You've not seen a proper zoo until you've travelled to one of Singapore's four existing zoological parks. Making up the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, these attractions are sprawling, immersive playgrounds with beautifully landscaped wildlife exhibits—the most recent example being the awe-inspiring Bird Paradise with its eight stunning walk-through aviaries. And it's now official: a fifth zoological park will open in March 2025, an adventure-based marvel called Rainforest Wild Asia.
What makes Rainforest Wild Asia unique is that it will be Asia's first adventure-based zoological park. It's designed as a lush rainforest, painstakingly recreated from 7,000 Southeast Asian trees and shrubs across ten different zones. Those who love a thrill will get a kick out of high-adrenaline experiences like freefall jumps from 20 metres, rock face traverses, and caving adventures. You'll have to purchase these separately from your entry ticket, but hey, not many people can say they've caved in a zoo. If you just want to take it easy, you can simply stroll along elevated walkways and forest trails threaded through the 13-hectare park.
Another thing to look out for: immersive recreations of some of Asia's most majestic attractions. Highlights include The Karsts, filled with formations not unlike the jagged limestone pillars you'd find in Northern Vietnam. This habitat will be home to primates and a challenging via ferrata climbing route. Then there's The Cavern, modelled after the UNESCO World Heritage Site-listed Mulu Caves in Sarawak. Mandai Wildlife Reserve's design team took pains to digitally scan rock features in the cave to recreate exact models for the zoo. That's your cue to take a close look at them (and the racer snakes and giant black scorpions!) while you're exploring these subterranean depths.
Of course, there are more animal species to look forward to (29 in total), including Malayan tigers at the Rock Cascade habitat and Javan langurs and red-shanked douc langurs at The Canopy habitat. Just get a full download of what to expect at Rainforest Wild Asia here. But whatever it is, the new park promises a spectacular (and convincing) gambol in a rainforest. Who knows, it might convince you to book that trek through the wilds of Borneo.
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