Wildlife things to see and do in Singapore.

Night Safari, Singapore Zoo and the River Safari,

there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Singapore is a very small island in Asia, near Malaysia, that is packed with a wide variety of wildlife things to see and do for everyone. I spent a week exploring Singapore and did not see and do everything, though I did do a lot of wildlife things and see many amazing animals, from feeding elephants to fun tram rides.This modern city is easy to get around, super clean and has the most friendly, helpful people I have ever met in all my travels.

Where is Singapore?

 

Wildlife Attractions

The Night Safari, Singapore Zoo and River Safari attractions are located close to each other and 30 minutes from the city by taxi depending on traffic conditions. You can see all the attractions in one day, but it would be very exhausting. I went to the Singapore Zoo and River safari on the same day and bought a combo ticket for $115.00 SGD and the Night Safari on another night for $67.00 SGD, from the Tour East company, see http://www.toureast.net  to download the Sightseeing Tours e-brochure, the download button is near the bottom of the page. I decided to use the tour company because the bus picks you up and drops you off at your hotel, it includes the entry fees to the attractions  and it is cheaper than a taxi and quicker than public transport. Here are the cost comparisons for the Night Safari-

Singapore Night Safari

Cost Comparison

Going on a Tour

Total cost – 67.00 SGD

Going on your own

  Taxi- 70.00 SGD return ($35 each way )

Entrance Fee-

$51 SGD Adult- on- line discount or $69 on entry

$34 SGD Child -on -line discount or $48 on entry

Total cost- 121 SGD

* If you are sharing the taxi with others it will be cheaper, public transport is only $2+ but you need to get a train, bus and maybe a shuttle bus.

Night Safari

Wildlife things to see and do at the Singapore Night Safari

 

 

 

The bus arrived at about 7pm and we had three hours to explore the park. We went straight to the tram ride without queuing as it was an organised tour (I didn’t queue for entry tickets either). The tram ride is 40 minutes long and slowly loops around the park stopping often to seeing the animals. There are no cages just natural barriers, such as water moats, around the dangerous animals (the lions) and some animals are free to roam and they can come very close to the tram. It is well worth seeing.

Then you could go on one of the four walking trails (you can get a map at the entrance and its free). The trails are linked together so you can walk all the way around or just part of the way and jump back on the tram at the tram stops.

I chose not to go on the walking trail and watched the Thumbuakar performance in the entrance courtyard. The fire show has no seating and is very popular so go early to get a good view of the fire eaters.

The Creatures of the Night Show is on four times every night and it is a light hearted look at some night animals (owls, cats, otters) and how to look after our environment with recycling. The show is ok, but not the highlight of the evening.

The Night Safari opens at 7pm and the restaurants open at 5.30pm, though I found them expensive with a mango smoothie costing 10 SGD, but it was very delicious. The park closes at midnight.

My tour bus left at 10pm and it didn’t wait for latecomers!!

Singapore Zoo

Wildlife things to see and do in Singapore

Jungle Breakfast with the Wildlife- Orangutans

I arrived at the zoo just before 9am and went to the Ah Meng restaurant for a buffet breakfast. The orangutans climbed down from the surrounding trees at 9.30am and it was stressed to everyone that the orangutans choose to come and can leave at any time. The zookeepers had buckets of food (vegetables and nuts) and it was clear the orangutans were there for the food, though they did look up and around occasionally. So don’t expect them to put their arm around you and smile for the photo ( I did! LOL). During the 30 minute visit you can take photos with the orangutans and a professional photographer takes your photo ($25 SGD), but another photographer can also take your photo using your own camera/iPhone for no charge. I queued for one photo by the photographers but after I stood to one side and took my own photos of the orangutans (I made sure I wasn’t in anyone’s way).

At 10am the orangutans climb back up the trees and go to their Island home.

There is an information talk about the orangutans during the photo session but it’s hard to hear and gets lost in all the excitement of taking photos. The orangutans don’t interact with the people and you are not allowed to feed them or touch them just stand in front for a photo. I think it’s a money maker for the zoo, I wasn’t impressed. The buffet food was very nice and costs $35 SGD and you can stay until 10.30am.

Singapore Zoo

Wildlife things to see and do at the Singapore zoo.

The zoo is 26 hectares of beautiful rainforests and gardens with over 2800 animals. The animal enclosures are as close to their natural environment as possible. The zoo opens at 8.30am and closes 6pm daily. The entrance fee is $36 SGD for adults and $24 for children plus $5 for unlimited tram rides for adults and $3 for children. You can hop on and off the tram at different stops, which is great especially if it’s a hot day (it’s always HOT) . There are four tram stops around the zoo.

There are a lot of things to see and do at the zoo, so make sure you get a map at the entrance because it has all the animal feeding times and the animal show times on the back. You can feed the elephants, giraffes, giant tortoise and the rhino, though you need to be taller than 1.2 metres to feed the rhino. It costs $5 SGD and the zookeepers only take cash which goes straight into the Wildlife Conservation Donation box and no change is given, but it’s really great. I fed the elephants after the Elephant Presentation show and loved it. I was given a basket of one banana, two carrots and lettuce leaves and the elephant just put his trunk out, sniffed and took it straight from my hand. The elephant trunk is very soft but the hair is very spikey. The feeding is on a first come first served basis and they had 25 baskets available.

The Zookeepers stress that the animals are not forced to perform and can leave at any time and one elephant didn’t do their ‘training’ at the elephant presentation and was still fed the same as the other elephants. There are four different animal show at various times throughout the day and each show is on twice a day.

The animal shows focus on the animals displaying their natural behaviours (like sea lions carrying shopping bags!! LOL) and how we can care for our environment and in turn keep the wild animals in the world. ( Keep our oceans clean and recycle!!

The orangutans can roam free on their island and boardwalk and with the amount of poo on the pavement they must do. The butterfly aviary also has small monkeys, bats, birds and of course butterflies all walking on the path with you. (It was very unexpected as I only went inside for the air-con but it turned out to be well worth seeing). Many of the display rooms around the zoo are air conditioned giving you a break from the heat. There are refreshment kiosks everywhere selling ice-creams, drinks and snacks. You can rent strollers, wagons, wheelchairs and lockers at the entrance. There is also a Kidzworld with pony rides and a wet play area, but I didn’t go there.

Here are some more photos of the wildlife things you can see and do at the Singapore Zoo, just click on the first picture to enlarge the photo and scroll through using the arrows.

 

River Safari

Wildlife things to see and do at the Singapore River Safari

The River Safari is only 100 metre walk from the Singapore Zoo and in between there are a number of food outlets, such as KFC, Inuka Café and Chawang Bistro. There is no air conditioning in this area but the food is cheaper than inside the zoo, if you need a break from the heat Starbucks is right outside the entrance to the River Safari and is air conditioned.

The River Safari is a rivers of the world inspired,  wildlife park, costing $36 SGD for adults and $24 SGD for children (3-12 years old) and Singapore seniors also get a discount, though my Aussie Mum and Dad got it, so try your luck if you’re a senior.

The park is open everyday from 10am to 7pm with last entry being 6.30pm. You can get a map at the entrance, but you don’t really need one as you follow a one way single trail, which loops around back to the entrance.

The trail starts at the Mekong River exhibit, then the Mary River, Mississippi River and Yangtze river with each exhibit showing the different land and water animals in huge tanks and impressive enclosures. There are also lots of information displays showing the location and the unique features of each river.

Giant Panda Forest

The Giant Panda Forest is the best thing to see at the River Safari with the two giant pandas, Kai Kai and Jia Jia living here. They are in a temperature controlled bio-dome ( it is cold in here), which is open from 10am to 6pm. I only saw one panda, as the other one was in the den. There is a CCTV link into the den , but I couldn’t find it. I was very happy to watch Kai Kai  eating heaps of bamboo. He looks like a man in a panda suit or a stuffed toy, not real.

 

Amazon River Quest

Next you come to the bridge (viewing platform) over the reservoir (250 metres long) and takes you to Amazon River Quest boat ride. The boat ride cost $5 SGD for adults and $3 SGD for children and you need to purchase your tickets when you entered the park ( a separate ticket from your entry ticket). My boat ride was included in my Singapore Zoo and River Safari Combo tour ticket. The ride goes daily from 11am to 6pm and lasts 10 minutes. There is a height restriction and you need to be taller than 106 cm and if you sit at the front you may get wet.

The boat follows a canal around in a circle  (automatic) and there is commentary about the animals on either side of the boat.  The dangerous animals (jaguar, leopard) are behind glass in enclosures and some are in open areas. The natural habitats are great for the animals, but it is hard to see them.

 

After the boat ride continue following the trail and seeing more birds, frogs, fish and monkeys along the walkway. The setting is lovely with beautiful gardens and water features, it is very well designed.

The last exhibit shows what it is like to be under a river and you walk through a huge tunnel with enormous fish tanks on both sides from floor to the ceiling. Here you will see huge fish, manatees and piranhas. The piranhas they say are not so bad as they only eat dead fish, injured or sick animals, but I wouldn’t chance it!

The River Safari has a big focus on how people have changed the animals natural environment over the years, like cutting down rainforests for palm oil or skinning beavers to make hats and is an interesting place to visit.

For lots more information about the Night Safari, Singapore Zoo or River Safari see the Wildlife Reserves Singapore website http://wrs.com.sg  

Travel tips for visiting the Wildlife Parks of Singapore.

1. Drink plenty of water, as lots of walking in a hot humid climate can cause dehydration.
2. Plan your day at the Zoo or Night Safari, so you don’t miss out on animal shows or feeding times.
3. Take $5 SGD notes to feed the elephant, giraffe or rhino at the zoo.
4.  If you have limited time got to the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, if you have very limited time go to the Night safari.
5.  Wear comfortable shoes and a large sun hat.

If you have had or would like to have, a wonderful wildlife experience in Singapore, please leave  a comment below.