Singapore Zoo

Wrote this a little a little while ago and never posted it but, went to the zoo today and thought it was an apposite time to post it. Nothing's changed, it's still great value and entertainment!

Situated at the heart of the Central Catchment Area in the north of the Island, Singapore Zoo is one of the larger jewels in the country’s richly encrusted crown. Popular with locals and tourists alike, the zoo lays claim to an extensive collection of animals (over 2500 at last count) and numerous attractions. There is more than enough to keep a family occupied for a day and still want to come back for more. The Zoo sprawls over 28 hectares, a big space in a small country. This means that even when the car park is busy there is still space inside to call your own. The Zoo opens out in front of you as you explore the many pathways that lead from the entrance through the primeval feeling tropical plants. Exhibits nestle in amongst the green, lush plants and flowers that adorn the zoo making it a much more natural experience than some other old concrete relics.

There are several big draws when it comes to the animals themselves, chief among them the orang-utans. The ‘free-ranging’ buffoonery (the collective noun for the group), live in a very large enclosure which allows them to roam through the trees above your heads, the young orang-utans being gently chided by the patriarch of the group. For something really special, get there early to experience breakfast with these “men of the forest” (advance bookings are recommended). Other animals get their meal times throughout the day so you will always be guaranteed to be able to watch the inhabitants enjoy their food, whether it is the Water Monitor Lizards, Lions or Chimpanzees. You can even feed some of them yourself although I wouldn’t recommend volunteering to feed the King Cobra!

Arriving early is advisable, especially with younger children. You get to enjoy the coolest part of the day and there’s still plenty of shade for the little ones. It is also the quietest time of the day, Singaporeans are not renowned for getting up and out too early! The whole Zoo is stroller and wheelchair friendly (wheelchairs can be obtained at the entrance at no extra cost), with all attractions being accessible via ramps. If you get fed up with pushing a stroller, why not opt for one of the electric scooters that are available to hire? You can even put the kids to work by pulling one of the wagons available to rent. Mind you, it's hot work when the sun comes out (I can fully testify to that!)

  In addition to these modes of transport you can also catch the tram (Adults S$5, Children S$3), which runs regularly throughout the day and covers a large amount of the park with unlimited hop-on hop-off stops all day. Another, more serene, way of getting about is to take the boat ride (Adults S$6, Children S$3.50) across the reservoir.

Singapore Zoo prides itself on being a learning zoo and as such has many extra exhibits to help young and old learn a little bit more about what they are seeing in front of them. In addition to this are the shows that go on through the day and are free to attend. These include Elephants at Work and Play, The Rain Forest Fights Back and Splash Safari which is held in the impressive Shaw Foundation Amphitheatre.

Kids can run wild but, be warned, if they reach the water park before you do then you’ll be there half the day! Fortunately this is no bad thing as the water park is a step up from the usual wet plays. It boasts slides, tubes, fountains and huge buckets of water periodically emptying over gleeful children’s (and occasionally adult’s) heads. If this sounds a little risky then fear not, as with most things in Singapore, safety was at the forefront during the design. The kids play until they are tired out at which point you can relax for lunch at one of the five restaurants and fast food outlets on offer. Unlike some tourist attractions the price of the food is very reasonable and tastes good too ranging from Asian to Western cuisine.

There are many ways to get to the zoo via public transport, however, due it’s location I would recommend taking a taxi ride there. Although I wouldn’t always recommend this as the mode of transport to use in Singapore it does save you time to enjoy the rest of the day and is not that expensive. This is especially true if you are travelling with children.

DO remember to bring your sunscreen, sunglasses, rain poncho and swimwear (including the adults, you’ll regret it if you don’t, one way or the other!).

DON’T expect to cover the whole zoo in a day. You will likely exhaust yourself in this very humid atmosphere and not end up enjoying it as much as if you relax and just take it easy.

Smoking in Singapore

Singapore Zoo has to rate as one of the best places to take the family on the island. Especially as I have just discovered the splash park there. Now, I know everyone already knows about it but, for one reason or another, I hadn't had the pleasure of experiencing the wet wonderland. I've seen a few splash parks in my time, as you can imagine with two small kids, but this one takes the biscuit. The effort and design that has gone into it is extraordinary. The design is such that all ages can enjoy it. It's safe, but feels adventurous. I went equipped to get a bit damp, not to fly down the water-flumes with Z and get drenched by D shooting water cannons at me. I'm glad I took a change of shorts. More than be said of T who also got soaked by our son and had to borrow my spare T-shirt. That made me laugh! So as you can tell, great fun for young and old. I'm going to be making regular excursions there from now on. Thank goodness we bought our season ticket the other week. Not to mention being able to drive there which is a real bonus. It takes the sting out of the travelling. Nothing nicer than having to wrangle two tired, irritable kids into a taxi after a hitherto lovely day. By the end of the journey you can sometimes call your sanity into question as to why you went there in the first place. But that's all in the past. Throw the kids in the car seats, buggy in the boot and drive.

Woken up with a headache today. Could be one of three things. One, I've not drunk any beer for the last few nights. Two, my son getting up at 5am (although that's practically a daily occurrence at the moment and I don't always have a headache, just a pain in the neck!). Three, and most likely, it's the haze that has appeared over Singapore in the last few days. Last night seemed particularly bad. Indeed we had begun to think the fogging crew had turned up on the wrong day! What it is, as it turns out, it's the smoke from fires in neighbouring Sumatra. Now I remember visiting Malaysia a few years ago and experiencing the same thing but a lot worse. I believe what happens is that the Sumatran farmers set fires to clear scrub and that they get a bit, well, out of control. It would seem to happen on a regular basis. Quite why no one has thought to ask them to be a bit more careful is a mystery to me. Anyway, it's smells pretty bad and Singapore's usually good air quality has taken a nose dive. A few face masks around too I've noticed. It is fairly acrid but I'm not sure a face mask is going to do much good against it. Hopefully it won't take too long to clear although there's not a breath of wind at the moment which makes it feel even warmer than usual. Even the downpour yesterday morning hasn't made much odds. If you are really concerned you can find the "haze action plan" here.

Ah, just finished my early morning swim and will finish off the blog from the poolside before I go back to see the kids. Music class this morning. Walking there with a friend. Walking? Thought that was a thing of the past!
Ah, just discovered that the photo upload is out of order for a while so you'll just have to imagine what the water park looks like until it's fixed!