Singapore is not like most cities you visit around the world. You will realise this quickly, from the very moment you step into the city. You will soon draw comparisons with your own town or other cosmopolitan cities, readily agreeing that it is the cleanest and greenest city you have ever visited. Singapore seamlessly incorporates nature into its modern cityscape, showing its fondness for wildlife, and its love for lush greenery. Despite being a small nation, Singapore surprises you with its vast spaces dedicated to wildlife conservation. Furthermore, you do not need to travel far from the city centre to explore wildlife attractions. If you are a nature lover and a wildlife enthusiast, and you plan to visit this destination soon, here are 5 attractions you should visit for the best wildlife experience in Singapore.
Singapore Botanical Garden
Right in the city lies Singapore’s oldest garden. It is more than one hundred years old and is the city’s first-ever UNESCO World Heritage Site. Set near Orchard Road, it sits in the centre of Singapore, making it easily accessible to all.
What is even more amazing is that, inside this enormous garden, you can view some of the most beautiful bird species, watch monitor lizards dozing off near a path, see turtles swimming in the pond, and even find playful otters waddling around carefree. While this is primarily a horticultural attraction rather than a wildlife park, we recommend visiting it for the sparse yet fascinating wildlife living in the open air, without any restraints, wandering nonchalantly.
If you are on a tight budget and want a glimpse of Singapore’s wildlife and wilderness, this is the place to go, as it does not cost a penny to explore.
- Location: 1 Cluny Road, Singapore
- Timing: Daily, 5:00 am to midnight
- Admission Tickets: Free of Cost
Singapore Zoo
For a true wildlife experience, you should head to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve in Singapore. Within the reserve, many incredible wildlife attractions await. Among these, Singapore Zoo has the most diverse mix of animals and birds to encounter.
Designed to make you feel as if you are wandering through a rainforest, the zoo captures the essence of wildlife living in natural habitats. Walk through shaded pathways or take the tram ride to different zones and open-air enclosures. Here, you can find lions basking in the sun, a raccoon greeting you with curiosity, or crocodiles swimming below a wooden bridge over a man-made stream. You can even watch orangutans swinging freely, and find yourself feeding a giraffe.
The zoo’s design allows you to have close encounters with over 4000 animals in open-air zones. Undoubtedly, this zoo experience in Singapore will be the best one you will ever enjoy in Asia.
- Location: 80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore
- Exhibits: Elephants of Asia, Fragile Forest, Australasia, Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia, Orangutan Island, Primate Kingdom, Reptile Kingdom, Reptopia, Treetops Trails, Wild Africa
- Timings: Daily, 8:30 am to 6:00 pm
- Tickets: Singapore Zoo tickets start from SGD 34 onwards.
Rainforest Wild ASIA
Venture out for a wildlife-viewing experience with a hint of adventure at Rainforest Wild ASIA. Termed Asia’s first wildlife adventure park, this sprawling space, located next to Singapore Zoo, features dramatic landscapes of rugged karsts, rainforests, and a 220-metre-long cavern exploration.
The designers consciously created the attraction in such a way that it merges adventure experiences with wildlife sightings, allowing animals to roam freely within their natural habitats. It has eight zones, where you can spot tapirs and Malayan sun bears at the Watering Hole, watch langurs in a playful mood at the Langur Observation Deck in The Canopy, and see Malayan tigers prowl at Rock Cascade. There are elevated walkways at the karsts for you to stroll around the rugged landscape as well. However, the adventurer in you would not resist the chance to hike and scale the rocky terrain.
In all, it is an amazing experience for wildlife lovers to explore these open-concept habitats, which let these animals climb and forage naturally while you have your fun!
- Location: 20 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore
- Zones: The Karsts, The Outpost, Forest Floor, Rock Cascade, The Canopy, Watering Hole, Sentinel Foodhall, The Cavern.
- Timings: Daily, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
- Tickets: Prices start from SGD 21 onwards.
Bird Paradise
Bird Paradise is a must-see if you are more interested in birds than in wild creatures. This attraction, formerly known as Jurong Bird Park, was relocated to Mandai Reserve and rebranded as Bird Paradise in 2023. This Mandai attraction is currently the biggest aviary in Asia.
Explore the best of nature’s colourful, winged creations – over 3500 birds in walk-through aviary zones. With each aviary modelled after its natural habitat, the park brings together birds from all over the world. Check out the world’s largest sub-Antarctic, cold seawater environment, Ocean Network Express Penguin Cove, which is home to a variety of penguins.
Through walk-through, barrier-free walkways, the park’s design allows for extensive engagement with birds for tourists since birds can fly, soar and swoop freely, resulting in genuine interactions. Kids can take the fun further by enjoying feeding experiences or talent shows by birds. Alternatively, they can take a break from birdwatching to enjoy some splashy time at Egg Splash, or bounce on giant trampolines at Treetop Play.
- Location: 20 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore
- Zones: Heart of Africa, Penguin Cove, Winged Sanctuary, Australian Outback, Mysterious Papua, Wings of Asia, Lory Loft, Songs of the Forest, Crimson Wetlands, Amazonian Jewels.
- Timings: Daily, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
- Tickets: Bird Paradise tickets start from SGD 34 onwards.
Night Safari Singapore
Don’t leave Mandai Wildlife Reserve yet! After you have had loads of fun at Singapore Zoo or Rainforest Wild ASIA, make your way to the Night Safari. This is a one-of-a-kind attraction that showcases animals in their natural habitats and how they behave in a nocturnal environment.
In fact, this attraction is the first nocturnal wildlife park in the world. Visit, and you will witness these animals’ activities under the inky sky. Operational from the evening until midnight, the attraction offers a different perspective from what you would usually see during the daytime.
The park has four walking trails, where you can view over 900 nocturnal animals. These include the white tiger, spotted hyena, Asiatic lion, clouded leopard, and Senegal bushbaby, to name a few. You can also take a tram ride if you do not feel like strolling in the dark. Besides wildlife viewing, get a deeper insight into these animals with presentations by trainers and animals, learn about them with keepers’ talks, and even feed a rhinoceros! For those who cherish the wild, the Night Safari offers a rare chance to witness nature and animals interact after sundown, without having to venture out into a real jungle.
- Location: 80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore
- Trails: Tiger Trail, Pangolin Trail, Leopard Trail, Tasmanian Devil Trail.
- Timings: Daily, 6:30 pm to midnight
- Tickets: Night Safari tickets start from SGD 41 onwards.
Insider’s Tip:
- There are so many things to do in Singapore that you might be tempted to add all the attractions in the Mandai Wildlife Reserve as one full-day trip, particularly if you are short on time.
- We suggest splitting these attractions and covering them over two days. Otherwise, the pace would become too tiring, and you would be covering a lot of ground on foot, even if you do not realise it.
- Nevertheless, you can also choose Singapore packages with just one wildlife attraction to balance your experience with other elements of the destination. Whatever you choose, Singapore promises you this: a wildlife experience you never imagined in a city!
Conclusion
When you are in Singapore, every attraction, including wildlife experiences, is within easy reach. It is worth admiring how the city has blended wildlife into its modern design, taking equal care of nature while developing the urban landscape. While the Singapore Botanic Gardens offer a glimpse of the flora and fauna of the destination, the Mandai Wildlife Reserve is where all the wildlife action is. For anyone who loves wildlife, a visit here leaves a lasting impression and a deeper appreciation for this fascinating city of Singapore.
