River Wonders

River Wonders opened in 2012 organised around eight of the world's rivers, from the Mississippi to the Mekong, with the animals of each. Two things stand out: the Amazon Flooded Forest, a large freshwater aquarium with manatees and arapaima that visitors walk beneath, and the giant panda forest, a chilled enclosure holding a pair on loan from China and their Singapore-born cub. A boat ride through an Amazon-themed section runs from one end.

Background

River Wonders, first called River Safari, covers 12 hectares between the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari within the Mandai Wildlife Reserve. Planning began in early 2007, and the park was built for S$160m. Its Giant Panda Forest opened first, on 29 November 2012, the rest followed with a soft opening on 3 April 2013, and the official opening came on 28 February 2014. It keeps about 11,000 animals of 260 species, and in the 2019/20 financial year it drew 966,890 visitors, well above the 820,000 a year first expected.

Source: Wikipedia, "River Wonders"

Highlights

• The Amazon Flooded Forest - manatees and arapaima in a large walk-under aquarium.
• The giant pandas - a chilled forest enclosure with the resident pair and cub.
• The river galleries - habitats of eight major rivers with their fish and mammals.
• The Amazon boat ride - a water ride through a themed section.

When to go

Year round; early morning is coolest and quietest. The pandas are most active in the morning. School holidays and weekends are extremely busy.

Good to know

The panda enclosure is small and chilled and the animals often sleep. Tickets are expensive and separate from the neighbouring parks. The boat ride queues badly at peak times.

Nearby

Bird Paradise and the Zoo are beside it, and Night Safari is next door.

Key facts