Towards the end of 2012, the Wildlife Reserve Singapore opened the River Safari, which highlights the Giant Panda Forest, the new home of Kai Kai and Jia Jia, two exotic Giant Pandas. Recently, I was fortunate enough to get a chance to visit the River Safari and it was truly a spectacular experience.
Interestingly, just like Capella Singapore, the River Safari is set on 30 acres of tropical rainforest. It is a river-themed zoo located right in between the Singapore Zoological Gardens and Night Safari. As its name suggests, the River Safari is inspired by eight of the world’s most famous rivers, like the Nile, Congo, Ganges, Yangtze just to name a few.
My favorite part of the experience was learning about the different rivers and their unique eco systems. At the Yangtze River, you can find exotic Chinese Giant Salamanders, while the Mekong River housed the endangered and rare Giant Catfish and Giant Stingrays. Over at the Congo River and Mississippi River, you can find the world’s smallest crocodile, the African Dwarf Crocodile, a mesmerizing Jewel Cichlid and North America’s largest fresh water fish, the impressive Alligator Gar.
In addition to the exotic marine species, the River Safari also features an array of adorable mammals like the famed Giant Pandas, Kai Kai and Jia Jia as wells as the sedentary Red Pandas.
At the Giant Panda Forest, there is also a quaint restaurant called Mama Panda Kitchen, which is a must-try. True to its namesake, the restaurant is Panda themed and features traditional Chinese dishes with a modern twist—like the steamed Tau Sa Pau (Red Bean Paste Bun) in shape and with the face of a panda.
While the River Safari is still not fully open, the completed park is expected to be ready later this year. The new section will feature the Amazon River quest where you will find other interesting creatures like the White-Faced Saki Monkey, a Two-Toed Sloth, Brazilian Tapir and many others.
If you are planning a holiday to Singapore, be sure to save a day to visit the River Safari. What is perfect is that the Singapore Zoological Gardens, River Safari and Night Safari are all connected and the Personal Assistants at Capella Singapore are more than happy to arrange for you to visit all three attractions.
