Famous In The WorldSingapore Zoo Night Safari

The Night Safari, located within the Mandai Wildlife Reserve in Singapore, is a groundbreaking and highly acclaimed attraction. As the world’s first nocturnal wildlife park, it offers a truly unique opportunity to observe active animals under the subtle illumination of the night, creating an immersive and mysterious safari experience.

Name: Night Safari (part of Mandai Wildlife Reserve)

Address: 80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729826.
It is situated in the heavily forested central catchment area of Singapore, adjacent to the Singapore Zoo and other parks within the Mandai Wildlife Reserve.

How to Get There:
Given its evening operating hours, planning your transport to the Night Safari is important:

By MRT + Bus (Common & Recommended):
- Take the North-South Line (Red Line) to Khatib MRT Station (NS14). From there, take the dedicated Mandai Khatib Shuttle Bus directly to the Night Safari entrance. This shuttle runs frequently during operating hours.
- Alternatively, from Ang Mo Kio MRT (NS16) or Choa Chu Kang MRT (NS4/JS1/BP1), you can take public bus service 138 or 927 respectively, which go directly to the Night Safari.
By Mandai Express: This is a direct shuttle bus service from various pickup points in Singapore, including Suntec City and the Singapore Flyer, offering a convenient ride straight to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve.
By Taxi/Ride-Sharing (Grab, Gojek, Tada): A direct and fastest option, taking about 25-30 minutes from the city center. This is particularly convenient when leaving at closing time.
By Car: Accessible via major expressways like the Seletar Expressway (SLE) and Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE). Ample parking is available at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve car parks.
Inter-Park Travel: If you are visiting the Singapore Zoo or River Wonders during the day, the Night Safari is adjacent, and you can simply walk between their entrances.

Landscape and Architecture:
The Night Safari’s landscape and “architecture” are masterfully designed to simulate natural nocturnal environments, often enhanced by specialized lighting.

Secondary Rainforest Setting: The park occupies 35 hectares (86 acres) of secondary rainforest, which is naturally active at night. The existing lush vegetation, tall trees, and natural contours of the land are expertly utilized to create authentic-looking habitats.
Subtle “Moonlight” Lighting: This is the most defining feature. Instead of bright floodlights, the park employs a sophisticated specialized lighting system that mimics the gentle glow of moonlight. This dim, almost ethereal illumination allows visitors to see the nocturnal animals without disturbing their natural behaviors or vision, creating a truly atmospheric and mysterious experience. The lighting is brighter than actual moonlight but still dim enough to keep animals active.
“Open Concept” at Night: Similar to the Singapore Zoo, the Night Safari largely utilizes an “open concept” design. Animals are separated from visitors and from each other using cleverly concealed natural barriers such as deep moats (designed to look like natural streams or rivers), rock walls, and strategically placed hot wires disguised as twigs. This creates the illusion of animals roaming freely in their natural habitats.
Themed Geographical Zones: The park is divided into six (or more) geographical zones, each representing a different region of the world and housing animals native to that area. These include:
- Himalayan Foothills: Home to bharal, markhor, and other mountain dwellers.
- Indian Subcontinent: Featuring sloth bears, striped hyenas, and Asian lions.
- Equatorial Africa: With giraffes, hippos, and spotted hyenas.
- Indo-Malayan Region: Showcasing Malayan tigers and babirusas.
- Asian Riverine Forest: Home to Malayan tapirs and Asian elephants.
- Wallaby Trail (Australasia): A newer trail featuring Australian marsupials.
Tram Ride: A significant “architectural” element is the open-air tram system. The 40-minute guided tram ride takes visitors through most of the park’s larger exhibits, providing comfortable and comprehensive viewing with live commentary.
Walking Trails: Complementing the tram, several dedicated walking trails (e.g., Leopard Trail, Fishing Cat Trail, East Lodge Trail, Pangolin Trail) allow for closer, more intimate encounters with specific species and offer a different perspective of the nocturnal world. These trails are also subtly lit.
Amphitheatre: Home to the “Creatures of the Night” presentation, a purpose-built amphitheater hosts animal shows that demonstrate nocturnal animal behaviors.

What Makes It Famous:

World’s First Nocturnal Wildlife Park: Opened in 1994, the Night Safari pioneered the concept of a dedicated nocturnal zoo. Its success has inspired similar parks worldwide.
Unique Nocturnal Experience: It offers an unparalleled opportunity to observe nocturnal and crepuscular animals when they are most active, allowing visitors to witness behaviors rarely seen during the day.
Innovative “Moonlight” Lighting: The sophisticated low-light illumination system is a key part of its fame, making animals visible without disturbing them and creating an incredibly immersive and mystical atmosphere.
“Open Concept” for Night Viewing: Extending the Singapore Zoo’s open concept to a nocturnal setting was a challenging but successful feat, enhancing the feeling of being in a wild environment.
Conservation and Breeding Success: The Night Safari is deeply committed to conservation, involved in global breeding programs for numerous threatened species, including the Malayan tiger, clouded leopard, Malayan tapir, and the critically endangered Sunda pangolin (the first zoological institution to breed it under human care).
Guided Tram Ride and Walking Trails: The combination of a comfortable tram ride for broader viewing and extensive walking trails for intimate encounters provides a comprehensive and engaging visitor experience.
“Creatures of the Night” Show: This popular animal presentation showcases the unique skills and natural behaviors of various nocturnal creatures.
Awards and Accolades: The Night Safari has received numerous international and local awards for its innovation, visitor experience, and conservation efforts, cementing its reputation as a world-class attraction.

Differences from Some Other Wonders:

Time of Operation: Its defining difference is its exclusive nighttime operation. While other zoos might have nocturnal houses, the Night Safari is an entire open-air zoo that only opens after dark, dedicating its entire design and focus to the nocturnal world.
Focus on Nocturnal Animals: While the Singapore Zoo covers a vast array of species, the Night Safari specifically curates and displays animals that are active at night, offering a specialized wildlife experience.
Atmosphere and Sensory Experience: The low, “moonlight” illumination, combined with the sounds of the active jungle at night, creates a distinctly mysterious and atmospheric sensory experience that is fundamentally different from a brightly lit daytime zoo or a wide-open natural safari.
Combination of Tram and Walk: While some safaris offer either walking or driving, the Night Safari’s seamless integration of a guided tram ride for broader overview and multiple walking trails for closer exploration is a well-refined and popular model for nocturnal parks.
Innovative Lighting Technology: The specific lighting design to enable human viewing without disrupting nocturnal animal behavior was a pioneering achievement and remains a key technological and design marvel.
Direct Conservation Impact: Its strong track record of breeding endangered nocturnal species, particularly those challenging to breed in captivity (like the Sunda pangolin), highlights a direct and unique contribution to global conservation efforts that visitors directly support.