Villa Mambolicious

Curaçao Sea Aquarium and Dolphin Academy, within walking distance

The Curaçao Sea Aquarium and Dolphin Academy are among the island’s most popular attractions, and from the villa it is about a 17-minute walk. Google Maps puts it at 1.3 kilometres, mostly flat and along Mambo Beach; by car you are there in 4 minutes.

A bottlenose dolphin leaping high out of the water beside a pier

One park, two names

The aquarium and Dolphin Academy share the same grounds at Bapor Kibra. The Sea Aquarium opened in 1984 and grew into a whole park: the aquarium hall, Dolphin Academy, Animal Encounters and Ocean Lens. You book the parts separately (there are two websites), but every Dolphin Academy programme includes admission to the Sea Aquarium.

The Sea Aquarium

The aquarium uses an open water system: fresh seawater is pumped through the tanks and flows back to the sea, without pre-filtering, according to the park. You see the aquariums with local marine life, help feed sharks, flamingos and lobsters, and watch the dolphin training, all without getting wet. Admission is US$ 20 (age 12 and up) or US$ 10 (ages 5 to 12).

The park publishes a daily programme. This is what it listed in February 2026:

  • 09:00 and 11:30: lobster feeding, with explanation.
  • 10:00 and 15:00: feeding session for the ocean predators.
  • 11:00, 14:00 and 15:25: feeding the rescued flamingos.
  • 13:00: nurse shark feeding.
  • 10:20, 13:20 and 16:10: dolphin training demonstration, with an optional ‘dolphin kiss’ photo.
  • All day: the underwater observatory is open.

Times can change; ask at the entrance for the programme of the day.

A dolphin leaping up out of the turquoise water of a lagoon, with rocks in the background

Dolphin Academy: dolphins up close

Dolphin Academy opened on 26 May 2002, when the first dolphins were flown in from Roatán in Honduras. It is now home to more than twenty bottlenose dolphins, living in four lagoons that open onto the sea. The academy says it works with positive reinforcement: good behaviour is rewarded, mistakes are ignored. Keeping dolphins in human care remains a subject on which opinions differ; if you would rather not do a dolphin programme, you can visit the aquarium without one.

Dolphins swimming just below the surface of a lagoon, with their dorsal fins above the water

The main programmes, all including admission to the Sea Aquarium:

  • Dolphin Encounter, US$ 114: 20 minutes in the water, standing on a platform in waist-deep water. For young and old; children aged 1 to 4 pay US$ 65.
  • Dolphin Swim, US$ 194: 30 minutes swimming with the dolphins; minimum height 1.30 m.
  • Dolphin Snorkel, US$ 210: 30 minutes snorkelling with the dolphins; minimum height 1.45 m.
  • Dolphin Scuba Encounter, US$ 320: 30 minutes underwater with a dolphin; from age 10, no dive certificate needed.
  • Open Water Dolphin Dive, US$ 320: 30 minutes diving with the dolphins in the open sea, along the reef; from age 12, with an Open Water Diver certificate, on Thursdays.

Dolphin Encounter and Dolphin Swim start at 08:30, 11:00 and 14:00, Dolphin Snorkel at 08:30 and 14:00. A group is at most six people. Photos by the park’s photographers are not included in the price; you can buy them afterwards. For the diving programmes you check in at Ocean Encounters, the dive centre next to the academy. Pregnant? Only the Dolphin Encounter is open to pregnant women.

You can cancel or reschedule free of charge up to 24 hours in advance; after that there is no refund, unless you have a doctor’s note. Family and friends can watch and take photos from the observer areas, but observers do pay admission to the Sea Aquarium.

Without the dolphins: Ocean Lens and Animal Encounters

At Ocean Lens you climb down 19 steps into a chamber more than 5 metres deep with a large window onto the sea. Lying on cushions you look out over the reef, and you stay dry. The one-and-a-half-hour guided tour (US$ 59 from age 13, US$ 29 for ages 6 to 12) includes a behind-the-scenes look and admission to the park; it starts at 08:30, 11:00, 12:30 and 14:00. The short ‘Sneak Peek’ of about 15 minutes costs US$ 15 (US$ 7 for ages 6 to 12), without park admission. A group is at most four people.

Animal Encounters is a guided snorkel in a lagoon: lemon sharks and nurse sharks take their food through special feeding windows, and you can touch a stingray when it swims close. The price is US$ 75 (children aged 8 to 12 US$ 40), including park admission. It starts at 09:00, 11:30 and 14:30; you must be at least 8, able to swim and comfortable snorkelling in deep water. Not open to pregnant women.

Practical information

  • Address: Bapor Kibra z/n, Willemstad.
  • Open: Tuesday to Saturday, 08:00 to 17:00; tickets on sale until 16:15. So do not plan your visit for a Sunday or Monday.
  • Booking: reserve online in advance, especially for the dolphin programmes and Ocean Lens; the groups are small.
  • What to bring: swimwear, a towel and sunscreen.
  • On foot: walk in the morning or late afternoon; it is hot in the middle of the day.
  • Websites: Curaçao Sea Aquarium and Dolphin Academy.
  • Phone: Sea Aquarium (+5999) 461 6666, Dolphin Academy (+5999) 465 8900.

Prices, opening times and rules are taken from the park’s websites (November 2026) and may change; check them when you book. The Sea Aquarium and Dolphin Academy are independent organisations and not part of the villa. Also within walking distance: padel at Padel X.

Back to the Mambo Beach guide.

Stay within walking distance of the dolphins

Villa Mambolicious is in a gated resort with 24/7 security, about a 17-minute walk from the Sea Aquarium and a few minutes from the beach. Six guests, three bedrooms, private pool.

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