It’s ironic that I have visited Taronga Zoo Sydney and Chiang Mai Zoo, but I have never been to Singapore Zoo. I might have visited the zoo on school trip in primary school, but I have absolutely no memory of that.
I decided to rectify the situation and paid a visit to the Singapore Zoo.
A Little History about Singapore Zoo
Located within the central catchment area, Singapore Zoo was formerly known as Singapore Zoological Garden or Mandai Zoo. Occupying 28 hectares, Singapore Zoo has 315 species of animals, many of which are considered to be threatened species.
How to Get to Singapore Zoo
I have always had the perception that Singapore Zoo is located in some rural unheard of part of Singapore, that going to the zoo will involve bumpy bus rides.
Singapore Zoo turned out to be very easily accessible. Drop off at Khatib MRT station (don’t confuse it with Kranji MRT station like I did) and there will be banners directing you to the place to board the shuttle bus to Singapore Zoo. The shuttle bus comes at 15 minutes interval and priced at S$1 for both Adult and Child (free for child below 3 years old). This shuttle bus operates from 8am – 10.40pm daily.
There is also Mandai Express which only operates on weekends, school and public holidays. This shuttle service goes to Our Tampines Hub (3pm and 5pm), Bedok Point (3.15pm and 5.15pm) and Sengkang MRT station (3.30pm and 5.30pm). Mandai Express is priced S$3 for Adult and S$1 for Child (free for child below 3 years old).
Singapore Zoo Opening Hours
Singapore Zoo Opening Hours: Daily 8.30am – 6pm
Singapore Zoo Ticketing Charges
If you are just visiting the Singapore Zoo, the ticket is S$37 for Adults, S$25 for Child and S$17 for Senior Citizens.
If you intend to visit the other parks such as Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari and River Safari, you can get the bundle park ticket adeptly named “Parkhopper”.
Singapore Zoo Tram Ride
You can choose to walk or take the tram to explore Singapore Zoo.
The tram ride is priced at S$5 for Adults, S$3 for Child and it is included in the Senior Citizen ticket. You can buy the tram ticket at any of the four tram stations. Just look out for staff in uniform.
Armed with the tram ticket, you can hop and off the tram at any of the 4 stops as many times as you want.
Singapore Zoo Map
This is the map of Singapore Zoo which can be downloaded from Singapore Zoo’s website.
The Singapore Zoo is divided into 11 “open-concept” sections: Treetops Trail, Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia, Australiasia, Primate Kingdom, Elephants of Asia, Rainforest Kidzworld, Tortoise Shell-ter, Reptile Garden, Sungei Buaya, Fragile Forest, Wild Africa and Tropical Crops.
A few of the must-visits are statue of Ah Meng the famous orangutan and her grandchildren, and Omar the white tiger.
Singapore Zoo Animal Shows
There are various animal shows at different timings throughout the day which are extremely popular with kids.
There is also Wild Animal Carousel and Pony Ride for kids in Rainforest Kidzworld.
The Singapore Zoo is the perfect place for weekend trip for the whole family. The Singapore Zoo has been voted as one of the “Top 3 Zoos in the World, 2018” by TripAdvisor, so you can be assured of a good time.
Singapore Zoo
Address: 80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729826
Telephone: 62693411
Opening Hours: Daily 8.30am – 6pm