Singapore’s Popular Night Safari Reopens
The Night Safari has been one of Singapore’s top visitor attractions since opening in 1994. But for some reason I hadn’t got around to visiting it on any of my regular visits to the country. I decided it was high time I did.
Before the safari park closed in April because of Covid-19, I joined thousands of other visitors on a hot and muggy Tuesday for an evening at the park in a heavily-forested area in the north of the island.
The park is a large, open-air zoo designed for night-time viewing. It houses more than 2,500 wild creatures, most native to Asia but some from further afield.
Most of the animals are kept behind barriers for obvious reasons but some of the tamer species, such as deer, are allowed to wander freely through the park.
A spotted hyena on the prowl at the Night Safari. Image: © Wildlife Reserves Singapore
Visitors can take a 40-minute ride in open-sided trams painted in various animal-skin patterns that wind their way through the wooded enclosures holding the animals. They can also do walking safaris on four trails that let you see some animals not visible from the tram.
In addition, the park features animal shows and cultural performances. These change from time to time but usually include tribal dances and blowpipe demonstrations.
The Night Safari’s enduring popularity means that dealing with the throngs who pack in each evening is perhaps the biggest challenge for visitors to the 35-hectare park.
For the time being at least, crowds will be smaller. The park reopened cautiously at the end of July, operating at 25 percent of its usual capacity. Its shows are limited to 50 people. And it’s open only from Thursdays to Sundays, as well as on public holidays.
Asian lions feeding session seen from the tram ride. Image: © Wildlife Reserves Singapore
The park is a friendly environment for senior travellers and these restrictions should make it even more so. They can stick to the entertaining tram ride and the shows if they don’t feel comfortable hitting the trails at night in the tropical heat.
The trams’ colourful décor and the chatty commentary – part live, part recorded – almost make you feel you’ve landed in a Jurassic Park movie, but without the danger of mad scientists running amok.
The park’s lighting is deliberately kept no brighter than a full moon, to allow the animals as natural an environment as possible. This means limited opportunities for photography. It’s too dark to snap most of the animals and flash photography is banned for fear of disturbing them.
A tip for beating the crowds: book a tour online with priority access to the tram ride. You’ll be fetched at your hotel, and when you reach the park, you’ll be taken to the priority line for the trams.
A fire show by the Thumbuakar tribe from Borneo. Image: © Wildlife Reserves Singapore
It’s a more expensive option than making your own way to the park and buying a normal ticket there (55 Singapore dollars or around US$40) but worth it if you want to avoid standing in long queues.
Depending on what you plan to see and do, you’ll probably want to spend three or four hours at the park.
The Night Safari is open from 7.15pm to 12 midnight. The animals you’re likely to see include Asian elephants, Malayan tigers and leopards. It doesn't have as wide a range of animals as the nearby Singapore Zoo, which is regarded as one of the world's best, but there are still around 100 species at the Night Safari
The entrance fee includes access to the shows as well as the safari itself. There are plenty of places to eat. Wheelchairs are available without charge at the park entrance.
A map of the Night Safari park at its entrance. Image: © Alan Williams
One of the reasons for the Night Safari’s continuing popularity is that it regularly introduces new attractions for visitors. If you’re visiting it for a second time, you can be pretty sure there will be something new to see.
It has this is common with many of Singapore’s attractions, whose operators appreciate the importance of growth and change, and of not standing still.
The safari park is among several nature-themed parks, also including Singapore Zoo and a River Safari, in Singapore’s spacious Mandai area.
Plans are underway to add an eco-friendly resort where people can stay in tree houses. Also planned is a rainforest park. And Singapore’s well-known Bird Park will be relocated to Mandai from Jurong in the southwest. All this is due to happen by 2023.
Header image: Allie Caulfield CC BY-2.0
