River Wonders is Asia’s first and only river-themed wildlife park with a range of land and aquatic animals represented and on display. It is found along a narrow inlet of the Upper Seletar Reservoir near Mandai and lined up between the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari.
The 12-hectare River Wonders showcases marine life from eight iconic river habitats around the world. It first opened on 3 April 2013 as River Safari and was rebranded as River Wonders in 2021.
The wildlife park is roughly organised in the shape of a “V” with the entrance at the pointy end.
Visitors can make their way down the left side of the “V” where seven river zones are located. The Giant Pandas can be found at the end of this first leg. Visitors then cross a bridge to the right bank, which is dedicated to the Amazon River, before heading back to along the right side of the “V”, back to where they started from.
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River Wonders Wildlife Park: What to Expect
Here’s a guide to what you can expect as you take a walk through River Wonders.
Taking a left from the main entrance of River Safari, the river journey begins through a darkened air-conditioned room with multimedia presentations that introduce the Park.
River Gems, Congo River and River Nile
As you begin your journey, you will walk downhill through the River Gems sections. In the past, this area used to showcase animals from the Mississippi River with animals like the American beaver. Unfortunately, these animals are no longer on display.
Two African rivers – the Congo and the Nile – are showcased in the next section of River Wonders. Tanks with fish can be found along the walkway. There were once dwarf crocodiles at the Congo zone but they were no longer there on our last visit.
Look out for the African tigerfish, named for their striped exterior, swimming around.
Ganges and Mary River
The next zone will take you to the banks of India’s sacred river. The Indian gharial is the highlight of the Ganges River exhibit. Unlike the crocodile exhibit at the Singapore Zoo, the Indian gharial’s enclosure consists of full floor-to-ceiling glass. This allows visitors to stand side-by-side with these humongous reptiles and their distinctive snouts.
Just beside the Ganges River exhibit lies the Mary River zone. You can stop by the tanks to get a view of creatures such as the horseshoe crab.
Southeast Asia’s Mekong River
The Mekong stretches through Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and China. It is also home to the Mekong Giant Catfish, one of the world’s largest freshwater fish.
With an output of 2.5 million tonnes of fish a year, the Mekong River is the most productive river in the world. Over 4,300km long, it is also the tenth largest river. In this massive exhibit which is the size of four double-decker buses, you can get up close to river giants like the Mekong giant catfish, giant freshwater stingray and Siamese carp.
But first to get there, you will need to go past the enclosure housing crab-eating long-tailed macaques and you will come face-to-face with these monstrous river dwellers.
For a different perspective, you can head to the hut viewing area on the other side. There is a little climbing net that kids can use to get up to the viewing deck.
The Mekong Giant Catfish exhibit is impressive. The three-metre-tall viewing gallery provides visitors with an underwater perspective of these Mekong Giant Catfish. The freshwater fish can grow up to 3.2 metres in length and 300 kg in weight. Take a moment to soak in the view of these river monsters swimming back and forth.
Yangtze River and Giant Panda Forest
The Mekong River gently segues into the Yangtze River zone. Animals such as the Chinese giant salamander and the Chinese sturgeon can be found here.
However, most people will be focused on making their way to the Giant Panda Forest enclosure, a highlight of any visit to River Wonders. In fact, it almost feels like the River Wonders was built around the giant pandas.
Within the Giant Panda Forest, Kai Kai and Jia Jia, the male and female Giant Pandas respectively, make their home amid a habitat designed to simulate their native surroundings back in China’s Sichuan province.
The first animals visitors encounter when they step into the Giant Panda Forest are not the giant pandas. Instead, it is the red panda. This beautiful animal is a delight to watch and make a wonderful prelude to seeing the giant pandas.
Kai Kai is the first panda you will encounter. The viewing corridor passes right over Kai Kai’s enclosure and you would be able to catch him enjoying bamboo, oblivious and sometimes enjoying the attention of gawking onlookers.
Going past a series of educational displays about pandas, visitors get to meet Jia Jia. She can often be seen pacing up and down the slopes of her hilly habitat. If she is feeling shy for the day, she may decide to retreat to her cave.
Do take note of the need to lower speaking volumes while in the Giant Panda Forest and that no flash photography is allowed.
A gift shop and an eatery, Mama Panda Kitchen, can be found at the end of the Giant Panda Forest, helping to round off any pandas-tic encounter with these black-and-white giants.
Amazon River Quest Boat Ride
After leaving the pandas behind, you can cross a bridge to get to the other bank of the River Wonders park. This is the Wild Amazon area and the main attraction here is Amazon River Quest boat ride.
The Amazon River Quest boat ride is a separately ticketed attraction. You will need to pay $5 to ride on it to view animals that include the Brazilian tapir, capybara, giant anteater and jaguar. You won’t be able to see the animals if you don’t go on the boat ride. Therefore, this is something that you may wish to factor in when considering whether or not to visit River Wonders.
The boat ride operates from 11 am to 6 pm. Riders need to be at least 1.06 metres to ride on the boat. Take note that the ride may also be suspended in the event of inclement weather.
Once Upon a River Animal Presentations
There are also animal presentations called Once Upon A River that are held at the Boat Plaza three times a day at 11.30, 2.30 pm and 4.30 pm. This animal presentation is free but you will need to book your seats in advance.
Amazonia Encounters
As you make your way back up the inlet, you will come across the Amazonia Encounters enclosure.
This is a walk-in enclosure where you can encounter various birds and small animals.
Amazon Flooded Forest
Last stop at River Wonders is the Amazon Flooded Forest exhibit. Here, visitors get immersed in the mysterious underwater world created whenever the Amazon River floods its banks and submerges the surrounding forest.
Entering through an underwater tunnel, visitors can view a giant river otter happily swimming around. Don’t be disappointed if you don’t see them in the water as they may well be on land. An overground viewing gallery up ahead allows visitors to get a good view of their on-ground antics as well.
Passing aquarium tanks containing electric eels and piranhas, the centrepiece of the Amazon Flooded Forest is an aquatic display that simulates a submerged Amazonian forest.
Unfortunately, when we visited in October 2024, the water was cloudy as they were fixing the filtration system.
If you feel as if you are underwater, look above. A glass ceiling shows off a tank housing rays above. The light coming in filters through the water, creating a shadow play of dancing waves.
There is an ascending path that encircles the Amazon Flooded Forest display. There are multiple viewing ports along the path. These provide views of the tank’s marine life from different levels.
At the top of the ascent, it feels as if you have broken through the water’s surface to fresh air.
This leads back to where you first started your journey at River Wonders.
Thoughts about River Wonders
River Wonders is a rather small park compared to the other wildlife parks like Singapore Zoo and Bird Paradise. There are fewer animals to see and the main attractions would be the Mekong River exhibit, Giant Panda Forest, Amazon River Quest boat ride and Manatees.
It is unfortunate that extra charges apply to the Amazon River Quest boat ride. We wished that it could be part of the park admission price.
Also, it was also unfortunate the filter at the Underwater Amazon Forest was not functioning properly when we visited as it made the water cloudy and there was no visibility in what is otherwise an impressive exhibit.
Other Things to Note about River Wonders
Other things to take note of is that, beside the Mama Panda Kitchen inside the park, there is a Starbucks by the entrance outside the park.
There is also a gift shop that is accessible without having to enter the park.
Within River Wonders, there are also Ranger Buddies stations where kids can earn their Ranger Buddies badges.
The River Wonders is open every day from 10 am to 7 pm. The last entry is at 6 pm. There are various interesting activities to catch such as tours, animal presentations and a boat ride.
Get tickets to River Wonders here.
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