Acuario Mundo Marino

What Acuario Mundo Marino does

Mundo Marino – Acuario Santa Marta is a non-profit public aquarium and marine conservation center located in El Rodadero, Santa Marta, Colombia, operated by the Fundación Museo del Mar (a mixed-participation foundation) in partnership with Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano since December 1999. The facility houses more than 150 marine species from the Colombian Caribbean coast and over 2,000 living organisms across 25 exhibition aquariums, 2 mega aquariums, a marine tunnel, and a moray eel enclosure. The core product is a walk-through aquarium experience supplemented by guided 45-minute tours led by student Marine Interpreters (a program running since 2003), species feeding activities on Wednesdays/Fridays/Sundays, and themed events.

The company runs three active research programs: (1) a multi-tiered live food cultivation system producing microalgae (Nannochloropsis sp.), rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis), and Artemia salina for nutritional supplementation; (2) a Lychnorhiza sp. jellyfish reproduction and raising project developed with the University of Connecticut and the Maritime Aquarium of Norwalk; and (3) a sea turtle conservation program jointly with UTADEO and ProCTMM that has reintroduced approximately 4,718 juveniles to the wild since 2004, some tracked via satellite. Education is delivered through school/university guided tours, children's workshops, expert talks, a corporate speaker series, and a volunteer program. Revenue is generated almost entirely through ticket sales priced at 20,000–32,000 COP per visitor, with discounted convenio rates for institutional partners (Cajamag, Cajacopi, Asoc. Cooperativa Sanitas), birthday and corporate event packages, and species feeding experiences. The team comprises 13 staff including marine biologists, veterinarians, and administrative/maintenance personnel, and the company operates from a single facility in El Rodadero with daily hours of 9 AM to 6 PM.

Name

Acuario Mundo Marino

Legal name

Mundo Marino – Acuario Santa Marta

Website

https://mundomarinoacuario.com.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Acuario Mundo Marino is a non-profit public aquarium in Santa Marta, Colombia, operated by Fundación Museo del Mar, displaying 150+ Caribbean marine species across 25 aquariums and a marine tunnel, serving tourists, families, schools, and corporate groups while running active sea turtle, jellyfish, and seahorse conservation programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Aquarium and Marine Attraction

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Public aquarium operations
• Marine conservation programs
• Marine education services
• Sea turtle rehabilitation
• Live feed cultivation

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Marta

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. General Admission Tickets: Individual tickets sold to adult visitors, children aged 3-13, public force members, and beneficiaries at differentiated price points. Children under 2 enter free. Discounted group rates available for parties of 14 or more.
2. Birthday Party and Event Packages: Marine-themed birthday celebrations including guided aquarium tours, interactions with over 2,000 living organisms, and a professional diver performance. Special events such as proposals, quinceañeras, and corporate celebrations also offered.
3. Educational Programs for Schools and Universities: Guided tours, interactive workshops, and lectures for school groups (K-12) and university students, delivered by marine biologists aligned with national education standards. Includes the Marine Interpreters Program for 10th-11th grade students.
4. Corporate Talks and Events: In-person or virtual environmental education sessions for companies, delivered by marine biologists, covering marine conservation topics. Corporate spaces also available for end-of-year parties and special celebrations.
5. Species Feeding Activities: Visitors can purchase a 'vasito de alimentación' (feeding cup) to participate in species feeding experiences in the mega aquarium, including shark and ray feeding sessions on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
6. Partner / Agreement Discounted Tickets: Special reduced admission rates for members of affiliated organizations (Cajamag, Cajacopi, Asoc. Cooperativa Sanitas) through formal convenios, providing a recurring volume of discounted admissions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Acuario Mundo Marino operates a public aquarium in El Rodadero, Santa Marta, Colombia, exhibiting more than 150 species native to the Colombian Caribbean across 25 aquariums, 2 mega aquariums, and a marine tunnel. It supplements the visitor experience with marine biology talks, children's workshops, school holiday programs, volunteer/Marine Interpreter programs, birthday party packages, and on-site institutional visits, while also running applied conservation and research work on sea turtles, jellyfish, seahorses, and live feed cultivation.

Product overview

Acuario Mundo Marino is a marine aquarium and conservation center in El Rodadero, Santa Marta, Colombia operated by the Fundación Museo del Mar in partnership with Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano. The core offering is the aquarium exhibition featuring over 150 marine species from the Colombian Caribbean coast across 25 aquariums, 2 mega aquariums, and a marine tunnel. The aquarium supplements its core exhibition with educational programs including guided tours by trained Marine Interpreters, school/university education programs, children's workshops, and expert talks on marine topics. Additional offerings include event hosting (birthday parties, corporate events), volunteer programs, and active research projects on live food cultivation, jellyfish breeding, and sea turtle conservation. The aquarium opened in December 1999 and has reintroduced approximately 4,718 sea turtle juveniles to natural habitats since 2004.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Aquarium Admission (Acuario Mundo Marino) General admission to the aquarium complex featuring 25 aquariums, 2 mega aquariums, and a marine tunnel displaying more than 150 species native to the Colombian Caribbean; available to individual visitors, families, and tourist groups.
• Cumpleaños Marinos (Birthday Packages) Birthday party event packages hosted at the aquarium for families and children, combining marine-themed entertainment with aquarium access.
• Programa Guardianes del Mar (School Holiday Program) School holiday educational program for children and youth focused on marine biology and conservation, delivered at the aquarium during school breaks.
• Charlas y Conferencias (Talks and Conferences) Marine biology talks and conferences offered to visitors, schools, universities, and institutional groups at the aquarium.
• Talleres para Niños (Children's Workshops) Hands-on marine-themed workshops designed for children, delivered at the aquarium as part of its educational programming.
• Programa Intérpretes Marinos (Volunteer Marine Interpreters Program) Volunteer-based marine interpreter program in which trained volunteers support the aquarium's educational and interpretive activities for visitors.
• Convenio Institutional Visits and Corporate/Public Force Bookings Group admission and visit packages offered to corporate, government, and institutional partners at convenio rates, including discounted admission for public force groups.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,718 sea turtle juveniles reintroduced to the wild since 2004
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Universidad de ConnecticutcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated in the training and knowledge transfer process for the reproduction and raising of jellyfish of the genus Lychnorhiza sp., contributing technical expertise to Mundo Marino's jellyfish breeding program.
• Maritime Aquarium of NorwalkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Mundo Marino to provide training and methodology for the multi-phase reproduction and raising project of Lychnorhiza sp. jellyfish, sharing best practices in jellyfish cultivation.
• Universidad Jorge Tadeo LozanocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the Mundo Marino aquarium project with the Fundación Museo del Mar, combining academic and scientific resources to create an educational and research-oriented aquarium promoting knowledge and conservation of Caribbean Colombian marine resources.
• Fundación Museo del MarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent nonprofit foundation (entidad de participación mixta, sin ánimo de lucro) that initiated the Mundo Marino aquarium project in partnership with Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, focusing on research, conservation, education, and recreation.
• UTADEO (Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in the Sea Turtle Conservation Program jointly with ProCTMM, contributing the ex-situ rearing component at Mundo Marino since 2004.
• ProCTMM (Programa de Conservación de Tortugas y Mamíferos Marinos)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished in 1999, ProCTMM runs a sea turtle conservation program including beach nesting monitoring and ex-situ juvenile rearing at Mundo Marino, with approximately 4,718 turtles reintroduced to date.
• CajamagminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConvenio agreement providing Cajamag members with discounted admission rate of $20,000 COP per ticket.
• CajacopiminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConvenio agreement providing Cajacopi members with discounted admission rate of $25,000 COP per ticket.
• Asoc. Cooperativa SanitasminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConvenio agreement providing Asoc. Cooperativa Sanitas members with discounted admission rate of $25,000 COP per ticket.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Georgia Aquarium: One of the largest public aquariums in the U.S., combining visitor exhibits with active research and conservation programs (similar to Mundo Marino's sea turtle and live food work), though at a vastly larger operational scale.
• Sea Life (Merlin Entertainments): Global chain of public aquariums operated by Merlin Entertainments. Highly comparable as a tier-one branded aquarium visitor attraction, but at vastly larger scale and geographic breadth than Mundo Marino's single Colombian site.

Regional players

• Acuario Inbursa: Public aquarium in Mexico City offering similar family/education-tourism positioning with exhibits and school programs. Comparable Latin American aquarium operator with overlapping visitor segments, but operates in a different domestic market.
• Acuario de São Paulo (AcquaPira): Brazilian public aquarium operating exhibits and educational programs in a major Latin American urban center. Comparable as a Portuguese/Spanish-language regional public aquarium targeting families, schools, and tourists.
• Acuario de Veracruz: Public aquarium on Mexico's Gulf coast focused on Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean marine species. Closely comparable as a mid-sized regional aquarium with educational programming in a tourism-driven coastal city.
• Acuario Nacional de Cuba: Caribbean public aquarium with educational and conservation missions. Comparable in scope as a Caribbean public aquarium offering species exhibits and school programs, but state-operated rather than foundation-led.

Direct peers

• New England Aquarium: Non-profit aquarium combining public exhibits with research, conservation, and education programs including marine animal rescue. Structurally similar to Mundo Marino's foundation-led model that blends tourism, education, and conservation.
• Fundación Oceanogràfic: Spanish nonprofit foundation operating a major public aquarium with active marine conservation and research programs. Strong comparable to Mundo Marino's Fundación Museo del Mar structure that combines public visitation with species conservation work.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium: Nonprofit aquarium renowned for combining visitor exhibits with pioneering research, aquaculture, and conservation. Highly comparable model to Mundo Marino's live food cultivation, breeding, and conservation programs, though at substantially larger scale.
• Vancouver Aquarium: Non-profit public aquarium combining exhibits with marine research, rescue/rehabilitation, and conservation programs. Closely analogous to Mundo Marino in being a nonprofit-led aquarium combining visitor experience, education, and active species conservation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AcuarioMundoMarino
• Instagraminstagram.com/mundomarinocolombia
• TikToktiktok.com/discover/mundo-marino
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acuario-mundo-marino

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Acuario Mundo Marino