Fun Family Adventure at Singapore's River Safari Part 1

Singapore's River Safari map

Heading out to the newest attraction in Singapore was a sure fun family adventure!

Chinese New Year has long been a tradition followed by many Chinese and non-Chinese alike in Singapore. I guess living in Singapore had allowed us to understand the culture of many and at the same time get to partake in their traditions.

It is also the longest (as far as I know) holiday that you could have in the country which is good because that would mean a good time to relax and spend quality time with the family and try out some new things and also can be bad because most of the shops are closed, so early planning of activities is a must!

Just this week, we had five (5) days off including weekend - officially only 2 days - but an extra day off was given by the company where I work. So I took the opportunity to plan some time with my family and included in the plan was to go out and try the newest attraction in Singapore, The River Safari, the first ever river-themed park in Asia.

River Safari, Singapore

The River Safari is both a zoo and an aquarium - just nestled between the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari. So if this is your first time to visit the country, it will be worth your time for sure, to just head out to one place and be able to spend your day in three parks. To save on cost as well, there are various packages offered on ticket prices that will allow you not just to save more but enjoy more. Check out the website for park packages here.

River Safari, Singapore

The river-themed and tropical rainforest park boasts of thousands of species and wild animals both in land and aquatic. You can choose to go to two (2) different zones - Rivers of the World and the Wild Amazonia. We decided to begin our journey towards the Rivers of the World as the boat ride we booked - which is still free at the moment - is still by noon and this will be in Zone 2. The free boat ride can be found at the Amazon Square at the Wild Amazonia.

View of Rivers of the World (Zone 1) at the River Safari in Singapore

Heading out to the first river, Missisippi River, you will find what is labelled at the "greatest architect of all time", the American beaver. Do you actually know that the beaver uses its teeth to munch on woods? You will also discover the unusual spatula snouted paddlefish and the alligator gar - aptly named because it possesses a dual large teeth in its upper jaw.

An alligator gar at the River Safari, Singapore

Next stop, Congo River. According to Wikipedia, the Congo River is a river in Africa and the world's deepest river with measured depths in excess of 220 m. It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged. This powerful river is Africa's greatest source of hydropower. Here we were able to see the African dwarf crocodile and the tiger fish. While walking the wooden foot path, you will pass by River Nile and you will be mesmerized by Congo Tetrasa and the Giant Puffer Fish! 

Before going to the next attraction, do not forget to have a photo op behind a beautiful view of the river. Here you will pass by Ganges river. Three (3) makeshift boats used in the olden times can be found there. Behind, you will also see India's temple backdrop.

Murray River at the River Safari in Singapore

Moving on - the Murray River, Australia's food bowl because it produces a third of the country's food supply. This river flows for over 2,300 km. Marine animals to look for? Check out the Australian lungfish, Murray Cod and the Barramundi.

Way to the Mekong River at the River Safari in Singapore

You wouldn't miss the Mekong River which is the Mother of all the Rivers.

Don't forget though and be mesmerized by the Giant stingray and the Giant Catfish! You may want to stop for a while as there are feeding sessions plus a show to let you appreciate it more.

Still not so tired? Just move on and your next stop is the Yangtze River where you can catch sight of the world's largest amphibian, the salamander as well as the Yangtze alligator. You may or may not know, but the Yangtze river is China's longest river stretching from Qinghai (close to Tibet) all the way down to Shanghai - how's that?

The next stop is considered one of the main attractions of the park - the Giant Panda Forest! However, we decided to save the best for last and head out to the next. So you have two options, either proceed to go see the Panda Forest or go straight to the other zone, the Wild Amazonia. We actually thought it would be wiser to finish it off  since entrance to the boat ride can be found there. However, we could have decided to just finish off and see the Giant Panda's (in that manner we could have also avoided the long queue after). I guess the purpose of following the park's free map is so that one, you don't miss any of the themes and second, it will be a breeze as you go out and complete the trail. However, I didn't mind to use it as an excuse to see all of it again.

This doesn't end here. As I've said there are 2 different zones in the park - so check out Part 2 of this post!