Churaumi Aquarium and Sightseeing Bus Tour (from Naha, Ginowan, Chatan and Onna)
Overall Rating
4.25
Fishtastic
Reviewed by: Greg , 2020/02/19We had an amazing experience at the aquarium it is a long bus ride but there is a lot to see on the way there including the beautiful ocean once at the aquarium seeing the whale sharks was magnificent watching them feed the whale sharks was absolutely amazing and to think that they actually release them back into the ocean after they’re done studying them is amazing. I would definitely recommend.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2020/02/17 |
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Big Fish!
Reviewed by: Greg , 2020/02/17The aquarium was a wonderful experience it’s just amazing to see whale sharks in captivity I hope they do catch and release like what I was told The aquarium by far was the best aquarium I have been to little bit of a long bus ride but the scenery along way spray nice all in all it was worth the adventure.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2020/02/17 |
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Great day spent with my family.
Reviewed by: haiyen , 2020/01/31Was lucky to get the rebate plan (2for 1) (rebate will only come in after review) for our trip.
As my family and I weren’t prepared for this trip due to our busy schedule, I only booked it on 22nd Jan(midnight) when I was already in Okinawa. It was confirmed very quickly with details sent within 10hours.
Pickup:
The pickup was at hotel lobby(wasn’t clear on pickup point)
The bus was a little late that day, made my mom frantic and afraid that we were at the wrong pickup point. Attendance was easy and smooth.
First 2 locations:
Scenic and the time given was just perfect. There isn’t much around the area so have a good look & take photos & move on.
Lunch: I DIDN’T GET TO EAT LUNCH
The restaurant opposite the shopping place was full and had no seats to accommodate more guest. There wasn’t any selection to choose lunch so I didn’t get to eat. :)))) again, there weren’t other restaurants to eat at other than a buffet hotpot. Lunchtime was about 50mins so no buffet, don’t waste money.
Churaumi:
Easy & smooth entry. Reach around 2 pm
The bus was to leave at 4 pm. Ok here’s what I’m ??? about:
Dolphin show was 3pm & 3.30pm(dolphin feeding) finishes at about 3.50pm. Bus Bay is 10-15mins of walk back, so we rushed. Imagine elderlies walking, it would take time quite a while. The bus should leave at 4.15 pm for guest to enjoy the shows.
Nago pineapple park:
Time should be extended by 10mins.
Overall, good experience. The guide distributed snacks and kept doing headcounts before we left just to Ensure everyone’s on board. She was very friendly too!
That’s all folks!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2020/01/24 |
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Long but enjoyable day.
Reviewed by: Lori, 2020/01/30This was a great opportunity to see some of the country without doing the driving. The aquarium was great and there were many other sights to enjoy. Due to the language barrier, there were times when it was a bit confusing, however the wonderful guide went out of her way to explain things and showed us great kindness. I highly recommend this trip.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2020/01/28 |
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Great Tour to Explore Okinawa
Reviewed by: Ninna, 2020/01/22My friends and I enjoyed this full day tour offered by Veltra. We did not rent a car during our trip to Okinawa (and in Okinawa, if is very difficult to move around without a car) so we found the bus service very convenient. We were picked up at our hotel in Chatan which was very convenient as well. Not to mention that this tour made us go to different tourist spots in Okinawa at a very affordable price!
Booking this tour went smooth as well. We did not have any planned itinerary for our Okinawa trip due to our pretty busy schedule but we’re glad we found this online. We booked our tour a day before our scheduled trip (luckily they still have available slots!). Everything went fine and smooth, our trip was confirmed shortly.
We had a pleasant time during the trip. We were able to pass through some of the beautiful beaches in Okinawa. The Churaumi Aquarium experience was also great. We had fun watching the dolphin show. Too bad though we lack time to tour the entire park.
The tour guide does not speak English but we can see her effort to guide us in any way possible. We did not have any problem with communication at all since there is an English audio inside the bus.
Would definitely recommend this tour to my family and friends who will visit Okinawa in the future. :)
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2020/01/16 |
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Covered the best of Okinawa in one day
Reviewed by: Judy G., 2019/11/17Our resort hotel was on the northern side, quite inaccessible and we did not rent a car as well.
This tour enabled us to see (and taste) the best of Okinawa within just a day. As an added bonus, it was a great experience that started and ended punctually. Our guide was great and helped get the tour bus to drop us right at our hotel.
Highly recommend this to future participants!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/11/16 |
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Great tour highly recommend
Reviewed by: Ray Lugo of NJ, 2019/08/12I was the only American that day on the bus but they provided me with a translator radio which explained the areas we drove through in English so I learned a lot about the areas along the beautiful coastal drive leading to the Aquarium.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2019/08/10 |
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Very nice experience
Reviewed by: Rainbow, 2018/11/30Very nice experience~ Suggest all of you to join if you haven't yet planned.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2015/03/03 |
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Pros and cons
Reviewed by: Pros and cons review, 2018/11/04Pros: we did not have to rent a car. Aquarium was outstanding.
Cons: Because the bus stopped at a some six hotels along the coast to pick up and drop off passengers it took about 4 hours to travel from the aquarium back to our hotel at 8:00pm.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2018/11/02 |
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Great tour
Reviewed by: Leo, 2018/03/25This tour was great for accomplishing a lot in one day. The free food was of good quality and there are many chances to get souvenirs. It's a great deal since travelling in Okinawa can be quite complicated and expensive, especially since the bus routes aren't available on Google Maps. This tour was good compared to others because you have 3 hours to explore the aquarium and its surrounding attractions; any less and you'd be in a rush. The tour guide was also very kind and did some great singing of Okinawan songs! The tour is in Japanese with English audio guides; if you are learning Japanese and want to try and listen to the Japanese explanations, the language was quite complicated, so I recommend the audio guide as a backup.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2018/03/23 |
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The tour was great and the price was worth it!
Reviewed by: Eleonor, 2018/03/24For just under $50, the tour included the bus ride-round-trip, the tickets for Pineapple Park, Butterfly Garden, Churami Aquarium, and the souvenir shop that is quite cheap (plus they give you a coupon). It was really worth it and they give you adequate time to see the attractions!
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2018/03/20 |
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Great Experience, Great Value
Reviewed by: anonymous, 2017/12/01Total price includes lunch and entrance fees so you don't have to worry about anything. Was also nice enough to drop us off anywhere we wanted
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2017/11/29 |
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Amazing experience
Reviewed by: Ateev, 2017/12/01Value for money. You can get the whole trip for so cheap
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2017/11/29 |
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Okinawa Tour
Reviewed by: Justin, 2017/11/29Had an awesome time even though we barely speak Japanese. Very good value!
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2017/11/27 |
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Great experience!
Reviewed by: Cezie, 2017/11/16This was our first time to use veltra and I was a bit nervous what will be our tour like. I am happy to say IT WAS AWESOME!!! The tour guide and the bus driver was really nice. My daughter and I was very happy to the experience and I am already planning to book for our another VELTRA tour. I hope our next tour will be as good as this one.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2017/11/14 |
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Made Northern Okinawa Accessible!
Reviewed by: Allen, 2017/10/25We were in Chatan for diving and a typhoon prevented our plans! The aquarium and other sights sounded so good but we hadn't prepared to rent a car, and thought it was going to not happen...
Fortunately this tour allowed us to see the sights and aquarium in a single day at a reasonable cost. Many more things were provided in the package than expected! The staff was friendly, and everything went off without a hitch.
A note, the tour will be focused on the primary language of the participants, and instructions and timelines are provided in several languages. The language practice was very good though, the tour program reviewed local names, crops, and history.
Our tour guide even went as far to sing a couple folk songs!
A good way to pack a day full of activities.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/10/23 |
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A super bargain for a super place
Reviewed by: Still Just Jerry, 2017/10/17The tour guide spoke entirely in Japanese so if you are an English speaker, don't expect much from the running commentary. But the trip through the less populated areas of the island, the views from the windows, all were very good. The cost of the entire trip was less than bus fare round trip, and included a couple of interesting side trips. The pineapple farm was pretty, smelled good, and was loaded with interesting gift shops. The butterfly exhibit, where we were provided a simple Soba noodle lunch, was unexpectedly pleasant. Though getting older and a bit run down, the butterflies were gorgeous. I am sure you will read lots about Churaumi elsewhere. Just understand the the pictures I took of the whale shark are the most impressive to all my friends. It is beautiful, and the design of the tank puts him right above you when he swoops by.
You will find yourself wanting to go back, as the 3 hours passes by very quickly. A great tour for a great price. A day well spent!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/09/22 |
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Cost Efficient Way to Visit the Aquarium and more
Reviewed by: Victoria L, 2017/10/15The tour was very punctual and the tour guide was very nice and professional. She even gave out some treats during the long ride between destinations. Overall, great value and comfortable ride to and back from the aquarium. It's a much longer journey time-wise due to the multiple stops to pick up additional customers, but if you're looking for a cost-efficient way to visit the aquarium, this one-day tour is a great option to consider, especially taking into account how many other additional sites are included.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2017/09/24 |
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Good trip
Reviewed by: Karyn, 2017/08/25Very nice trip. Well organised and professionally managed by local company (Rado). Everything went smoothly. The lady in charge of the tour didn't speak well English but was very kind and attentive to all guests. I recommend it to any foreigner who wants to visit Churaumi aquarium. Pick up option from hotel is a plus. Good experience!
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2017/08/23 |
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GREAT
Reviewed by: Jbee, 2017/06/17REALLY GOOD TRIP, Well organized n planned. Had fun with my friend
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2017/05/24 |
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Couples on this tour
Reviewed by: Jacob , 2017/05/31My wife loved this trip. Highly recommend. Beautifully selected stops.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/05/29 |
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excellent tour
Reviewed by: Daniel, 2017/05/14The tour was really nice and made seeing Okinawa easier as the public transport was hard to understand. The aquarium was the only reason we did the tour but the other stops were entertaining as well. The aquarium was really nice and we probably could have used more than 3 hours here but it was just enough and we got to see the dolphin show.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2017/05/12 |
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Great tour!
Reviewed by: Vikas , 2017/05/09We took one day tour to visit the aquarium and other famous spots. The tour was very well organized , the lead guide was really cheerful , cooperative and gave a great overview of Okinawa and the tour places. Even arranged vegetarian food on request.
The only minor issue we had was that since our pick up point was the first in the morning , we had to go around to all pick up points before starting the tour almost 3 hours after boarding.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2017/05/05 |
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Loads of fun disputes the rain
Reviewed by: Jess, 2017/05/07This tour was great fun. The pineapple park wasn't a long visit but you could see some different types of pineapples growing take a stroll though the garden and enjoy sampling different types of drinks. The butterflies were very big and friendly and would land on people who stopped long enough to look at them. It makes everyone feel like a Disney princess. The aquarium is beautiful with a lot of information on sharks and had a good dolphin show and opportunities to feed the dolphins (if you find the hidden. Spot before it closes) they keep doing the dolphin show even when the weather was really bad. Lunch was provided at the butterfly place and it decent. A nice bowl of udon but not super filling.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2017/05/03 |
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Amazing Churaumi Aquarium
Reviewed by: Toon, 2017/04/16This Tour is very comfortable and You can see the beautiful places.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2017/04/10 |
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Enjoyed this tour very much!
Reviewed by: Aikanysh, 2017/04/06This tour was very interesting! As we were without a car in Okinawa, with this tour we were able to visit most of Okinawa's famous spots especially Churaumi aquarium and had traditional Okinawan lunch for a very reasonable price, considering the fact that the normal admission fee for the aquarium is around 3000 yen. Moreover, on each stop we received small presents from the tour guide, which is very pleasing! Also there was an English audio guide so we have learned some of interesting facts about Okinawa.
Overall this tour was very good and well organized, everything on time and the tour guide and bus driver were very kind! we have brought our own stroller and the driver was taking it out and folding it back on every stop, for what we are very thankful!
I definitely recommend this tour!
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2017/04/04 |
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Churaumi Aquarium Tour
Reviewed by: Beth Forsdyke, 2017/02/19Was a really great way to be able to see some of the island's attractions that were further away from Naha as we weren't able to hire a car. Really great tour, lovely guides, would recommend to anyone looking to experience Okinawa!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/01/29 |
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Great!!
Reviewed by: Nancy, 2017/01/02This Bus Tour was excellent! Our family enjoyed it very much. We split our week between Naha and Onna cities. We took the bus from Kencho-mae in Naha with our luggages to the Churaumi Aquarium and got dropped off at Rizzan Seapark Tancha Bay. This took care of our transportation between Naha to Onna. Very nice Tour guide and bus driver. We would definitely use Veltra again when we go to Okinawa. Thank you!!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2016/12/11 |
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The star of the tour - Churaumi Aquarium
Reviewed by: Jul, 2016/11/14Very enjoyable day outing to the Aquarium, Butterfly Garden and the Pineapple park. The dolphin show was splendid so don't miss the show time; the butterflies are used to humans so they will fly instinctively to you - great for photo shoot!; at first we thought there was nothing much to do at the Pineapple Park but walk to the end to sample goodies like pineapple juice, wine and cakes.
Bring something to munch as the lunch provided is a simple one.
It was almost a 12 hour outing as there was slight traffic jam when we were coming back but we were not in a rush so it was alright. If you are not renting a car this is a great way to see northern Okinawa and it was great value for money.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/11/04 |
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Fruitful Day Trip
Reviewed by: Steve, 2016/04/23Visit to the butterfly park was surprisingly wonderful but just about 15 minutes self tour would be really a deadly rush. Sufficient time to fool around the Churaumi Aquarium after the light lunch. Thumbs up ! Pineapple park tour was related products hard sell yet a good try. The last stop was merely a stop. After all, visit to the Churaumi Aquarium alone worth the value of the whole tour.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/04/16 |
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Thank you very much.