Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay

Housing over 2,000 different animals, the Shark Reef Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino is a perfect place to head to meet some of the world's most fascinating marine creatures – as well as to take some time away from the heady buzz of the Las Vegas Strip.

Get up close with the piranhas, jellyfish, sea turtles, giant rays and sharks, as well as the rare golden crocodile and Komodo dragon.

Spanning over 8,000 square metres, the aquarium is home to 14 different permanent exhibits. Among them you'll find the popular touch pool where you can interact with horseshoe crabs and sea slugs as well as other creatures. You can also pass through the huge acrylic tunnel where you'll see all kinds of marine creatures swimming around you.

If you want to try swimming with the sharks – with specimens including sand tiger, sandbar and whitetip reef sharks – you should join Shark Reef's Dive with Sharks programme. Bear in mind that in order to take part you have to be dive-certified. You'll spend about 45 minutes in the water, voyaging through the Shipwreck Exhibit in a tank holding nearly five million litres of water.

Even if you're not a diver, there's plenty for you to see. Check out the 45-kilo giant Pacific octopus, the deadly lionfish and the exotic rainbow-coloured parrotfish in the Caribbean Reef display.

Shark Reef is committed to ocean conservation and preservation, so the facilities you get to see here all use recycled water as well as imitation coral, to ensure that real reefs are not damaged or disturbed. In the heart of the Nevada desert, this is a truly special site.

Situated close to the South Convention Center of the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on the southern edge of The Strip, the Shark Reef Aquarium is easy to reach by monorail, public bus, and shuttle bus. If you head there in the evening you'll avoid the crowds and get to see the animals in a different atmosphere.