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I had one major sight on my agenda for Singapore: visit the Singapore Night Safari. This is one of the more unique zoo experiences of which I’ve heard — it features exclusively nocturnal animals and lets you walk around on trails in a cage-free environment.
But first, you should know two things before going to the Singapore Night Safari:
If you bring your kid here, you are the coolest parent in the world, and your kid will adore you.
And secondly:
You will not get ANY good pictures. But that’s okay.
The Singapore Night Safari is a flash-free park, to protect the animals and their eyesight. Photographing moving animals without flash is a losing battle. Accept that you won’t get any good pictures, and just go for the experience.
The Singapore Night Safari is primarily a place for families. But any place with scantily clad male dancers performing at the entrance is fine with me!
My night began with the Creatures of the Night show, which featured some of the animals showing off — a raccoon that knew how to recycle, a smoky leopard, even a wolf. This was definitely more of a show for kids, but it was entertaining nonetheless.
The highlight, though, was when they reached down into a box below people’s seats and pulled out Maggie the reticulated python, one of the world’s longest species of snake!
Next up was a tram ride. The forty-minute ride took us through the entire Night Safari, showing us the animals in their recreated habitats.
On the tram, our tour leader shared lots of interesting animal facts. A few of my favorites:
Hippos may be vegetarians, but that doesn’t mean they won’t eat you. They’ll chew you up and spit you out.
There are only 300 lions left in Asia — all of them in India.
Male elephants need to be separated from their babies because they will fight and/or kill them.
Rhinos run very fast, but not for long. If you’re chased by a rhino, your endurance very well could save you.
But for me, the final part of the Singapore Night Safari was my favorite — visiting the walking trails! You get to walk around deep in the jungle and get up close to the animals.
This is what makes the Singapore Night Safari different from other zoos, and I loved it.
My favorite animal? The flying squirrel, pictured above! How adorable is that little guy?
Another favorite was the fisher cat. It would lean into the river to swat at fish and they would all swim away as some giant turtles kept watch. I could have watched those animals for hours.
At S$32 ($26 USD) for adults and S$21 ($17 USD) for kids ages 3-12, the Singapore Night Safari is definitely not a cheap activity, especially when you factor in cab fare (it’s either that or a LONG bus journey, though they also have a cheap shuttle from several downtown points).
My big suggestion? Get there early. It opens at 7:30 PM. There is so much to see, and it’s worth it to have the extra time to amble and explore at your own pace.
Worth it? Most definitely, and if you’re an animal lover, it’s an absolute must!
I received a complimentary visit to the Singapore Night Safari. All opinions, as always, are my own.
Good post Kate this brought some great memories back for me, I’ve even looked through my old photos and they are all pretty bad too! Such a great experience though.
I love Singapore in fact I am pretty tempted to go back now 🙂
Love the photos wish the one of the snake was a little better but hey you gave warning that photos at the night safari were hard to come by. Sounds like these would be something that my son would really enjoy.
Wow! This looks like soooo much fun! I love adventures like this.
Night safari? Yes, please! What a cool, unique experience – I would take my kids to Singapore for this reason alone.
I think I might go just to hang around the entrance haha! 😉
You’re right about flying squirrels, they’re adorable! Apparently they always hang out in pairs – if they’re kept alone, they get so sad that they self-mutilate! Noooo!
Tom, that may be the saddest thing I’ve ever heard! 🙁
Great timing for this post, Kate! Sounds great!
We are headed back to Singapore in early May ( on the way to Bangkok, Bhutan, Jordan & our summer in Europe) and thought about hitting the zoo ( since we travel the world as a family).
We did an amazing overnight stay ( in African tents) at the largest zoo in northern Europe while in Sweden and did a night safari there that we loved. Our dear and old friend was a guide there, so she made it extra special.
But since we’ve done one before, not sure if we want to do it at night or during the day.
We’ve seen so many zoos around the world. What do you think makes the Singapore zoo special?
Wow, your 6 month trip went by so fast, sorry we our paths didn’t cross. Maybe we’ll catch you in London before you head back to the States!
Jeanne, Mozart would love it — she’s at the perfect age! This wasn’t an overnight stay — they close by 11:30 PM. It’s a great evening activity.
I’ll be in England until May 11! 😉 May put together a London tweetup.
I skipped this in Singapore in favor of World Cup games, but you make it sound pretty cool. I think if I go through there again I’m gonna have to take your suggestion here and check it out!
And if you’ve just got to SEA and are not used to the heat – then the evening is a perfect time to be out and about! The Night Safari was a great trip I did several years ago and I would definitely recommend it to any first time visitor !
Wow!! This sounds like a totally enchanting place. I’m planning on taking an extended trip with my kids next year and this sounds like something we’d be interested in. Do you feel it is safe for children to roam around in with all those animals on the loose? I sure hope so as this sounds like it would be unforgettable!
Sandy
Hi, Sandy —
Yes, it’s very safe. I talked to the staff and the animals are held back as they would be in a traditional zoo — behind two barriers, although it’s hard for the human eye to see at the Night Safari. The zoo claims to be very safe for kids, and there were so many kids there.
Looks like a very cool thing to do. In the end, who cares about great photos anyway if you enjoyed it!
Hi! Thank you for the info really helpfull, but I still hesitate to go there,I’m single Mom of 5 and 10 so was kinda hesitate about all the hazzle dazzle 🙂
Hi Kate,
I found out your blog while looking for some info whether or not the Night Safari was worth it. I’m going to Singapore in two week’s time and will be doing in one day the Zoo and the night safari with my mum and sister.
My biggest concern would be about the trip back. We think of leaving around 10 pm…is it easy to find a bus back to the city center? What about the taxis? Are those readily available? Any feedback to know how to get back to Orchard road would be precious!
Thanks and keep the good job up!
They have shuttle buses, Laurent. Check the web site for their current times.
I’ll check those out, thanks!
I go to see daily some web pages and websites to read articles or reviews, except this weblog gives feature based content.
They lost the snake the time I went!
I think it might have been deliberate. The performer/guide/host (?) was getting really frustrated with people taking flash pics.