The Aquarium - Le-Bugue; a visitor's guide

Visit The Aquarium

In the centre of Le-Bugue the Aquarium is just the place if you have young children to entertain. In fact Le Bugue is a good choice for families as there are a number of attractions for children nearby.

Explore the Le-Bugue Aquarium

The aquarium at Le-Bugue is a smallish fresh water aquarium - so no sharks but it has a pleasant family friendly atmosphere and lots of interesting displays. In fact the Aquarium at Le-Bugue is the biggest fresh water aquarium in Europe!

The visit starts at the aquarium with large tanks of carp, trout and various other freshwater fish. At the end are tanks of sturgeon which are huge and have a rather shark-like appearance.

Emerge from the aquariums to the outdoor pools where you can participate in feeding the fish. You can also see a pool full of turtles.

Next there is the new Anaconda House full of lizards and serpents in a wide range of sizes and colours. This attraction was added to celebrate the Aquarium's 20 year birthday.

Also new to the Le-Bugue Aquarium in 2012 is the alligator park. This was built to celebrate their 25 years. The alligator park covers over 1000 meters square and includes a mock up of a house of an alligator hunter, an alligator ranch and an alligator bayou with a nursery section.

When the time came to celebrate 30 years four new zones were added. One is an area for the protected alligator the alligator du Yang Tse which is a Chinese alligator that Le Bugue are hoping to breed to protect the species. Turtles are always popular at Le Bugue and a new variety has been added, the alligator snapping turtle.

There is now a turtle area where you can see the alligator snapping turtle, the Florida turtle and the snapping turtle.

A new alligator farm has an area where you can feed baby alligators if you book a student VIP ticket with a biologist and also a new catfish tank has been added which includes Mandarin catfish.

During the summer season there are different animations taking place every half hour throughout the day. These take place in the afternoon in low-season. The animations include feeding time for the fish and the coypus. Encounters with snakes, seeing divers in the sturgeon tanks and an introduction to the alligators.

When you have enjoyed all the sights there is a pleasant cafe area selling drinks and snacks and next door is a mini-golf if you are looking for more entertainment.

Visiting the Aquarium

The Aquarium is open every day from the 12th February to mid November.

12 February to end March and September to mid November: 12.00 to 18.00

April, May and June: 10.00 to 18.00

July and August: 10.00 to 20.00

Places to visit nearby

Another excellent place to visit with children is Le-Bournat next door. This is a recreation of an old time village with traditional workshops and crafts. It also has old fashioned fairground rides.

If you are blessed with good weather head south to the river beaches at Limeuil. This is also one of France's most beautiful villages. Alternatively canoing on either the Dordogne or the Vezere river is great fun for families.