I haven’t been to the zoo since I was pregnant as my father was against it. According to some old traditional belief, pregnant women should not visit zoos to see animals. So I was pretty excited when my sister received corporate passes for Zoo and River Safari and offered the passes to us.
I was up early on the day of our Zoo trip, happily preparing and overpacking as usual. I took two packets of wet wipes and way more snacks than required. Initially I wanted to delay the trip out of fear of wet weather, but I was glad we went ahead with it because from the following Monday, dine-in was reduced to 2 pax again.
With 3 adults and 1 baby and a pram, we took a taxi to the Zoo. I was surprised when the driver turned into the new carpark – it looked so posh and nicely designed, with pictures of animals over the walls. Here we had a bit of mishap when Mr Messy lost his handphone but the kind taxi driver who picked it up drove back specially to return to him.
We reached the place at about 11 am and there was already a lot of people heading to the zoo. As my sister had visited the zoo just a few weeks before, she advised us that only two restaurants – Ah Meng Bistro and Ah Meng Restaurant, were open inside the Zoo. The KFC located at Rainforest Kidzworld was closed. However, all the restaurants outside the Zoo, including KFC and Inuka Cafe, were still open.
Having checked the menu online beforehand, I decided to lunch at Ah Meng Restaurant as there were a variety of choices which were suitable for my son too. Didn’t want him eating KFC at such a young age!
If you are planning to head to the zoo too, I suggest you dine early, because a later timing means a much longer queue. We joined the queue for Ah Meng Restaurant at about 11.30 am, and waited for 15 minutes to place our orders. The area inside was free seating, capped to 5 pax/table. If there were no more indoor seats, we had to sit at the outdoor area at Ah Meng Bistro. This meant a hotter sitting area and besides eating lunch, you would be lunch to all the mosquitoes around too. However during Covid period, it might be advisable to sit outdoors instead.
We were informed by the staff that the indoor area was full and we need to get outdoor seats. However when we passed by, coincidentally a family got up to leave and we snagged the table.
Did you think that food at the zoo must be expensive? Not really!
We spent some time enjoying the food here and as mentioned, do come early for lunch. As we ate we watched the queue outside get longer and longer. My son ate mostly my food – he enjoyed the lotus root soup and took to the brown rice. The curry noddles was too spicy for him, but he loved the egg and chicken in the oyakadon.
After the hearty meal, we made our way to KidzWorld to register for the show. Take note that registration for shows open up 1.5 hours prior to the show time, and you must physically present at the show area to scan the QR code to register for the show. Pretty smart – the website will ask you to switch on your GPS to determine your location and you can make a booking only after the website has determined that you are really at the zoo.
Sadly, even though we were at KidzWorld five minutes after registration opened, the show had booked out by that time. We were only five minutes late! We were rather disappointed as it was a kid-friendly show and Baby L had just started saying ‘dog’. Am sure he would definitely love the dogs appearing in the show! Oh well, we know to be earlier the next time round.
Due to Covid measures, the wet play area and pony rides have all been suspended. The KFC at Kidzworld is closed too. However, the carousel was still open and it was really crowded. Having missed the show, we walked around the rest of the Zoo, viewing the other exhibits.
After a few hours at the Zoo, and having managed to catch one show – The Rainforest Fights Back – show at Shaw Foundation, we decided to make our way to River Safari so Baby L could see the pandas. Purchased a cute and delicious snack along the way!
The first part of River Safari was air-conditioned and we welcomed the cold breeze after the heat at the Zoo. If you are tired, there is also a Starbucks next to the entrance of River Safari, but it is always crowded – spotted long queues the two times we passed by. As we were in a rush to go home, we did not explore River Safari in detail, going straight to the pandas exhibit to greet the two giant pandas. We then made a dash to the only show at River Safari – Once Upon A River – but sadly again we missed the show. Unlike Zoo where we had to register for the shows using QR codes, the show at River Safari used the traditional method of queuing.
Still, we enjoyed ourselves at the end when we reached the giant aquarium. It reminds me of the one we saw at SEA Aquarium, but on a slightly smaller scale.
At the exit, we also saw a display of the entire Mandai park, consisting of Zoo, River Safari, Night Safari and the soon-to-be moved there Jurong Bird Park. The highlight was an eco-resort. I am wondering what sort of experiences it would bring but I am sure it would burn a hole in our pockets too.
Overall, Baby L enjoyed himself very much at the Zoo and River Safari. If you are planning a trip, fret not even if you have yet to be fully vaccinated. The Zoo is an open space and there are benches around the place where you can sit down and dine with a group size not exceeding the current recommended group size limit. Take note that the Zoo no longer provides physical maps – refer to the e-version here instead.
Let us know if you are planning a trip to the Zoo, and do share with us your favourite animals!