Things to do in Singapore I - "Have you seen our Zoo? We have 4."

So you coming to, or are in Singapore. What's there to do?

Here are what some other visitors have suggested.

Ten Best Places to visit in Singapore (Video):

The video ten suggestions are:

1) Gardens by the Bay (GBTB) & the Supertrees

2) Cloud Forest (at GBTB)

3) Marina Bay Sands

4) Botanic Gardens

5) Singapore Zoo

6) Little India

7) Arab Street

8) Chinatown

9) Sentosa

10) Jewel

What to eat in Singapore - Youtube Lists of videos

Top Local things to do, see, & eat. - The Endless Adventure (Eric & Allison)

They visit Pulau Ubin and Sentosa, took the Singapore Flyer (Ferris Wheel), Cable Car, went kayaking, took the Vespa sidecar tour, bumboat tour, ate on a floating restaurant, and had a sailboat dinner. This is probably the opposite of a budget, backpacking tour.

A lot of tourists go to Lau Pa Sat and Satay Street (opens when the sun sets):

Shinichi (of Tabieats) shows how to have budget meals (less than $5 each) in Singapore:

Off the Tourist Track

Want to experience a little of nature and the wild(life) side of things? Buuuuut, you don't have time to trek through the jungle, muck around in the mud and grime, feeding mosquitoes and other biting insects?

Right! What you (city-slickers) need is a Zoo! Or three! And a Bird park!

Here at Mandai (pronounced the way an Australian would say "Monday"), we have the Singapore Zoological Gardens, the River Wonders (which is NOT an aquarium, but it has a HUGE aquarium featuring Dugongs a.k.a. Manatees. And Pandas! (not in the aquarium, of course.) If China has not taken them back! The Night Safari (featuring animals that are more nocturnal), and Bird Paradise. Coming soon, is "Rainforest Wild". Sooo, maybe you'll get to traipse through the rainforest after all (I do not know, at the start of 2024, what this attraction will feature). But here's an artist's (drug-induced?) rendition:

*May not depict actual experience without drugs.

Singapore Zoo, River Wonders, & Night Safari:

Singapore Zoo Guide:

River Wonders

Night Safari

Bird Paradise

But... but... how do I schedule everything? (Or how to see 4 Zoo parks in a day... or two.)

I guess if you were REALLY keen on making this a marathon, you could zip through Bird Paradise in a couple of hours (opens from 9.00), drop into River Wonders for an hour or so, break for lunch, then power through the Zoo in about 3 hours or so until closing time or close to it, break for dinner, then catch the Night Safari (opens at 6.30 I believe.) Then rush to the airport to catch your midnight flight?

But I do not think you would get the full benefit of the various parks/zoos in such a marathon. 

If you really like animals and zoos, then you might want to spend a full day (or evening in the case of the Night Safari) at each one of them. Which means 3 full days at the Zoo, River Wonders, and Bird Paradise, and you can possibly fit in Night Safari after one of the above.That's if you REALLY like zoos.

And you have the time.

A more reasonable schedule to take in all 4 parks would be to do it all over two days. If this is your plan or intent, then a multi-park ticket/pass (S$118 per adult, S$90 per child age 3 - 12) may suit you. This "Parkhopper Plus" lets you visit 4 parks over 7 days (one entry to each park), so if you're tired out after one park, you can take one day's break before you tire yourself out in the next park. If you are here for 7 days or more.

THe Singapore Zoological Gardens (S$48) is one of the larger parks with very little shelter. So if it is very sunny (hot and humid), or a very wet day, you would be at the mercy of the weather. So I would suggest planning to visit the Zoo early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the worst of the midday sun has passed. Bring wide-brimmed hats, summer clothes, water, and a portable fan if you have one. And an umbrella.

Plan your route so you get to see your favourite animals fast. If you plan just a half day here, you are unlikely to see everything unless you plan to zip around like a cheetah on cocaine. Or an amp-up rhino.

But if you plan to spend the whole day here, schedule a long lunch break during the hottest part of the day (from about 11 am to 2 pm... or later) before continuing to subject yourself to the risk of heatstroke as you explore the rest of the zoo. Alternatively, take the tram. It's not air-conditioned by it is covered, and you save your feet some extra blisters.

If you have children, KidsWorld may be another suitable place for a midday break. This is at the farthest point from the entrance. There's a playground there, a sessional petting zoo (just goats with limited opening hours), animal encounters (petting ferrets, rabbits, and other animals). The tired adults can get some refreshments. Unfortunately, I did not find any beer on tap there. (The sacrifices we make for our kids!) There's a cafe there, and a KFC. Prices are reasonable. 

Another place you could shelter from the midday sun is the Reptile House, "RepTopia". I believe this is air-conditioned. So this would be a good alternative to KidsWorld, especially if you do not have kids and worry about people getting suspicious about a middle-aged man hanging out at KidsWorld with no kids of his own... Believe me. I've been there... RepTopia, I mean!

So that's a full day at the Zoo.

Or, when it gets too hot around midday, you can break for lunch either in the zoo or just outside. If you're going to River Wonders (S$42) after lunch, it's right next to the Zoo, and there are sections that are air-conditioned. So usually, I plan to visit River Wonders in the afternoon, so I can  get respite from the heat and humidity. The Panda exhibit is very cool! The air-conditioning, I mean. The exhibit is cool too!

Alternatively, visit Bird Paradise (S48) in the afternoon after the zoo. Then head straight for Penguin Cove if you desperately need to cool off! It's even cooler than the Panda exhibit at River Wonders! Well, it felt that way to me!

Anyway, Bird Paradise tried out a new occasional programme in Dec 2023. You've heard the term, "Sleeping with the fishes"? How about "Sleeping with the penguins"? Nah... you're on vacation. If you like, you can go "Glamping with the Penguins"!

Glamping tents in Penguin Cove.

It's S$2000 per tent (!), for up to 4 persons per tent. The programme runs from 4 pm to 2 pm the next day. 

For the price of the privilege of sleeping with the penguins, you also get the benefit of waking up with the birds and getting after hours and before hours access to the park. And early morning is probably the best time to see the birds. So it's not just "glamping", is an exclusive guided tour and special, exclusive access.

Unfortunately, it is NOT a regularly scheduled event, so it would be hard to plan for. And also the costs. S$2000 even after discount (S$1700) is still a lot of money. Some may choose to spend it on access to one night at MBS with access to the instagrammable infinity pool. Unless you really love birds!

So in one day, you might visit two parks - say the Zoo, and River Wonders. Then the next day, you visit Bird Paradise, and Night Safari (S$55).

It depends on what you like. If you really like animals like lions, and tigers and rhinos and zebras, the Zoo could take you the whole day (if the day is not too hot and humid). Or even two days.

Or if you don't have enough time to catch every park, there is also the two-park package. If you include Night Safari, the package is S$96. Otherwise any other two parks is S$88. (All prices in Singapore Dollars.)