We were back at Mandai this morning to visit the newly opened Rainforest Wild ASIA. Officially opened on 12 Mar 2025, the park spans around 13 hectares and is designed as Asia’s first “adventure-based zoological park". Once we walked out from the car park, an 8-metre-tall Tree of Life stood before us. It adorns animal-themed ornaments representing the threatened species that Mandai Wildlife Reserve protects.
Rather than a typical zoo with cages and fixed exhibits, the park aims to simulate a real Southeast Asian rainforest that let visitors explore different “layers” of the rainforest from forest floor to tree canopy, even down to cave-like subterranean zones.
A major draw of Rainforest Wild Asia is the variety of ways we can traverse it, either by the Elevated Walkways or the Forest Treks. We decided to seek a more immersive and wild-like experience by taking on the various forest treks.
Through the various forest treks, we got to cross logs and boulders, walk over streams, navigate log-bridges and rocky surfaces, and traverse uneven, forest-floor terrain, much like an actual rainforest trek.
At the Karsts, jagged limestone-rock formations rise through the rainforest canopy. Some of the rare primates (e.g. François' langur) inhabit this zone.
Next, we visited Forest Floor with dense vegetation, undergrowth, and habitats for ground-dwelling creatures like the lesser mousedeer, hog deer, tortoises, etc. Walking in this zone gave us a sense of being “in the jungle.”
The Canopy is a treetop rainforest zone. Here we spotted few canopy-dwelling primates such as Javan Langur, Red-Shanked Douc Langur, and Siamang.
There were a few suspended net walks that gave us an opportunity to feel like we’re swinging through the canopy ourselves.
From 1 – 25 December 2025, visitors like us could embark on an adventure along the Forest Treks in search of hidden Christmas Tokens in exchange for some prizes. We managed to find two such tokens, which got us very excited.
To support this immersive environment, about 7,000 Southeast Asian trees and shrubs were planted to supplement existing protected patches, helping to recreate a more authentic rainforest environment.
The largest zone, Watering Hole, centered around water features with streams, ponds, and water-dependent habitats. Here are some of the iconic rainforest creatures, like the Malayan Tapir and the Malayan Sun Bear, which roamed the forest floor or foraged among the trees.
One disappointment of today's visit was the closure of Cavern zone. Fortunately, we found two Christmas Tokens which we used to redeem some prizes at the park entrance. Guess what, the prizes were admission tickets to Singapore Zoo and River Wonders.
We visited Night Safari tonight and this was Jerlene's and Javier's first time to the park. They were very excited as they had no idea how it feels to visit a zoo in the dark. The moment we entered the park, we went straight to the Amphitheatre for the key highlights of the park, which is an animal presentation called "Creatures of the Night". Seat booking is required to enter the Amphitheatre.
Following is a short video showing some highlights of the presentation.
After the presentation, we proceeded to the iconic Night Safari Tram, which was included in the admission tickets. It is a slow-moving open-air ride that loops through different geographical zones. Taking the tram was a relaxing and informative way to see a wide variety of animals, such as the lions and elephants. The commentary on the tram added context without overwhelming, and the low lighting created a naturalistic environment that makes the animals more active than we would see in the day.
After the tram, the walking trails were where our real adventure began. These trails were quieter, more intimate, and offered some of the best animal encounters in the park.
Pangolin Trail is the park’s newest signature trail focuses on Southeast Asian nocturnal wildlife, conservation, and rescued animals. This was where we started our walking trail adventure. The star species of the trail was none other than the Sunda pangolin. We only saw one which was curled up sleeping.
The one below was "permanently stationary" but at least it wasn't curled up.
Following were some of the amazing creatures that we saw along the Pangolin Trail.
Next we crossed the road and took on the Leopard Trail. At the Fishing Cat pond, we only saw the fishes in the pond but the cat was nowhere to be seen.
Other creatures along this trail were the Gharial, Leopards, Porcupines and more.
We took a short break at the East Lodge and re-filled our bottles with water.
The next few exhibits showcased the different species of owls.
The Leopard Trail was one of Night Safari’s most atmospheric trails.
Then we arrived at the Tiger Trail, which adds a powerful predator-focused experience.
Finally, we came to the Tasmanian Devil Trail that celebrates Australian nocturnal fauna. It took us a while to spot the gecko below, which was right in front of us all along.
We were amazed by the Asian Forest Scorpion that glows under ultraviolet (UV) light due to fluorescent chemicals on their bodies.
Other creatures in the exhibits include toads, snakes and geckos.
The Crested Gecko, also known as Eyelash Gecko, below was thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 1994.
Watch the following video showcasing the "stars" in Night Safari.
