Singapore – Parrots, Pandas and Pangolins

The only clear instruction I received before coming to Singapore was that I must, absolutely must, go to Singapore Zoo, and in particular, to go on the Night Safari.  Then, whilst here, I was recommended by a friend (via a comment on this blog!) to visit the Jurong Bird Park, a place he had in turn been recommended to visit by a dear, mutual departed friend some years ago.  Duly ordered, I booked a “Parkhopper Plus” ticket to visit first Jurong, to the east of Singapore, then the trio of Zoos to the north.  Public transport is excellent in Singapore, but unfortunately, the journey to and between each of these is quite complex and time consuming, so I took another recommendation, this time from the Club Lounge staff, to use Uber.

On principle I don’t use Uber in London – partly because the one time I tried the driver didn’t turn up and I still got charged, and partly because my uncle is a black cab driver, and therefore in the battle of the taxis I felt morally bound to take that particular side.  However, here in Singapore, Uber is very common, is considerably cheaper than the flag down taxis and are driven by knowledgeable and very friendly gentlemen.  In fairness, so are the taxis, but Uber does of course have the big advantage that you pay electronically, and I’m getting low on cash.

So – Jurong.  Currently situated near a large industrial park but you wouldn’t know it, is a large, landscaped park with thousands of birds.  An obvious description perhaps, but what is unusual about it is the way in which you directly interact with the birds themselves.  I didn’t have very long there, so used the tram rather than walk all the way around, but it is certainly somewhere you could spend a whole day.  I did, however, get off and walk around the lory aviary, a huge open area, with treetop walks and rope bridges, usually filled with colourful, chattering lories.  Note – February is not the best time to visit, as the lories are having their annual health checks, so they were difficult to spot, but I did catch sight of one or two.  The other disadvantage to February, both here and at the zoos, is that it is clearly the time when they renovate and upgrade.

The other amazing aviary I walked through was the Waterfall Aviary – definitely a must-see.  Sporting the largest indoor waterfall ever built in a aviary – a bit long-winded but something they are clearly proud of – it is beautifully landscaped and while I suspect many of the birds were in hiding from the sound of chainsaws, it is nonetheless a glorious walk. The herons, flamingos and penguins all have their own sections, as do the birds of prey, and if you have a free day, I would recommend this as a great day out.

On to the zoo.  Singapore Zoo is famous for Ah Meng, the sadly departed Orang Utan that has become it’s symbol, and is commemorated in a lovely statue by the side of the lake.  I recommend the Ah Meng Restaurant – I tried the Laksa, which was spicy and filling, if a little messy (that might be just me though!).  Covering 26 hectares, you really need another full day here – there is so much to see, and the terrains are really good.  most of the monkey species are free ranging, so make sure you look outside of the obvious to see some.  There is a newish exhibit there – Back to save the future Zoo rassic Park – highlighting how many of our modern species come from ancient ones, and how we need to be concerned about creating another great extinction.  Thought-provoking, if a little scary.

My favourite exhibit, without doubt, was the Fragile Forest.  Much like the aviaries at Jurong, you walk through this exhibit, and get so close to the animals you can touch them – although strongly advised not to.  Tiny mousedeer roam free, as do lemurs, iguanas and birds of paradise, as well as monkeys and strangely coloured squirrels.  Flying foxes and lemurs are particularly interesting to watch from the feeding station – again, so close  and so tame.  Probably one of the highlights of my day, if I’m honest.

Next door is the River Safari.  Essentially an aquarium of sorts, the exhibits are sorted by river, and it’s possible to see how fish and other creatures co-exist in their different habitats.  There is a “touching” area here, where you can dip your hands in to feel what some of the creatures really feel like, really quite odd sensations.  Half way round you can hop on a short cruise around the Upper Seletar Reservoir, where you can catch glimpses of the hippos and giraffes from the zoo next door.  A must-see here is the Amazon flooded river, where you can walk below water level and see the graceful manatees gliding through the water.  Also in this part of the zoo is the Panda house – a real privilege to see the famous Singapore Zoo pandas, which are just as cute as you expect.  I almost missed it – there is a restaurant there and all the publicity is kind of kitsch, so until I actually asked whether there were really pandas there I wasn’t sure.

Then for the big event.  The Night Safari is extraordinary.  You need to book online, and you book a specific time, the reason for which is obvious when you arrive.  This is clearly one of the more popular tourist attractions – though there were plenty of locals too.  Fortunately there are plenty of restaurants and shops to keep you occupied while you wait, as well as the Thumbuakar Show – a beautifully choreographed fire-charged show.

When your time arrives you are filtered into several queues, to go either to the tram or to the night show.  During the 20 minutes or so that I was waiting – having been herded to the front of the queue – I made friends with a young man named Hannan.  An impressive native Singaporean, he works at a bank all day and is working at the Night Safari – which he loves – in order to save to go back to university for a masters.  We chatted at length about Scotland – where his sister lives – and life in Singapore.  He disappeared briefly and returned to say he had a surprise for me (I may have mentioned that tomorrow is my birthday…..).  When we were finally let through, he led me past the long queues for the Night Show to reserved seats at the front of the open air arena, where we were treated to a live “Creatures of the Night” show, complete with comedy MC and a variety of animals, a couple behind a fence (hyena and serval) and others that were clearly very tame, including an otter who was able to sort tin cans, paper cups and plastic bottles into appropriate bins. There is a recurring Eco theme here at this zoo, and they most certainly practice what they preach – even getting the animals to do it for them.

Having been instructed to find Hannan once the show was over, I did so, and he again led me past all the queues to “Priority Boarding”for the tram, where I was again given a front row seat ready for the journey around the zoo.  This is a very special experience, and as I was recommended, it is something you absolutely must do if you come to Singapore.  The tram goes slowly through a variety of terrains, in almost complete darkness, and you get really close to animals you wouldn’t expect.  An elephant family, complete with baby, a lion pride, where we just caught the lion roaring, zebra, warthogs, tigers….. the park is laid out so that you don’t see any cages or barriers, though they are clearly there, and there are cattle grids at points along the route.  It’s hard to describe how wonderful the experience is – I’m sure that a safari in Africa would be something else again, but this comes pretty close.  The animals are of course much more active at night, and seemed to be on best behaviour for their strange guests.  I didn’t take photos – no flash is allowed, but in any case it seemed wrong – this is a trip for memories, that can’t possibly be captured in a still.

There are, by the way, walking trails available, but having done all four parks in one day (not to be recommended if you can avoid it) I was, frankly, exhausted – 15,000+ steps – and found just enough energy to find Hannan once again, to thank him and wish him well, before calling on Uber to take me home.

Note: Parkhopper ticket S$79, 10% discount when you buy online, so about £40, and definitely worth it. Total Uber cost was S$55 for three considerable journeys, about £30. One of the best days out I have ever had, and worth every penny.