits and spectacular coastal views.
The two areas are divided by a huge mountain/mound in the middle, and connected by a scenic cable car and the Ocean Express funicular train. We took the funicular across to the Summit and then rode the cable car back.
Ocean Park Hong Kong Pandas: Where To See All Six
Rides are nice, and we enjoyed the cable car. But the real reason we came to Ocean Park? To see the pandas! Since they removed the pandas from Ueno Zoo in Japan, and there are no pandas in the UK, this was an incredible chance for the boys to see these beautiful and gentle creatures up-close.
Ocean Park is home to six giant pandas, spread across two different panda exhibits. And having seen them ourselves, I can confidently say they’re worth the admission price alone. (The boys agreed that they’d love to go back to see the pandas alone)
We made a point of visiting the pandas first thing in the morning, as soon as the park opened. I’d read that pandas are often more active around feeding time, so we hoped we’d catch them eating breakfast rather than sleeping. I also wanted to beat the crowds, because the pandas are the most popular exhibit in Ocean Park. It was a great plan, and it worked well.
When we arrived, the pandas were awake, moving around and happily eating bamboo. As an enrichment exercise, their keepers had hidden food throughout their enclosure, and we loved watching them hunt to find it. We were able to spend ages watching them without feeling rushed or having to fight our way through crowds. In fact, I was surprised by how uncrowded it was.
The boys were absolutely fascinated. We actually spent the best part of an hour exploring the panda exhibits, and I practically had to drag them away! They then asked to see the pandas again one more time before we left.
It’s one thing to see a panda sleeping in the distance. It’s another to watch one sitting just metres away from you eating its breakfast. This felt like once in a lifetime stuff!
Where Can You See the Pandas at Ocean Park?
There are two different panda viewing areas within the Waterfront section of Ocean Park.
Two of the giant pandas, An An and Ke Ke, live in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures exhibit in Aqua City. Then there is a family of four (including the baby twins who are now 2 years old) living in the Giant Panda Adventure and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Giant Panda Gallery.
Make sure you allow enough time to visit both groups, it really was our absolute highlight.
My Top Tip for Seeing the Pandas
- Go straight to the panda exhibits as soon as the park opens. They’re fed in the morning around opening time, so we found them super active at this point. Of course, animals are unpredictable and there’s no guarentee, but breakfast time definitely seemed to wake them up!
- Visit on a weekday if you can. We did this and the viewing areas were very quiet so we could take our time and enjoy watching the pandas. The viewing areas did seem to get busier as the day went on.
The Sichuan Golden Snub-Nosed Monkeys
The pandas might be the stars of Ocean Park, but there’s another animal exhibit that deserves just as much attention. The Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys!
These beautiful monkeys also live in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures exhibit, alongside the pandas An An and Ke Ke. They look great, that goes without saying. But what made them particularly memorable for us was their behaviour.
There was a baby monkey who was clearly still learning the ropes (quite literally), and we spent ages watching it attempting to swing between posts. It kept misjudging the distance and falling!
The little monkey would pick itself up, try again and occasionally tumble straight back down. The boys thought it was absolutely hilarious.
It was one of those lovely, unexpected moments that you can’t plan for on a theme park day.
But if you’re visiting the pandas, make sure you stop to look at the monkeys!
Best Rides At Ocean Park Hong Kong
Although the pandas were definitely the highlight of our visit, Ocean Park also has a selection of rides, ranging from gentle family attractions to some seriously thrilling roller coasters. I’ll be honest, some of the rides are starting to show their age, particularly compared to the newer attractions at Hong Kong Disneyland. But that didn’t stop our boys from having an absolutely brilliant time, and checking out as many rides as possible!
We visited on a weekday in October, and one of the biggest surprises was just how quiet the rides were. Almost everything was a walk-on, so the boys could ride as many times as they liked without spending hours queuing. in fact, a couple of times they just stayed on to get a second ride, because noone was waiting to get on!
Hair Raiser – Ocean Park’s Biggest Roller Coaster
If you’re visiting Ocean Park with older children or teenagers who love roller coasters, Hair Raiser is the ride you won’t want to miss. I took Big Explorer on this, and it was so wild it made me feel sick! He LOVED it!
Located in the Thrill Mountain area of The Summit, Hair Raiser is a floorless roller coaster that reaches speeds of approximately 88 km/h, with four inversions and spectacular views over the South China Sea. If you can see them while you’re moving so fast!
It’s certainly not for the faint-hearted! As I said, Big Explorer absolutely loved Hair Raiser. In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he rode it twice…meanwhile I got off because one ride was enough for me.
Because the park was so quiet during our visit, he was even allowed to stay in his seat for a second ride without getting off. For a roller coaster-loving teenager, that was a pretty fantastic bonus.
Minimum height: 140 cm.
The Rapids – Our Boys’ Favourite Ride
Surprisingly, despite the bigger roller coasters, both boys agreed that The Rapids was their favourite ride at Ocean Park Hong Kong.
Located in the Rainforest area of The Summit, The Rapids is a classic white-water rafting attraction. You climb aboard a circular raft before being swept along a winding river, through rushing water, splashes and plenty of twists and turns.
There are even water cannons positioned along the route, so you might find yourself getting an extra soaking from other visitors! I’m sure I sound like a Grinch here, but Mike took the boys o this, because I hate water rides. I can’t stand walking around all day in wet clothes. And you should be warned: if my boys are any example, you will get very wet! On a hot and humid Hong Kong day, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Minimum height: 120 cm.
Other Rides Worth Trying at Ocean Park
There are several other rides worth exploring, particularly if your children enjoy theme parks.
The Flash is one for serious thrill-seekers, swinging riders 22 metres into the air and turning them upside down. Not one of us felt brave enough to get on this one! Wild Twister is another intense spinning attraction, while Arctic Blast offers a much gentler, family-friendly roller coaster experience that we all rode and all enjoyed: it’s right next to the pengiuns.
For something less intense, there’s also Whirly Bird, a high-flying swing ride with views across the surrounding coastline. Most of the bigger rides are located at The Summit, so it’s worth allowing plenty of time to explore this part of the park, if you want to explore the rides as well as the animal attractions.
Penguin Feeding at Ocean Park Hong Kong
Of everything we did at Ocean Park, this might just have been the most memorable experience for the boys. We got to feed the penguins!
Ocean Park has a penguin exhibit called South Pole Spectacular, located in the Summit area of the park. I’ll be honest, we first went in because I was so hot and thought it might be a good spot to cool down.
Visitors can see the penguins as part of their normal admission, but once we were inside we saw a sign promoting an optional feeding experience available for an additional charge.
And I would recommend it in a heartbeat.
What Is the Penguin Feeding Experience Like?
We boked the penguin feeding session for both boys, and I will say that the welfare of the birds was a top priority. The boys had to wash their hands thoroughly then dip them in a blood solution before they were allowed to touch the fish to avoid contamination. They also weren’t in the pen with the birds, but in a separate feeding area.
They went up with a zoo keeper, were given a safety briefing, then each boy was given five fish (on a silver platter) to feed the penguins. And the penguins went absolutely wild! The moment the food appeared, they rushed towards the feeding area to get their share. It was such a cool thing to see, and the boys faces will go in my core mum memory bank.
We’ve never been anywhere that offered penguin feeding before, so it was really special. And I know this and the pandas will be the things they never forget about our visit to Ocean Park Hong Kong.
How to Book Penguin Feeding at Ocean Park
This is something I think visitors really need to know about in advance, and I wish we’d known about it before we arrived, because we could have planned our day a bit better. So I’m sharing it here!
When we visited, the penguin-feeding experience couldn’t be booked through the main Ocean Park website. Instead, we booked in person on the day at the shop beside the penguin enclosure.
There were three feeding sessions advertised during our visit, and places were subject to availability, so if this is something you really want to do, book as soon as you arrive to avoid disappointment.
Current booking information:
- Location: South Pole Spectacular, in the Summit area.
- Booking: Same-day reservations at The Lodge in Polar Adventure.
- Availability: Limited spaces, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Price: This was 120 HKD per person
- Sessions: Times vary, so check the daily programme.
Ocean Park Hong Kong Tickets and Prices
Prices for theme parks, including Ocean Park Hong Kong, often vary depending on when and where you book. Ocean Park’s published standard admission prices are:
| Ticket | Standard price |
| Adult (12 years and over) | HK$538 |
| Child (3–11 years) | HK$269 |
| Under 3 | Free |
For a family of four with two children aged 12 or over, that’s HK$2,152 at standard gate prices.
For a family with two children aged 3–11, it’s HK$1,614.
However, I’d recommend checking Klook before booking, as discounted admission packages may be available. Klook curently have a discount offer on fixed date tickets, for example. We regularly use Klook for attractions across Asia, and find it’s always worth comparing the price with the official website.
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How to Get to Ocean Park Hong Kong
One of the things I really like about Ocean Park is how easy it is to reach using public transport.
Unlike some attractions that require lengthy bus journeys or complicated transfers, Ocean Park has its own MTR station right beside the entrance, and the walk from the station to the park takes literally 2 minutes. We were staying in Kowloon when we visited Ocean Park, but i’ve broken down routes from all over the city to help make your journey as easy as possible:
Getting to Ocean Park by MTR
The easiest way to reach Ocean Park is by taking the MTR South Island Line to Ocean Park Station.
From Admiralty Station on Hong Kong Island, it’s just one stop to Ocean Park. Once you arrive, follow the signs towards the park entrance, but you won’t need much help, you’ll see the park as soon as you leave the station! It’s a very straightforward journey.
Getting to Ocean Park From Kowloon
If you’re staying in Kowloon, like we were, you’ll need to travel to Admiralty and change onto the South Island Line. For example, from Tsim Sha Tsui, take the Tsuen Wan Line towards Central, get off at Admiralty, then change to the South Island Line for Ocean Park.
Getting to Ocean Park From Hong Kong Disneyland
If you’re travelling directly from Hong Kong Disneyland, you can also reach Ocean Park using the MTR.
Take the Disneyland Resort Line to Sunny Bay, change to the Tung Chung Line towards Hong Kong, and then connect to the Island Line at Central/Hong Kong for Admiralty. From Admiralty, take the South Island Line one stop to Ocean Park.
Where to Stay Near Ocean Park Hong Kong
You don’t need to stay near Ocean Park to visit. We stayed at the Royal Plaza Hotel in Kowloon during our October 2026 trip, and found it easy to reach Ocean Park using the MTR.
However, if you’d prefer to stay closer to the attraction, there are two official Ocean Park hotels worth considering:
- Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel: Located right beside the theme park, with direct bridge access, family-friendly facilities and a lagoon-style swimming pool.
- The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel Hong Kong: A luxury oceanfront resort with beautiful sea views, an infinity pool and family facilities. It’s particularly convenient for Ocean Park’s Water World.
Personally, I wouldn’t move hotels just for a single day at Ocean Park, especially as the MTR makes travelling around Hong Kong so straightforward. But if you’re planning to spend several days exploring the southern side of Hong Kong Island, these could be lovely options.
Looking for somewhere to stay in Hong Kong? Compare accommodation prices and availability using the hotel booking tool below:
Ocean Park Hong Kong vs Disneyland: Which Is Better?
We’re in a unique position to answer this question, because when we visited Hong Kong, we went to both parks. And they both offer very different experiences, so it’s a pretty hard comparison to make.
Hong Kong Disneyland is the more polished theme park, with immersive themed lands, Disney characters and beautifully presented attractions. It’s exactly what you expect when you think of a classic Disney park, although it’s the smallest Disney park in the world. Ocean Park, on the other hand, offers a combination of animal encounters, marine life, thrill rides and natural scenery.
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I actually don’t think you need to choose between one or the other. For our family, the two parks complemented each other brilliantly.We loved the Disney magic at Hong Kong Disneyland, but Ocean Park gave us experiences that we simply couldn’t have had at Disney.
Seeing six giant pandas and feeding penguins were highlights of our holiday. But seeing the most unique Disney Castle and meeting characters from Duffy and Friends were the other highlights, especially for the boys. If you have time, I’d recommend visiting both.
Ocean Park FAQs
How Many Pandas Are At Ocean Park Hong Kong?
There are 6 pandas currently living in Ocean Park Hong Kong. This includes a family group of four pandas, made up of parents and twins: one boy and one girl who are two years old. Their names are Jia Jia and De De.
Is The Ocean Park Cable Car Included In Admission?
Yes, the Ocean Park Cable Car is included in all Ocean Park Hong Kong admission options. There is another transport option, The Ocean Express Funicular Train, but I recommend taking the Ocean Park Cable Car at least once, to make the most of the incredible views.
Is Ocean Park Hong Kong Better Than Disneyland?
The two parks are very different, and which is better depends on what you want out of your day. Because they’re completely different experiences. Ocean Park is unique because it’s a hybrid between an animal park and a thrill seeking theme park, whilst Hong Kong Disneyland is a traditional family-friendly theme park.
