National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium Penguin Guide: Gentoo and Macaroni Penguins in Southern Taiwan

The road toward Checheng has a feeling of slowly retreating toward the sea. City signals are still there, but your mood has already started to ebb.

The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium sits around Houwan. Outside are wind and salt; inside, you can suddenly meet gentoo penguins and macaroni penguins.

That contrast is wonderful.

Gentoo penguins look as if the white headband has just been tied and they are ready to enter the water. Macaroni penguins wear their golden crests with a lot of drama; simply standing there gives the scene a plot.

This is a place to walk through with some room in your schedule.

You do not need to enter the penguin area and immediately hunt for the busiest angle. It is more interesting to stand a little outside the flow and watch them decide where they want to go.

The aquarium has enough space, and the lighting is not too forceful. It leaves a little more room for observation than many aquariums do. Those extra few minutes are often exactly the time you need to wait for the best frame.

Keep the practical details ready before going. The current official schedule lists 09:00 to 17:30 from January to June, extended to 18:00 from July to August, and 09:00 to 17:00 from September to December. Ticket sales and entry both stop 1 hour before closing, and the museum is closed on Tuesdays.

Tickets are NT$450 for a full ticket, NT$250 for concessions, NT$225 for charity tickets, and NT$350 per person for groups of 20 or more. If you plan to include the surrounding coast, this works well as a full southern-Taiwan day.

Transportation is a little more complicated than you might expect, but it is not unreachable. From HSR Zuoying Station, you can transfer to the Kenting Express or joint bus service to Nanbaoli Station, then transfer to the Pingtung Bus Kenting shuttle to enter the museum. By TRA, most routes transfer at Fangliao Station to buses and the shuttle.

Driving is, of course, the easiest. Head south on the freeway, connect to Provincial Highway 1 and Highway 26, then turn toward Houwan. For many people, the aquarium feels like a dedicated trip, but that is also why the penguins feel especially worthwhile when you finally see them.

If you want to compare Taiwan’s penguin exhibits, continue with Taipei Zoo and Xpark. If you want scale for larger penguins first, king penguin and emperor penguin make useful reference points.

Penchan Says

The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium has the feeling of taking in sea wind first, then walking into a cold blue water world. Gentoo and macaroni penguins seem to remind you that sometimes southern Taiwan and Antarctica are closer than you imagine, separated only by one door.