Park Hopping In Singapore

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Park Hopping In Singapore

Singapore is famous for its bird parks and animal zoos. There is a diverse gathering of creatures living in the otherwise tropical country, in their own ambient enclosures. Are you planning to visit them all on your visit to Singapore?

In this blog post, you’ll find everything you need to know to plan a visit to the four major parks in Singapore: the Jurong Bird Park, Singapore Zoo, the Singapore River Safari park and the Singapore Night Safari experience, including details on where and how to buy tickets, how to go to these parks and even a guide on how you can visit all 4 parks in one day.

Jurong Bird Park

Located on the southern side of the country, this park is all about our feathery friends! It is a free-flight aviary with open spaces and large enclosures and has been built very beautifully. Home to about 5,000 birds, the park has live interactive shows at the amphitheatre every day with birds flying from behind the crowds on to the stage and even across from one end of the theatre to the other! Some of the popular spots at Jurong Bird Park include the sections for Hornbills, the Lory Loft, Birds of Prey, the descendants of Dinosaurs, Parrot Paradise and the Flamingo lake.

The impressive “Wings of Asia” aviary is spectacular! It has been created with a tropical rainforest theme including simulations of a thunderstorm at noon everyday. The scenery inside is quite enchanting and its no wonder that the birds living here feel at home. A small waterfall, running water, little ponds and thick foliage characterise this overwhelmingly beautiful bird house.

Buy the tickets here

Singapore Zoo

The zoo is characterised by a surreal rainforest theme that stretches further into the Upper Seletar Reservoir which is the main rain catchment area of Singapore. The neighbouring River Safari and Night Safari parks also have similar themes. The Zoo is home to about 2,500 animals including Lions, Tigers, Leopards, Hippos, Giraffes, Zebras, Sun Bears, Komodo Dragons, Lemurs, Orangutans, Warthogs (yes, Pumba!) and Kangaroos. Don’t miss visiting the Polar Bear!

Our personal favourite was the Fragile Forest, a protected enclosure which is home to sensitive creatures like the Ring Tailed Lemur, Flying Foxes and Bats. The best part is that you can actually walk into the enclosure and be surrounded by these creatures, some of which are actually quite interactive and even sit close to you while munching on fruits and berries!

Buy the tickets here

River Safari

With over 6,000 land and aquatic animals across 200 species, this park has been built with a theme of the eight big rivers of the world. Each river theme hosts a collection of native riverine species such as the African Dwarf Crocodile and the Tiger Fish (Congo), Alligator Snapping Turtle and Gar (Mississippi), Giant Puffer Fishes and the Nile Crocodile (Nile), the Indian Gharial and the Goonch Catfish (Ganges), Australian Lungfish and the Mudskipper (Mary), Crab-eating Macaque and the Giant Catfish (Mekong), and lastly, the Chinese Giant Salamander (Yangtze).

The giant aquariums are impressive with towering glass walls behind which we can gawk at the Manta Rays and Sharks. But, the most adorable part of the River Safari is the Panda-enclosure, a biodome regulated at 16°C. The 15 minute Reservoir Cruise takes visitors through the Upper Seletar Reservoir. Visit The Amazon River Quest, The Squirrel Monkey Forest and the Amazon Flooded Forest too!

Buy the tickets here

Night Safari (next to Singapore Zoo)

Opening only by 7 pm every night, the Night Safari adds a wonderful twist to the experience of visiting a zoo! It showcases nocturnal animals and birds, ranging from owls and bats to lesser seen creatures like the Giant Flying Squirrel, Binturongs, Mousedeers and the Slow Loris.

Tip: The tram passes through almost all the important sections of the park – we recommend taking this to explore the zoo, especially since its very likely that you will be exhausted from park-hopping all day long.

Buy the tickets here

Can I visit all the Bird and Animal parks  in Singapore in one day?

Yes, of course!

It is definitely possible to see all 4 parks in one day – we did just that. Starting off with Jurong Bird Park at 8:30 am, we spent a good 3 hours (we had breakfast at the cafe in the park); later, we headed over to the Zoo by noon (private park-transfers between Jurong Bird Park and Zoo is SGD 6 per person).

We had lunch at the Zoo’s food court and an hour later, we explored the Zoo till 4 pm. Spent the next two hours in the neighbouring River Safari (including the cruise and Amazon River Quest). We attended the 7:30 pm show at the Night Safari (it was about 20 minutes long) and then we rode the tram to explore the rest of the park. 

Buy the Park Hopper Pass here to visit all parks on one ticket

Cost of visiting the parks

The cost of visiting all the 4 parks, buying tickets at each individual counter comes up to SGD 176 (INR 9,300). If you choose to buy online, the promotional cost is SGD 147 (INR 7,700). Individual tickets to the parks:

  • Jurong Bird Park: SGD 32 (promotion: SGD 29)
  • Singapore Zoo: SGD 39 (promotion: SGD 35)
  • River Safari: SGD 36 (promotion: SGD 32)
  • Night Safari: SGD 69 (promotion: SGD 51)

There are futher discounts for children.

 

Our suggestion

Buy a PARK-HOPPER pass costs SGD 80 (INR 4,200) and you can enter all 4 parks easily. A Park-Hopper Plus Pass (SGD 99) includes some additional benefits like tram rides and the river cruises as well. 

Buy the tickets here

How to visit the Singapore Zoo, River Safari and Night Safari

Take the MRT to the Khatib station (NS14) and there is an express shuttle service to Mandai Parks (for SGD 1) – it takes 15 minutes from the MRT station. Alternatively, take a taxi to the zoo or a hop-on-hop-off service while visiting other attractions.

 

How to visit Jurong Bird Park

Take the MRT to the Boon Lay station from where you can walk it, alternatively take a cab – its a little outside from the city centre.

 

Other useful information

  • Carry a refillable water bottle – water spouts are available everywhere
  • Tackle the heat and the humidity with sunscreen and hats
  • The parks offer free WiFi for all guests
  • Visitor centres provide free maps of the parks – use it to plan your day
  • Spend about 2-3 hours in each of the four parks for the best experience

If you have more questions about visiting these parks, don’t hesitate to ask your questions below in the comments section. If you want to explore Singapore with us, write to us and we’ll plan a fun-filled experience for you!

1 Comment

  1. Thompson Henneberg

    Thank you for sharing this! Didn’t know we could do all in one day 🙂

    Reply

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