Singapore’s fifth wildlife park, Rainforest Wild Asia, has officially opened on March 12. The 13-hectare park is Asia’s first adventure-based zoological park that recreates the experience of a rainforest trek with free roaming animals.
Officiating the launch was Grace Fu, minister for sustainability and the environment, and minister-in-charge of trade relations.
Fu hailed the park’s opening as “an exciting new chapter in Singapore tourism”, adding that “this landmark attraction invites visitors of diverse needs to see, to feel, and to experience the rainforest in ways never before possible”.
Visitors can explore the park on elevated boardwalks that are accessible for those with strollers and the elderly, or embark on more adventurous forest trails that take them across boulders, log bridges, and streams. There are also adventure touchpoints around the park, such as the Langur Walking Net and Tiger Bridge, which offer views of the rainforest.
Mandai Wildlife Group’s group CEO Mike Barclay said: “The multi-layered experience encourages park-goers to explore a South-east Asian rainforest up in the tree canopy, on the forest floor and below the ground in a network of cave chambers. Visitors can choose between universally designed walkways, more challenging forest treks, or an array of guided adventures.”
Rainforest Wild Asia is home to 36 animal species, including the François’ langur, one of the world’s rarest monkeys, and the Philippine spotted deer, a threatened species found in the wild on the Visayan Islands of the Philippines. The park recently welcomed its first birth of a Philippine spotted deer.
Guests can also participate in paid activities such as the Canopy Jump, a free-fall jump from a 13m or 20m high platform, bounce nets at the AIA Vitality Bounce, abseiling down a cave, and hiking along a via ferrata route.
Rainforest Wild Asia is expected to welcome about 900,000 guests in its first year of operations.
