Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) was perhaps one of my favourite days out on my recent holiday. I think this was primarily as it offered SO much more than I envisaged - it is normally referred to by the Aquarium part only and so I had not anticipated everything that it actually offered.
Nothing in Bermuda is difficult to get to, and several buses pass by the aquarium, which is situated in Flatts Village. If you are travelling by car or moped, then there is a car park across the road.
Entrance to BAMZ costs $10 per adult with $5 concessionary tickets and under fives enter for free. You will be handed a map of the aquarium and grounds for your group, which you are probably going to need if you don't want to miss anything.
Before you even enter BAMZ however, you have an opportunity to view the Green Turtles, as they have a swimming pool area which is accessible directly
from the road. These impressive creatures were once prevalent around Bermuda, but were caught for food, oil and their shells and numbers dwindled - in fact the species is at risk internationally. Bermuda now has a Green Turtle Project, and there is a much better focus on conservation than there used to be.
The first part of BAMZ that you will enter, once paying your entrance fees, is the aquarium area itself. This consisted of plenty of smaller tank area and two very large tanks at either end of the exhibit room itself. In fact there are over 200 different species contained within the tanks, and some are quite spectacular, including a bright green moray.
Bermuda itself is surrounded by coral reef, the most northerly reef, and like other reefs in the world, conservation is critical. The Aquarium also has live coral among its many exhibits. There is a small educational area consisting of information panels within the aquarium itself.
There is an audio system within the aquarium whereby if you hold the apparatus and the green light is on above the tank you are standing nearby then you will get audio commentary. This didn't quite work as expected as you cannot seem to control the voiceover at the pace you want to walk around, so we quickly abandoned that and gazed at the fish in blissful ignorance instead!
The next part of this three in one attraction is the Natural History Museum, and this was one of my favourites of all the museum exhibits I saw in Bermuda. It would be easy to spend around 45 minutes in this room, despite the fact it is not particularly large. One of the main attractions is a large circular table top presentation which flies in and out, showing the geological formation of the islands over millions of years, highlighting how its unusual shape and surrounding coral reef came to be. The main focus in this room is on the geology and ecology of the island showing how different marine and bird creatures came to be on this island, and there was a very interesting environmental display too, including an interactive display showing how you can calculate your own environmental footprint. Overall I didn't witness a huge amount of "green" awareness on Bermuda, but where they do quite well is in the area of water conservation. There are no rivers or lakes on Bermuda and all properties store rainwater which is used to feed all water to the property. If you run out therefore, you need to buy more..! More good news was that Bermuda is leading the way with a new tidal power system which comes into effect this year, and could provide up to 10% of energy needs.
Finally there is the outdoor ZOO part of the attraction and there is plenty to look at here. Some of the highlights are the Flamingo area, which contains plenty of these striking birds, which have been bred here for 50 years. I am sure most visitors will be dying to see the Galapagos Tortoises which were introduced into Bermuda over 70 years ago. These are striking creatures but very messy eaters and they absolutely stink! There are plenty of exhibits showing different kinds of colourful birds on the walk down through the zoo area. Two of the major attractions are the Caribbean Island and Australasia Island exhibits, focusing on plants, animals and birds from those regions. Many species in this area are at threat, including the Golden Lion Tamarin, ring tailed lemur, and tree kangaroo, and are all very striking.
There are additional facilities available including a small café area and a shop as well as the discovery cove area which is a children's play area. In addition the views from the rear of the grounds are absolutely stunning, and there is the opportunity to stop and rest while taking these in.
Overall I think that BAMZ is doing an excellent job in delivering the important messages of conservation and the importance of looking after the environment. I felt the entrance fee represented excellent value for money at $10 as it offers at least 2-3 hours entertainment and perhaps even more for those with children.
The Bermudian Dollar is pegged to the same rate as the US Dollar. See the internet for latest exchange rates for your currency.
(Fantastic Pictures will be added no later than tonight…)
Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo Flatts Village, Bermuda www.bamz.org
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Advantages: Easy to reach, lush, lots to do, relaxing pace, great food Disadvantages: Can be a little expensive, although the strong pound offsets that currently...
helencbradshaw 28.12.2006 (29.12.2006)
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