The Aquarium du Périgord Noir is the largest private freshwater aquarium in Europe and is located in Le Bugue, in the Vézère valley. A place not to be missed by the whole family, about 35 minutes from the campsite La Fage in Dordogne.
With 4,000 m² of space to discover and an alligator park of 1,500 m², 66 freshwater tanks and more than 6,000 fish to observe, theAquarium du Périgord Noir promises an exciting half-day visit in the Dordogne department. Several universes follow one another, allowing to observe the inhabitants of the local and world fresh waters, among which white fish, but also myocastors, carnivores, the particular species of sturgeons, alligators, caimans, turtles, snakes or iguanas. The visit ends with a touch pool in which fish come into contact with the visitors. The Alligator Park is an entire space dedicated to the species, imagined around the character of Jo Mc Clack, a former alligator hunter who has repented and gone over to the camp of its defenders. The very recent “swamp shells” area allows you to observe alligator turtles, Florida turtles or snapping turtles evolving under water. The impressive aquarium of freshwater giants presents specimens of adult catfish.
The aquarium offers animations every 30 minutes around the ponds: you can discover the habits of the myocastors, take part in the feeding of the fishes of the different ponds, meet the alligators of the ranch in the company of a caretaker, see a diver in the middle of the sturgeons, caress the koi carps or even take a snake on his shoulders. These activities are free and offered from February to October: afternoons in February, March, September and October, and all day from April to the end of August. They are an opportunity to ask questions to the aquarium staff, to establish a new contact with the animals and to admire them up close. Internship experiences with the biologists are also available for an additional fee, to feed carp, myocastors or baby alligators alongside them. The internship experience gives you the opportunity to visit the site with a biologist and to feed the snakes, iguanas and young alligators yourself.
The aquarium of the Périgord Noir is open to the public from the beginning of February to mid-November. From February to April and from September to November, it can be visited in the afternoons from 12:00 to 18:00. It opens at 10:00 a.m. from April to the end of August, until 6:00 p.m. in April-May-June, and until 8:00 p.m. in July and August. Tickets purchased on site cost 15.90 euros for an adult and 11.90 euros for a child between 4 and 12 years old. Admission is free for children under 3 years old. By purchasing tickets online, you can enter the aquarium without having to wait in line. The myocastor feeding internship option is offered at 10 euros, the carp feeding option at 5 euros, the baby alligator feeding at 15 euros, and the iguana, alligator and snake caretaker internship at 25 euros. Here is an original idea for an activity if you don’t know what to do in the Dordogne valley during your vacations near Sarlat la Canéda!