The aquarium
São Francisco fish.
Dlee saxx — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dlee saxx — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dlee saxx — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Andrevruas — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Andrevruas — CC BY 3.0 · AISP Brasil — CC BY-SA 3.0
Belo Horizonte Zoo is one of the city's leading attractions, in the Pampulha region, opened in January 1959 and run by the municipal «Zoobotânica» foundation, which brings the zoo and botanical garden together in a single green complex. It holds more than a thousand animals, many obtained through exchanges with other institutions or born here. Alongside the animals the complex has a butterfly house and a Japanese garden opened in 2008 to mark the centenary of Japanese immigration to Brazil. On 5 March 2010 it opened Brazil's largest themed freshwater aquarium, the first devoted entirely to the life of the São Francisco river basin, the longest river flowing wholly within Brazil, with its fish and plants. The zoo makes a family day among animals, gardens and the aquarium; tickets are inexpensive, and you should check opening times and closing days. Pair it with a tour around Lake Pampulha and its nearby Niemeyer landmarks.
São Francisco fish.
Since 2008.
In the complex.
Pampulha region, Belo Horizonte
More than a thousand animals and Brazil's largest themed freshwater aquarium, devoted to the São Francisco river basin.