Underwater World, Langkawi, Kedah Malaysia

Spread across nearly six acres, Underwater World Langkawi is one of the island’s best-known attractions. Located at the southern end of Pantai Cenang (almost at the border of Pantai Tengah), beside the Zon duty-free shopping centre, it is Malaysia’s largest aquarium. The huge white-washed structure houses more than 200 different species of marine and freshwater fish including harbour seals, rockhopper penguins, sharks, giant rays and the enormous Amazonian arapaima – the biggest freshwater fish in the world.

Once you enter the air-conditioned interior, Araipamas (the world's largest freshwater fish) can be seen in a medium-sized tank in front of the entrance door.

The complex is divided into three sections: Tropical Rainforest, Temperate and Sub-Antarctic. The Sub-Antarctic was probably the most popular section – the ‘penguin-arium’ houses cute little rockhopper and black-footed penguins that cause quite a few people to crowd around the exhibit to get a good look. Other highlights of the tourist-friendly Underwater World include an Educational Resource Centre, a cafeteria and a three-dimensional (3D) theatre – be sure to watch the short movie about Michael, a little prehistoric fish and his life before becoming a fossil. Lastly there’s a giant walk-through six million litre underwater tunnel tank which houses an extensive number of fish including sharks, giant stingrays and green turtles.