Shark Reef Aquarium Las Vegas: 1.3M Gallon Tank & VR

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.10 (1,151 reviews) 53% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/10

Duration1h–2h

Mobile ticketAccepted

30 Sharks in One Tank, Plus Two Tunnels Under the Glass

You walk through two underwater tunnels surrounded by sharks, see 30+ in the main 1.3 million-gallon tank, touch rays and horseshoe crabs in a pool, and experience a motion-platform VR dive with a humpback whale. Admission and fees are included, and you can stay as long as you want — most people spend two to three hours. Entry is flexible up to 59 minutes after your ticket time.

1h–2h

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay

Go to Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino
Enter Shark Reef Aquarium
Explore 14 aquatic and reptile exhibits
See over 30 sharks in main tank
Visit touch pool with crabs and rays
Walk through two underwater tunnels
Experience Undersea Explorer VR show

The Experience

"Wait, they're right there?" Your kid presses against the glass as a 15-foot tiger shark glides past, close enough that you can count the gill slits. That's the moment Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay stops feeling like a detour from the Strip and starts feeling like the reason you came. The main tank holds 1.3 million gallons — one of the largest in the US — and it's packed with more than 30 sharks swimming alongside sawfish, eels, and pufferfish that look like they were designed by someone with a sense of humor.

You walk through two underwater tunnels, and the sharks move above and around you instead of the other way around. It's a small shift in perspective that changes how the whole thing feels. The aquarium spreads across 14 exhibits, so you're not just standing in front of one tank for an hour — there's a touch pool where you can feel horseshoe crabs and rays, jellyfish drifting in their own space, and piranhas that look exactly as unsettling as you'd expect. The whole thing sits inside Mandalay Bay, so you're escaping the desert heat and the casino noise at the same time, which matters more than it sounds like it should.

There's also the Undersea Explorer VR Experience, a 36-seat motion-platform theater where you put on a headset and actually feel like you're diving next to that tiger shark or swimming with a humpback whale. It's included with your ticket, and it runs about 10 minutes — kids five and older can go solo, younger ones rotate in with a parent. The whole visit usually takes two to three hours depending on how long you linger at each tank, and you can enter up to 59 minutes after your ticket time, so there's some flexibility if you're running late from another Strip activity.

Admission and the box office fee are both included, so there's no surprise at the counter. Infants under four get in free. If you're booking same-day, just know you can't pick up tickets less than two hours after ordering — plan ahead a bit for that. The place is fully wheelchair accessible, and strollers work fine if you're traveling with small kids.

What’s included

Admission to Shark Reef Aquarium.
access to all 14 exhibits with more than 2,000 animals.
two underwater tunnels for close shark viewing.
touch pool with horseshoe crabs and rays.
Undersea Explorer VR Experience in a 36-seat motion-platform theater.
box office fee.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendly

Operated by MGM Resorts - Attractions

Is this one for you?Right for anyone on the Strip who wants a break from casinos and crowds — the aquarium is indoors, fully accessible, and works for families with kids of any age, since infants ride free and there's a touch pool and VR option for different ages.