The world first wildlife park designed for night-time viewing, the Singapore Night Safari opened in 1994 alongside the older zoo in the forested Mandai district. After dark, when most zoos close, it comes alive, using subtle, moonlight-like lighting to let visitors watch nocturnal animals going about their natural business under cover of darkness. Spread across a large tract of secondary rainforest, the park is divided into geographical regions home to creatures from the Himalayan foothills to the South-East Asian jungle and the plains of Africa. A tram ride loops through much of the grounds with a live or recorded commentary, while a series of walking trails lets visitors linger over particular habitats on foot. The careful lighting design is central to the experience. Bright enough to see by but dim enough not to disturb the animals, it reveals creatures such as tapirs, leopards, civets, hyenas and herds of deer that are usually hidden or asleep during daytime visits. Few fences are visible, with moats and planting used to separate animals from paths. A nightly show featuring naturally nocturnal animals, along with restaurants and a themed entrance village, rounds out the visit, and feeding sessions and keeper talks punctuate the evening. The cool of the night air makes it a comfortable alternative to the heat of a daytime attraction. As one of four wildlife parks in the Mandai cluster, the Night Safari can be combined with the zoo, River Wonders and Bird Paradise, and visitors often pair an afternoon at one with an evening here. Its novel premise and atmospheric setting have made it one of the most distinctive and popular attractions in the country. The concept was a bold gamble when it opened, untested anywhere else, and its success spawned imitators and cemented the city reputation for innovative wildlife attractions. Much thought goes into the welfare of animals whose natural rhythms are nocturnal, with the lighting and the flow of visitors managed to keep disturbance to a minimum. The park also plays a part in breeding and conservation programmes for threatened species, and its research feeds into wider efforts to protect wildlife in the region. For visitors, the chance to watch creatures that daytime zoos can only show asleep gives the experience a genuine sense of discovery, heightened by the hush and the half-light of the forest at night.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: 80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore, Singapore

Website: https://www.mandai.com/en/night-safari.html

Opening Date: 26/05/1994