This day marks our last glimpse of Singapore. My brother (our generous provider haha!) made us choose which of these zoos we like best to explore on our last day – River Safari, Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, or Singapore Zoo. Since we can’t decide which is which, he finally declared the latter. With his family who had been there once, we set off early so we can fully enjoy our one whole day family getaway.

These four popular zoos by the way are managed and operated by Wildlife Reserves Singapore Group.

Singapore Zoo is commonly called Mandai Zoo by the locals. This award-winning zoo is situated in a sprawling 28 hectares in Mandai Lake Road. It has over 2,800 animals inhabiting the lush tropical rainforest and boasts of over 40 animal feeding sessions, kid’s playground shows and best of all, it allows visitors to have an intimate encounter with the animals.

Inside our Bags

Food and water are allowed inside. We brought packed lunch, crackers, and bottled water.

Inside the Zoo

After we grabbed maps near the ticketing booth, we headed to the pathway going to Rainforest Walk. We were so delighted to see the first animal we saw, the Proboscis Monkey. It was so close that we can actually shake hands with them. But visitors are not allowed to touch nor feed it. It was so lovable, so tame and so quiet while sitting on a branch of a tree. It seemed the cute little monkey was trained just to sit there while tourists were so elated waiting for their turns for a souvenir shot.

And here’s our photos.

Frozen Tundra

We waited for several minutes to see Inuca, the locally-born polar bear swims in a large glass-enclosed pool with giant ice blocks and a waterfall. When the star of the show finally came out from the cave, we all rushed into the glass pool and watched it excitedly as it frolicked gracefully to the water. 

Frozen Tundra occupies a large area. Since our younger buddies were all famished, we ate our packed lunch here. After eating, the kids threw our wastes into the garbage bin. Bravo kids!

Wild Africa

Living in the wild. This zone brought us to Africa, a land of diverse cultures and wildlife. Omar, the white tiger was the main attraction of Wild Africa. The time we went in, it was basking in the river with another white tiger, to the delight of the viewers. I was captivated by seeing a white tiger for the first time in Taiwan but it was only for a few minutes because we were riding in an enclosed tour bus.

Now, I enjoyed it fully seeing them much closer this time. Its white color fur, pink nose, and blue eyes made white tigers so rare and beautiful. But of course beware, because tigers will attack for no reason at all!

Other animals in this zone are Cheetah, African Lion, Zebra, Giraffe, African Painted Dog, and White Rhinoceros.

It was so awesome seeing Meerkats for the first time. They were standing upright on rocks with heads up and not moving for several minutes. And when they moved, they all ran and will stop with their heads up again. Funny creatures.

In Cat Country, there are the Leopards and the Puma.

Reptile Garden

We entered the Snake House and saw various creepy legless reptiles inside their glass cages like the Rattlesnake, Reticulated Python, and Burmese Python. There was a fish pond inside with a big catfish and colored purple fish (sorry but I don’t know the name).

There was a walk-through exhibit inside the Reptile Garden with a gentle reminder not to touch or pick animals who are on a free range for they might bite. Animals found here are turtles and alligators.

Kids were amazed to see the real-life dragon, the Komodo Dragon, and the big Rhino Iguana.

Tortoise Shelter

One of my favorite animals in a zoo is a tortoise because it was so tame and is safe for the kids even when they get close. We were so amazed, especially our young buddies watching several species with different shells and colors walking peacefully in their colony. The beauty of Radiated Tortoise and Burmese Star Tortoise was so rare. I just love looking at them.

But it saddened me knowing that these animals are being held captive for the illegal pet trade which threatens their survival. They are now one of the endangered species. I was thankful for the management and the team who are responsible for conserving and ensuring the safety of these species.

Fragile Forest

I love this zone the most for it brought us to a real-like rich rain forest. Getting inside the massive biodome thrilled me more as we welcomed by a canopy of trees with flying butterflies, flying birds, ferns, shrubs, trees, and a soothing sound of water cascade.

It was so amazing seeing crowned pigeons, lemurs, and iguanas roaming freely. There was a swamp too with stingrays. And there were also frogs.

We lazed around and ended up taking the wooden steps into the observation deck. There were several Malayan Flying Fox on branches of trees, some were hovering in the air and some were eating fruits. Other animals we saw were the ring-tailed lemur, two-toed sloth, and the beautiful green and red lorries.

Later there was a warning sound; maybe a snake had escaped from a cage. We evacuated the place at once to stay away from danger. But before we get out, we passed by Rafflesia Arnoldii, the world’s largest flower. It was so fascinating seeing this flower in person.

Rainforest Kidsworld

Our little buddies were so happy upon setting foot at Rainforest Kidsworld. It offers a lot of exciting activities for the kids like the carousel ride, pony ride, and splashing in a water play area.

Another exciting activity to enjoy is interacting with farmyard animals. We let the kids enjoyed momentarily the activities inside while we were looking for souvenir goodies and toys inside the Gift Shop.

Primate Kingdom

The fresh scent of lush forest and the sound of monkeys welcomed us as we entered the Primate Kingdom. The open cage concept of this zone brought us into a real jungle. We trekked the entire zone and was amazed to see each primate species having their own territories. We were entertained by these tree-dwellers animals with their intelligence and tricks.

Other Zones we skipped visiting due to lack of time are The Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia, Elephants of Asia, Tropical Crops & Orchid Garden, and Treetop Trails.

Saying good-bye now

Indeed, one day is just enough to explore and visit all the zones, watch the shows, and have a close encounter with the animals in their natural habitat. This day wasn’t only about seeing animals, how they eat, and how they interact with people. It’s more than that.

The learnings

As for me and our little buddies; this day is all about appreciation, respect, and understanding the animals on a much deeper level. The kids were fascinated by seeing different animals in the environment they lived in. They were curious about so many things and became sensitive on how to take care of each animal they encountered.

We did not only enjoy roaming around but we were also educated a lot. Thanks to the reading posts in every zone, it added more wisdom.

Operating Hours:

• Daily:  8:30 am to 6:00 pm (last ticket sale at 5:30 pm)

Ticket Price:  

• Adult:  SG$33
• Child:  SG$22

4 Parks for the price of 2:  SG$69 save up to 50% with park hopper.  Tickets are valid for 7 days.

Contact Info:

• Location:  80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore
• Telephone Nos. (65) 6269 3411 F: (65) 63652331
• website: www.zoo.com.sg

Special experiences to try

1)  Take A Ride On the Wild Side

• Wild Discoverer Tour
• Venue: Membership Services
• Adult: SG$28.00  Child SG$18.00

2)  Unlimited Tram Rides

• Venue: Tram Stop 1, 2, 3 or 4
• Adult:  SG$5.00   Child: SG$3.00
• Operating Hours:  8:45 am to 5:30 pm

3)  Other Services

• Venue: Entrance Plaza
• Strollers, wagons, wheelchairs, and lockers are available for rent on a first-come, first-served basis.

4)  Animal Rides in Rainforest Kidzworld

• Wild Animal Carousel – Adult/Child – SG$4.00 – 10:00am to 5:45pm
• Pony* – Child only – SG$6.00 – 10:00am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 5:00 pm

*Only for children below 1.20m in height. The child must be present at the ticketing booth to purchase tickets.

It’s Show Time – star animals with their presentations

1) Splash Safari

• Venue:  Shaw Foundation Amphitheatre
• Daily:  10:30 am & 5:00 pm

2)  Animal-Friendly Show

• Venue:  Kidzwold Amphitheatre
• Daily:  10:00 am & 4:00 pm

3)  Elephants At Work and Play

• Venue: Elephants of Asia
• Daily:  11:30 am & 3:30 pm

4)  Rainforest Fights Back

• Venue:  Shaw Foundation Amphitheatre
• Daily: 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm

For Dining Options/Wild Bites

1)  Jungle Breakfast with Wildlife

• Venue: Ah Meng Restaurant (Terrace)
• Daily:  9:00 am – 10:30 am
• Adult:  SG$35.00  Child SG$25.00

2)  Ah Meng Kitchen

• Menu:  Local Fare
• Weekdays:  9:00 am to 7:00 pm
• Saturday, Sunday, and Public Holidays:  8:30 am to 7:00 pm

3)  Ah Meng Restaurant

• Menu:  Asian Fare, Fruit Juice & Smoothie
• Daily: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

4)  Ah Meng Bistro

• Menu:  Gourmet Sandwiches, Pastries, Desserts & Specialty Teas
• Daily:  10:30 am to 4:00 pm

5)  Casa Italia

• Menu:  Italian Gelato
• Daily:  8:00 am to 7:00 pm

6)  Chawang Bistro

• Menu: Gourmet Hotdogs and Pasta
• Daily: 8:00 am to 7:00 pm

7)  Inuka Cafe

• Menu:  Local Delights and Beverages
• Daily:  8:00 am to 7:00 pm

8)  KFC

• Menu:  Fast Food
• Weekday:  10:00 am to 7:00 pm
• Saturday, Sunday, and Public Holiday:  8:30 am to 7:00 pm

9)  KFC inside the Raninforest KIdzworld

• Weekdays:  10:30 am to 5:30 pm
• Saturday, Sunday, and Public Holiday: 9:30 am to 6:00 pm

10)  The Wild Deli

• Menu:  Gourmet Sandwiches and Pastries
• Weekdays:  8:00 am to 6:30 pm
• Saturday, Sunday, and Public Holiday:  8:00 am to 7:00 pm

Animal Feeding Programme

• Morning Feeding Trail 1
• Afternoon Feeding Trail 1
• Afternoon Feeding Trail 2

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