Guide to Singapore Zoo

By Katie Sagal
family-feeding-elephant-zoo-children

Animal lovers will relish the opportunity to visit this immensely popular zoo. Singapore Zoo is designed around the concept of housing animals in naturalistic environments and is home to more than 300 different species. It’s also one of the most beloved animal parks in the region and attracts around two million visitors per year. Come here to encounter a wide array of fauna from across the globe, including everything from Asian elephants and sea lions to reptiles and the world’s largest population of captive orangutans. Spanning multiple themed areas, the zoo itself is an expansive animal park that takes hours upon hours to explore fully, so be sure to prepare in advance of your visit. To help you plan your time at Singapore Zoo, we’ve put together this helpful guide. It’s designed to make the most of your zoo experience and includes tips for visiting, must-see exhibits, and ways to save on admission.

Singapore Zoo Tickets

Looking for discount Singapore Zoo tickets? Snag a Go Singapore pass. You’ll spend less on admission to the Singapore Zoo and dozens of other popular area attractions. Save up to 52% on combined admission versus paying at the gate. What’s more, you can choose from two pass options:

  • All-Inclusive Pass – All you can do for one fixed price. Includes admission to the zoo as well as 30+ attractions.
  • Explorer Pass – Choose a number of attractions and visit them over a 30-day period. Includes admission to the zoo plus your choice of other attractions.

Singapore Zoo Tips for Visiting

white-tiger-forest-singapore-zoo
  • Singapore Zoo covers a great deal of terrain—we recommend hopping aboard the tram to get around easier (especially if you are traveling with kids or an individual with impaired mobility).
  • We definitely recommend consulting the Singapore Zoo map prior to your visit. It will help you plan your path through the zoo and highlight what you want to see the most.
  • Those traveling with little ones who need a bit of help getting them around might want to rent a stroller or wagon.
  • If you’re visiting the zoo with some extra bags or your luggage, you can opt to rent a locker or leave your oversized luggage at the Rental Services counter for a small fee.
  • Don’t forget the basics: sunscreen, an umbrella, comfortable walking shoes, and bug spray. See our section below for more on what to bring.
  • Flash photography is prohibited for the sake of the animals—keep this in mind when snapping photos of your favorite critters.
  • All animal shows are included with park admission! If you’d like to enjoy one of these special events, consult the show schedule.
  • For those who do intend to take in an animal show, the zoo recommends that you arrive 15 minutes prior to the show start to get the best seats.
  • Likewise, you have the option to feed certain animals during pre-designated times. Check out the feeding schedule for reference.

When is the Best Time to Go to Singapore Zoo?

You should plan to spend a full day at the zoo. It’s also advisable to go early to avoid the crowds as well as to increase the likelihood of seeing animals at their most active. The more time you allow yourself to spend at the zoo, the more feedings and keeper talks you can enjoy. These special experiences take place at scheduled intervals throughout the day; consult the operating calendar before your visit to see what you’ll catch during your trip.

What to Bring

  • Water: Singapore Zoo is massive, so you’ll definitely need to stay hydrated. It’s an especially hot climate during the warmer months so extra water is highly recommended.
  • Sunscreen: Ditto for sunscreen—you’ll be outside in hot weather quite a bit and the last thing you want is a bad sunburn.
  • Umbrella: The climate in Singapore can be temperamental, so be prepared for a sudden downpour. A rain poncho wouldn’t hurt either.
  • Camera: One of the best parts of Singapore Zoo is the many opportunities you’ll get to see unique animals up close. Capture these moments with a camera or camera phone so you can remember your experience.
  • Picnic: While the zoo offers plenty of dining options, you can save money by bringing your own picnic lunch. Please remember to eat only in designated picnic areas.
  • Insect Repellent: It also gets quite buggy in the zoo, especially with so much natural vegetation devoted to the animal enclosures. Be sure to use bug spray or another form of insect repellent.

What to Do at the Zoo

views-around-bird-paradise-mandai-reserve

Singapore Zoo encompasses a wide array of themed animal exhibits that are designed to mimic the animals’ natural habitat. We’ve highlighted the different zones below and which animals are found within each one. Australasia Featuring a selection of marsupials from Australia, Indonesia, and New Guinea, this exhibit host kangaroos, wallabies, pygmy hippos, cassowaries, and more. Elephants of Asia This beautiful exhibit is designed to evoke the cultural significance of elephants as well as their natural environment. The human spaces feature Burmese architecture, while the animal spaces include plenty of space for this herd of five female elephants to play. Fragile Forest Contained within a vast biodome, this exhibit mimics a tropical rainforest habitat. Your path through the exhibit will evoke a journey through the rainforest as you encounter animals from insects and frogs, to lemurs and sloths. Frozen Tundra This exhibit captures the climate of the Arctic region to make its inhabitants feel right at home. Meet raccoon dogs from Japan and a pair of wolverines - and remember to bundle up as you walk through this area. Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia Echoing the ever-changing landscape of this unique part of Ethiopia, this exhibit houses animals that are found throughout its namesake. Catch glimpses of jackals, meerkats, baboons, and the grand ibex. Primate Kingdom The fun part about this exhibit is the fact that each primate gets its own designated “island” area to live and play in. The moats surrounding each island are filled with fish, and the islands are filled with bamboo, wild grass, and palms to keep the monkeys happy. Rainforest KidzWorld Perfect for your little ones, this section of the Singapore Zoo is filled with friendly critters. Your kids can learn all about a wide variety of animals and even “make friends” with some of the gentler ones, from rabbits and ferrets to goats and ponies. There are keeper talks and animal feedings here as well, with opportunities for young visitors to interact with select species. Plus, there’s a number of entertainment opportunities for energetic kids including a Wild Animal Carousel and a spray fountain. Reptile Garden Encompassing a number of sub-areas—including RepTopia, Tortoise Shell’ter, and Sungei Buaya—the Reptile Garden is home to these fascinating scaly, slimy, and slithery creatures. RepTopia alone houses more than 60 different species in four distinct geographical zones. Treetops Trail Also evocative of a rainforest, this is one of the more immersive exhibits in the zoo. Animals in this zone live together as they would in the wild, with multiple species spread across the different layers of the forest. Be sure to visit the elevated platform to see the critters in the canopy! Wild Africa One of the most remarkably diverse continents, Africa is home to some of the most exciting and amazing species in the entire world. This exhibit recreates that biodiversity to great effect, housing all your favorites including zebras, lions, cheetahs, rhinos, painted dogs, and more.

Where to Eat at the Zoo

There are plenty of dining options within the zoo itself, including everything from fast food and ice cream to the Ah Meng Kitchen (which features sumptuous local cuisine). You can also find the Wild Deli (which includes gourmet sandwiches and pizzas) and the Chawang Bistro (selling everything from seafood pasta to hotdogs).

Save on Tickets with a Go Singapore Pass

The Go Singapore Pass® is the best choice for saving and flexibility. Get Singapore Zoo tickets, plus admission to several other top area attractions. You’ll save up to 52% on museums, tours, and activities versus paying at the gate!

Katie Sagal
Go City Travel Expert

Continue reading

Things to do Alone in Singapore
Blog

Things to do Alone in Singapore

Sometimes, you just need some time away from people. Interaction is great and all, but getting some space to be alone and clear your head is necessary once in a while. It's the same with vacations. Some may be fun to spend with friends and family, while others might be better off alone. So, if you're visiting Singapore this year by yourself and want to know what's good, we've got you covered. In this list of the best things to do alone in Singapore, we'll cover all of the city's best bits while riding solo. And who knows, you might even meet a special someone along the way. Including: City tours by bus, boat, or bike Gardens by the Bay Nature Kayaking Adventure at Pulau Ubin Virtual Reality Fighter Jet Experience Singapore Zoo and more! Image courtesy of Towfiqu ahamed barbhuiya/Shutterstock Big Bus Singapore If you're traveling alone, the thought of solo sightseeing probably fills you with giddy glee. Without the hindrance of human connection, you're free to soak up all the culture and landmarks with quiet contemplation and a keen ear. And where better to see all of Singapore's best bits than on a bus tour of the city? Thanks to the hop-on, hop-off nature of the tour, you can get off at any landmark, explore, and then hop on the next bus to move on. Your audio guide will fill you in on all the history of each stop, giving you insight into the era they were built. If you're interested in the melting pot of cultures present in the city, take the red line to see the likes of Chinatown, Little India, and Kampong Glam. Or, if you're in it for the spectacle, take the yellow line to see Singapore's most famous attractions like the Gardens by the Bay, Orchard Road, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore Art Museum, and Raffles Hotel. Historical Singapore Bicycle Tour If you prefer your sightseeing on two wheels with a dollop of adrenaline, then why not take a bike tour of the city instead? With your expert guide in tow, you'll visit many of Singapore's highlights, including Chinatown, the Singapore River, Boat, Clarke & Robertson Quays, Kampong Glam, The Museum District, and more. They'll make sure to keep you in the loop with the history, culture, and big events that have taken place in each area. And, over the course of the four-hour tour, you'll work up a nice sweat to boot - the perfect remedy to your calorific evening excursions! Singapore River Cruise And to round out our sightseeing portion of the day, if bikes and buses don't quite cut it, see the city from a different perspective on a Singapore river cruise! Board a traditional bumboat, and you'll float in style past famous sights like Old Parliament House, Raffles' Landing Site, Fullerton Hotel, Esplanade, The Merlion Park, and Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort. Just make sure your phones or cameras are at the ready - you'll want to snap dozens of pictures to the envy of everyone else. Gardens by the Bay One of the best things to do alone is to experience nature in its most peaceful form. And in Singapore, you've got the Gardens by the Bay, one of the most recognizable green spaces on the planet. Over 101 hectares and filled with 1.5 million plants from all over the world, you'll explore indoor and outdoor gardens, lakes, conservatories, huge sculptures, artwork, and more. Its beauty is so widely known that you might even recognize it - many films and TV shows have filmed scenes amid its luscious flora. Be sure to check out the Flower Dome, the world's largest glass greenhouse. Inside, you'll find displays representative of five continents, including 1000-year-old olive trees. And if you want to add a cinematic sheen to your visit, check out Avatar: The Experience at Cloud Forest. This immersive experience will transport you to Pandora and allow you to marvel at its cascading waterfalls, spiraling walkways, and fantastical creatures. Nature Kayaking Adventure at Pulau Ubin This is the second time on this list we'll be heading onto the water. But this time, you're free to go at your own pace. Well, to a degree. Ketam Island is one of the last villages in Singapore, so go exploring on this kayak adventure! You and a few others will join an expert guide as you roam the waters around Pulau Ubin, home to Ketam Island. Alongside the rustic village, you'll find plenty of untouched natural beauty, good vibes, and fresh air to fill your lungs with. And your guide will be happy to fill your withered brain with sweet, sweet knowledge about all the flora, fauna, and culture you'll find. If you're looking for relaxing things to do alone in Singapore, this kayak adventure should be top of your itinerary! Virtual Reality Fighter Jet Experience If you've ever wanted to take to the skies in a fighter jet, you can do the next best thing with this VR Fighter Jet Experience! Perfect for solo travelers, you'll get basic training from a qualified instructor. Then, you'll hop in the virtual cockpit and be pulling corkscrews, loops, and flashing past American landmarks like the Grand Canyon to the Golden Gate Bridge. All that without ever leaving the ground. Nice. Then, when you're done, you can attempt landing a multi-million dollar piece of tech. Good luck. Singapore Zoo And finally, we'll end our exploration of things to do alone in Singapore with a little visit to the animal kingdom. At Singapore Zoo, you'll have the chance to meet thousands of exotic animals from across the globe. If you like orangutans, lions, giraffes, cheetahs, crocodiles, monkeys, rhinos, and zebras, you'll be in your element. But this isn't any old zoo. It's more of an open concept, landing somewhere between a zoo and a safari. That means more space for the animals and happier animals as a result. And that's everything you need to know about things to do alone in Singapore! Looking for more fun things to do on your vacation? Check out Go City. With our Explorer Pass and All-Inclusive Pass, you can pick and choose the best of Singapore for one low price. Even things to do with others, if you happen to meet someone on your solo travels!
Dom Bewley
Woman exploring colorful buildings in Singapore's Little India neighborhood
Blog

Things to do on a Weekend in Singapore

Looking for things to do on a weekend to Singapore? While 48 hours is never going to be enough time to soak up everything this space-age metropolis has to offer, it’s plenty to get a flavor of the Garden City and its many intoxicating sights, sounds and smells. From sightseeing strolls through Chinatown and Kampong Glam to lazing on tropical beaches and sampling Singaporean specialities in the lively hawker markets, here’s our pick of some of the finest ways to while away a weekend in Singapore, including: Gardens by the Bay Epic bike rides and city sightseeing strolls Amazing nature reserves Foodie fave hawker centers Sentosa’s top beaches Cinemas and cocktails Fabulous free light shows Gardens by the Bay Instantly recognizable thanks to its iconic supertree structures that dominate the bay, Gardens by the Bay is one of Singapore’s top attractions – and with good reason! But did you know you can visit many parts of this iconic 250-acre park for free? That’s right, a stroll between the trunks of the majestic Supertree Grove is absolutely gratis, though you’ll have to cough up a few dollars if you want to explore the elevated walkway. There are certainly worse ways to spend a Saturday morning than by grabbing a coffee and breakfast roti and finding a quiet spot to relax with a good book in the tranquil Bay East Garden, with its manicured lawns, pretty flower gardens and sweeping views of the Singapore skyline. Get on Your Bike Singapore has a world-class cycling infrastructure, with dedicated bike lanes downtown and dozens of routes for escaping the bustle of the city and exploring the rest of the island. There are plenty of cycling tours around the city’s main attractions but we recommend renting some bikes and going it alone. The Central Urban Loop provides a (literal) breath of fresh air as you pedal your way out from beneath the skyscrapers and into a network of paths that traverse the city’s many excellent parks, gardens, waterways and woodlands. Or, if you’re feeling particularly sprightly one Sunday morning, you could even consider taking on a section of the epic Round Island Route, a 150-kilometer coastal trail that takes in some of the best ocean and bay views in the country. Take a Sightseeing Stroll A weekend wander from Chinatown to Little India (or vice versa) rewards even the most jaded traveler. Chinatown’s labyrinth of narrow streets is an Instagrammer’s dream, packed with ornate temples, bustling markets and, of course, steaming grills and pots heady with the aromas of Peking duck and kung pao chicken. Wander east to Kampong Glam, Singapore’s vibrant Muslim district, where the mosque’s huge golden dome and countless colorful Peranakan shopfronts in cactus greens, turmeric yellows and chili reds make for more great photo opportunities. Then make for Little India where a well-earned lunch of spicy fish-head curry awaits. Get Back to Nature Weekends are made for communing with nature, right? And where better to do so than on an island that’s made up of more than 50 per cent green space. Head over to the MacRitchie Reservoir nature reserve where you can spot abundant native wildlife including monitor lizards and macaques, and get a birds’ eye view from the dizzying 250-meter suspension bridge that forms the Treetop Walks. You can easily while away a lazy Sunday here, whether kayaking on the reservoir, or lacing up your running shoes for a gentle jog along one of the scenic cross-country trails. Enter a Foodie Fantasy World Bodyswerve the ubiquitous international pizza and burger chains and go straight to the heart of the action in Singapore’s bustling hawker centers, where the sensational scents of sizzling satay and spicy coconut soups are enough to make a grown man weep. There are over 100 of these open-air food courts around the city, meaning delicious, cheap, freshly cooked Indian, Chinese and Malay cuisine is yours to enjoy on demand, day or night. Try local favorite satay bee hoon, in which spicy hot sauce is smothered liberally over rice vermicelli, and served with meat, fish or vegetables of your choice. The national dish of zingy chili crab is another absolute must-try. And, if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, why not give turtle soup, live octopus or century egg a spin? Hey, don’t knock them 'til you’ve tried them! Be a Beach Bum Reachable from the main island via monorail and cable car, Sentosa Island is one great big playground with thrill rides, an aquarium, Singapore’s Universal Studios outpost and, of course, several fantastic beaches. Think bone-white sands, turquoise lagoons and swaying coconut palms and you’ll be halfway there already. A free shuttle operates between the resort’s sandy Palawan, Tanjong and Siloso beaches, so all you need to remember is your bathing costume, a bottle of sunscreen and a giant pair of Jackie O sunglasses. Have a go on the adrenaline-pumping giant swing that soars high above Siloso Beach if you dare! Swig a Singapore Sling A Singapore institution of some 135 years standing, the colonial-style Raffles Hotel has hosted a who’s who of glamorous household names through the decades: Elizabeth Taylor, Christian Louboutin, Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin and Queen Elizabeth II, to name-drop just a few. So you’ll be in good company when you pop by this Garden City icon for an equally iconic Singapore Sling, the tropical cocktail for which the hotel, in spite of its many celebrity guests, is best-known. This boozy blend of gin, cherry brandy, pineapple, grenadine, lime juice and bitters is the perfect start to your Saturday night. Movie Night Weekend activities don’t get much better than sinking into a comfy seat in a hushed cinema theater with the smell of freshly popped corn hanging in the air. Singapore has plenty of cinemas to choose from. Head for the huge GVMax screen at the Golden Village VivoCity multiplex for the latest Hollywood blockbusters, or mosey over to Projector X: Riverside or the ArtScience Museum if under-the-radar indie flicks and documentaries paired with trendy cocktail lists are more your thing. But remember: no-one is too old or too cool to enjoy a bucket of sweet and salty popcorn with their movie. See the City Lights There’s a duo of splendiferous light shows in the bay every evening. The light and music spectacular at the Gardens by the Bay kicks off every evening around 7:45PM and sees the iconic supertree structures burst into colorful life. Over at the Marina Bay Sands resort, the Spectra light and water show features dancing fountains as well as dazzling visual projections, lasers and mist effects, all backed by a rousing orchestral soundtrack. There are shows at 8, 9 and 10PM on Friday and Saturday nights, making this a great weekend activity when visiting Singapore. Best of all, both shows are completely free! Save on attractions and activities in Singapore Save on admission to Singapore attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Children at Singapore Zoo
Blog

Wild Escapes: Top Things to Do Near Singapore Zoo

Singapore Zoo is just the beginning—discover top picks nearby for more wild fun!

Have a 5% discount, on us!

Sign up to our newsletter and receive exclusive discounts, trip inspiration and attraction updates straight to your inbox.