Mandai Wildlife Reserve Guide: Parks, Tickets, Timings and Getting There

Mandai Wildlife Reserve is the green corner of northern Singapore that holds five wildlife parks — Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders, Bird Paradise and Rainforest Wild Adventure — and Exploria, an indoor nature attraction. The day parks open at 8.30am or 9am and close at 6pm, and the Night Safari runs from 6pm to midnight, so two day parks and the Night Safari fit into one long day. The reserve is about 30 minutes' drive from the city.

This guide plans the whole reserve: which parks sit together, how many you can honestly see in a day, which ticket covers what, and how to get there and back at night. Every park and ticket below links to its page under Things To Do in Mandai, where the all-in price is shown — in rupees if you are browsing from India.

The Mandai parks at a glance

Three names have changed, and the old ones still turn up in itineraries and searches. Bird Paradise replaced Jurong Bird Park, which closed on 3 January 2023; Bird Paradise opened at Mandai that May. Rainforest Wild Adventure opened as Rainforest Wild ASIA, and River Wonders used to be River Safari. If an older plan names the old park, it means the new one.

EAST and WEST: the layout that decides your day

Mandai has two entrance precincts a short ride apart. Mandai Wildlife EAST, at 80 Mandai Lake Road, is the way in to Singapore Zoo, River Wonders, the Night Safari, Exploria, Curiosity Cove and the east zone of Rainforest Wild Adventure. Mandai Wildlife WEST, at 20 Mandai Lake Road, is the way in to Bird Paradise and the west zone of Rainforest Wild Adventure. One Rainforest Wild admission covers both zones, in either order.

Crossing between them is easy: the free M1 and M2 buses link EAST and WEST, the M1 every 15 minutes through the day, and the walk takes about 15 minutes. It still shapes the plan. The Zoo, River Wonders and the Night Safari are all entered from EAST, so a day built on those three never needs the bus; a day with Bird Paradise in it includes one crossing.

How many Mandai parks can you do in one day?

The clock decides this more than the animals do. Every day park takes its last visitors at 5pm, and the Night Safari's trails and tram start at 7pm. That leaves three honest shapes for a day:

• One day park and the Night Safari. The relaxed version: arrive at lunchtime, give the afternoon to the Zoo or Bird Paradise, eat between 6pm and 7pm, and be at the tram when it starts.
• Two day parks and the Night Safari. A full day from opening to late evening. It works if you start at 8.30am and are content with the highlights of each park rather than every exhibit.
• All six attractions in one day. This is what Mandai's 1-Day Destination Pass is for, and the pass Mandai itself recommends to visitors on a short stay. You get a taste of every park, not all of any of them. Mandai also sells a 5-Day version that spreads the same six over several days.

With small children or grandparents in the party, the first shape is the kinder one. The Night Safari runs late, and a family that has been walking since 8.30am reaches the tram already tired.

Five ways to plan Mandai

1. The Zoo by day, the Night Safari after dark

This is the pairing the opening hours were made for. Singapore Zoo closes at 6pm, the Night Safari opens at 6pm, and both are entered from Mandai Wildlife EAST, so there is no bus and no gap to fill beyond dinner. Start the Zoo after lunch if you want energy left for the night. The Mandai 2-Park tickets sell this pair on one ticket, or buy Singapore Zoo tickets and Night Safari tickets separately.

2. Three parks from EAST in one long day

The Zoo from 8.30am, River Wonders in the afternoon for the giant pandas and the Amazon Flooded Forest, then the Night Safari. All three start from EAST. Add River Wonders tickets to a Zoo and Night Safari pair, or compare that with the six-attraction Destination Pass, which covers all three and three more.

3. An afternoon, an evening and dinner, with the transport done

Mandai 3 Attractions + Indian Buffet Dinner is our own combination: Bird Paradise, then Exploria, then the Night Safari, with an Indian buffet dinner at The Courtyard Cafe and shared hotel transfers both ways. It runs in the order the last entries force — Bird Paradise takes its last visitors first, the Night Safari last — and suits a family that would rather not work out buses after dark. It is not a Mandai pass: Mandai sells passes for two attractions and for six, not three.

4. All six in a day, with return transfers

The Mandai Multi-Attraction Destination Pass with return transfers is Mandai's 1-Day pass for all six attractions — Singapore Zoo, River Wonders, Bird Paradise, the Night Safari, Rainforest Wild Adventure and Exploria — with a shared pick-up from your hotel in the morning and a ride back after the Night Safari. It is the plan for a short stay that wants all of Mandai at once. It is sold for hotels in the city area and booked at least two days ahead. The transfer is shared and runs to set times, so be in the lobby at the start of the pick-up window the page gives: the driver waits two minutes.

5. Two days: WEST one day, EAST the next

For animal lovers, or anyone who finds the six-in-a-day pace too much. Spend the first day at Bird Paradise and Rainforest Wild Adventure, whose west zone is beside Bird Paradise, and the second at the Zoo, River Wonders and the Night Safari. For day one, buy Bird Paradise tickets and Rainforest Wild Adventure tickets; for day two, the Zoo and Night Safari pair plus River Wonders. To use Mandai's 5-Day pass instead, ask us through Plan My Trip.

Which Mandai ticket to buy

• One park: single admission to the Zoo, the Night Safari, River Wonders, Bird Paradise or Rainforest Wild Adventure, each on its own page from the table above.
• Two parks: the Mandai 2-Park tickets come in seven pairings — Zoo + Night Safari, Zoo + River Wonders, Zoo + Bird Paradise, Bird Paradise + River Wonders, Night Safari + Bird Paradise, Night Safari + River Wonders, and Night Safari + Rainforest Wild.
• Three or more: the six-attraction Destination Pass, ours with return transfers included. Each page shows its price, so compare it against the single tickets you would otherwise buy.
• Tickets already bought, transport needed: Night Safari shared transfers are a round trip from your hotel, admission not included. Runs to other attractions are on our shared attraction transfers page.

Child tickets are for ages 3 to 12. Children under 3 go in free when they are with an adult over 21 who holds a ticket to the same attraction.

What the ticket includes, and what it does not

• The Night Safari tram is included. Mandai's terms include the tram or shuttle in Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Bird Paradise admission, and our Night Safari ticket is sold with the tram ride.
• The Night Safari needs a time slot. Mandai asks every Night Safari guest to select one. The trails and tram start at 7pm, so the earlier your slot, the more of the evening you have.
• The Amazon River Quest boat is a separate ticket. On our River Wonders page it is sold on its own and does not include entry to the park, so buy River Wonders admission as well.
• Rainforest Wild Adventure+ activities are in the admission. Mandai says a single admission includes up to five. The Canopy Glider needs a booking, released two hours ahead in 30-minute slots; covered shoes are compulsory for the activities, and Mandai advises against dresses and skirts on them.
• Curiosity Cove is not in any pass. The indoor play area for children 12 and under is sold by session, and adults go in only with a paying child.

Getting to Mandai and back

By MRT and the M2 bus

Take the North-South Line to Khatib (NS14) and leave by Exit A for the passenger pick-up point. The M2 Khatib Bus leaves every 15 minutes (every 20 minutes after 11pm) and reaches the reserve in about 20 minutes. It runs from 8.30am to midnight, and the last bus from Khatib leaves at 11.40pm. The fare is S$2.50 for each passenger aged 7 and above; children under 7 ride free, and riding between the parks inside the reserve is free if you tell the bus captain when you board.

The M2 takes no cash. You pay by tapping an EZ-Link card, a contactless Visa, Mastercard or American Express card, or Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay. RuPay is not on Mandai's list, so if that is the only card you carry, bring a Visa or Mastercard as well.

Public buses 138, from Ang Mo Kio or Springleaf MRT, and 927, from Choa Chu Kang MRT, also stop at the reserve at ordinary fares.

By taxi or ride-hail

Mandai is about a 30-minute drive from the city. The taxi stands are at EAST Exit 3 and WEST Exit 2. A S$5 surcharge applies to taxis leaving the reserve between 1pm and 11.59pm — including a taxi booked through an app — but not to private-hire cars.

By shared transfer from your hotel

The ride back is the part to plan before you go: the Night Safari closes at midnight and the city is half an hour away. Our Night Safari shared transfers collect you from your hotel in the early evening and bring you back after the Night Safari, and the Destination Pass and 3 Attractions packages above include transfers both ways.

Free things to do at Mandai

The Mandai Boardwalk is a free 3.3 km walk along the edges of River Wonders and Singapore Zoo, open from 7am to 7pm with last entry at 6pm. Mandai puts a leisurely walk at 70 to 85 minutes; it is wheelchair accessible and you may bring food. The EAST and WEST precincts are also free to walk around, which helps when part of a group wants to rest while the others finish a park.

Staying at Mandai

Mandai is an easy day out from a city hotel. If you would rather wake up at the reserve, Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree is a 338-room resort at 60 Mandai Lake Road, with a free shuttle to the parks. It makes sense for a two-day Mandai visit; on a city-based trip, the transfers above are the simpler answer.

Park-by-park guides

• Singapore Zoo guide — the zones, Orangutan Island, feeding sessions and KidzWorld.
• Night Safari guide — the four trails, the tram, the time slot and getting back at night.
• River Wonders guide — the giant pandas, the Amazon Flooded Forest and the boat ride.
• Bird Paradise guide — the aviaries, Penguin Cove and Egg Splash.
• Rainforest Wild ASIA guide — opening hours, both zones and the Adventure+ activities.

Practical tips

• Last entry is 5pm at every day park. If you are doing two, be at the second by mid-afternoon.
• Carry an umbrella or a poncho. Most of Mandai is outdoors, and a shower should not end the day.
• Wear covered shoes for Rainforest Wild Adventure, where they are compulsory on the activities, and comfortable ones everywhere else.
• Download the Mandai App for maps and, at Rainforest Wild Adventure, the Adventure+ waiting times.
• Check what is closed on your date. Exhibits close for upgrading from time to time, and each park's page on mandai.com lists them. In hazy weather, check haze.gov.sg before you go.

Mandai as part of a Singapore trip

Mandai takes one day of a Singapore holiday, two if your family loves animals; the other big days of a first visit are Sentosa, Marina Bay and Gardens by the Bay. Every Mandai ticket is on Things To Do in Mandai, and the whole catalogue on Things To Do in Singapore. Our Singapore Tour Packages combine hotels, airport transfers and attraction tickets, and for a trip built around a Mandai day, send your dates through Plan My Trip.

Photo: Mandai Wildlife Group.