The Lost Chambers Aquarium at the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai is considered one of the largest and most beautiful aquariums in the world. More than 65,000 inhabitants of the underwater kingdom swim in the aquariums of the Atlantis Hotel, decorated in the style of the mythical Atlantis. An unknown civilization that sank thousands of years ago was “found” on the shores of Palm Jumeirah thanks to the brilliant idea of the project’s designers.

The Lost Chambers Aquarium is part of the Atlantis hotel’s water entertainment complex, which also includes a dolphinarium and the Aquaventure water park.

Palm Jumeirah in Dubai is one of Dubai’s palm islands, built on the coast of the Persian Gulf in 2006. The island is shaped like a large palm tree with 16 leaves and a huge crescent-shaped breakwater surrounding the leaves. It was in the center of the breakwater that the 46-hectare Atlantis The Palm resort complex was opened in 2008, which includes a luxurious five-star hotel, a water park, dolphinarium, aquarium, sandy beaches, fitness center, spa, shops, restaurants, bars, and many other amenities and entertainment options.

Ticket prices

Admission prices:

• Adults — 155 dirhams
• Children aged 3 to 12 — 115 dirhams
• Children under 3 — free
• Hotel guests — free

Prices for excursions and diving:

• Behind the Scenes tour — 90 dirhams
• Introductory diving in the Ambassador Lagoon — from 1,400 dirhams
• Underwater walk among sharks and stingrays — 540 dirhams
• Swimming with dolphins — 845 dirhams
• extreme underwater walk — 765 dirhams,
• Yoga in the museum — 160 dirhams
• Stingray feeding — 185 dirhams
• Snorkeling — 280 dirhams.

Opening hours

The aquarium is open to visitors daily from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Guided tours in English are available every hour for groups of up to 10 people from 10:00 to 17:00 (except 11:00). The tour includes a visit to the underwater world museum, the fish hospital, and the Ambassador Lagoon.

Schedule of events:

• Aquatheater show with divers — 10:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m.
• Fish feeding — 8:30 a.m., 3:20 p.m.
• Yoga classes — Tue, Fri, and Sat from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

Design and inhabitants of the aquarium

Visitors to the Atlantis Aquarium enjoy not only the diversity of the animal world living in the aquariums, but also the beautiful design. Traces of the sunken ancient city of Atlantis have become fairy-tale decorations, among which thousands of fish swim. The ruins of Atlantis’ cities, shipwrecks, various household items, and weapons all vividly demonstrate the designers’ vision of a lost civilization.

There are 10 aquariums on the territory with a total capacity of 42 million liters of water. There are pools where visitors can touch the inhabitants, and from some hotel rooms, you can admire them at any time. In the largest aquarium, called the Ambassador Lagoon, about 11 million liters of water splash around under the open sky. The lagoon’s 6-meter-high viewing glass is located in the “Poseidon’s Court” hall. In the same hall, there is a small café open to visitors, where guests can relax and enjoy the amazing naturally lit water feature. Depending on the time of day, the sun causes the water in the open aquarium to take on a variety of shades of blue.

The oceanarium’s fauna is very diverse, including anchovies, stingrays, jellyfish, moray eels, lobsters, flying fish, sea bass, rockfish, cobia, golden trevally, piranhas, lionfish, anemones, tawny grouper, abudefduf, several species of sharks, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, lobsters, crabs, starfish, and other inhabitants of the deep sea. Every day, they consume almost 500 kilograms of seafood, including shrimp, krill meat, squid, anchovies, and even romaine lettuce.

Additional services

The aquarium offers a variety of additional services for its guests. For independent study, the halls are equipped with touchscreen information stands with a choice of several languages, including Russian. In addition, you can download the Lost Chambers App for Apple with a map, descriptions, and games. You can do this right there using the free WiFi.

Several times a day, the aquarium offers guided tours with fascinating stories about the animals and their care, with the opportunity to participate in shark and stingray feeding sessions. You can also literally dive into the underwater world by taking part in numerous diving programs. Special helmets, wetsuits, masks, and towels are provided for this purpose.

What else is there to do?

The aquarium offers its guests a range of additional services that are paid for separately. For example, visitors can literally dive into one of the pools with a mask and snorkel. All equipment is provided on site.

The aquarium also hosts shows with feeding of the inhabitants, in which anyone can participate.

If desired, you can book a tour. They are conducted in English for small groups of up to ten people. You will learn about the origin and life of some fish. If you prefer to explore on your own, you can find all the information you need on interactive screens and stands. For the convenience of visitors, all text is translated into different languages, including Russian. You can also download the Lost Chambers app from the App Store and get all the latest information from there.

The Lost Chambers is not the only aquarium in the city. The one located in the Dubai Mall shopping and entertainment center is much more famous. However, the advantage of The Lost Chambers lies in its original design. This place will be interesting for both adults and children. In a playful way, they will learn the history of the sunken Atlantis, or at least what is considered to be its history.

How to get to the Atlantis Hotel Aquarium

There are several ways to get to the aquarium:

• by car, following this route;
• by subway to Dubai Internet City station, then by taxi;
• by monorail: first take the monorail to Damac Properties station, then take the monorail to Palm Atlantis Monorail Station,
• by taxi: use the RTA Dubai app to book a taxi or take a taxi from any major shopping center, hotel, bus stop, or metro station.