New experiences impressed by nature and wildlife are developing on the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, which in the present day is the house of Singapore’s wildlife parks – Hen Paradise, Evening Safari, River Wonders, and Singapore Zoo. Later this yr, the general public will have the ability to take pleasure in a freely accessible boardwalk, which has been constructed alongside the sting of the Higher Seletar Reservoir. This will likely be adopted by the opening of the much-anticipated Mandai Rainforest Resort operated by Banyan Tree within the first half of 2025. Singapore will even quickly welcome its fifth wildlife park, Rainforest Wild, the place guests will likely be transported into the rainforests of Southeast Asia and Africa.
There will likely be a brand new vary of nature-based edutainment actions housed inside the indoor sights – Exploria and Curiosity Cove, which will likely be conveniently situated outdoors Singapore Zoo. The Mandai Wildlife Reserve will likely be rounded off with the addition of Inexperienced Canvas – a gathering and conferencing facility; the Mandai Gallery – an exhibition area narrating the historical past of Singapore’s zoological parks; Singapore’s solely ZooSchool providing zoo-based journey programmes curated specifically for younger youngsters, in addition to two campsites that can function all year long. These thrilling additions are scheduled to progressively open within the coming years.
The Mandai Wildlife Reserve is being purposefully reworked right into a 126-ha vacation spot teeming with an array of experiences that immerses its guests within the sights, sounds and smells of nature. Along with the ticketed experiences which function curated adventures, there will likely be freely accessible inexperienced areas with play areas and various eating choices. A 3.3km-long boardwalk skirting the perimeter of River Wonders and Singapore Zoo will provide guests unparalleled views throughout the Higher Seletar Reservoir.
“Whereas we proceed to concentrate on increasing our optimistic affect within the fields of nature conservation, animal wildlife and zoological analysis, we’re excited by the prospect of immersing our friends in a big selection of nature and wildlife experiences on the totally opened Mandai Wildlife Reserve”, mentioned Mike Barclay, Group CEO of Mandai Wildlife Group. “This built-in vacation spot will likely be a novel gateway to many inspiring and respectful interactions with nature and animals, that Singaporeans and friends from abroad can take pleasure in.”
He added: “We’re excited to unveil new choices for stayovers, with the Mandai Rainforest Resort performing as the proper launch pad for exploring our wildlife parks and the numerous different choices on the Mandai Wildlife Reserve. We welcome Banyan Tree, the homegrown firm with a globally famend model, because the operator of this new resort. We additionally look ahead to presenting Rainforest Wild Asia, the place parkgoers can navigate a Southeast Asian rainforest by way of varied walkways that span the tree cover, the forest flooring, and a magical subterranean world of caverns.”
A ‘Acutely aware Keep’ at Mandai Rainforest Resort
Located within the jap a part of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve and overlooking the Higher Seletar Reservoir, Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree marks a homecoming for hospitality firm, Banyan Group, as its inaugural resort for Singapore.
Sitting on a 4.6-hectare web site the place native tree species have been thoughtfully planted in concord with the forest scape, the 338-room resort contains a four-storey constructing with customary and household rooms, in addition to amenities like a ballroom and assembly rooms, a state-of-the-art fitness center room and a rooftop swimming pool. Exterior these are 24 elevated seed pod-shaped treehouses set amongst the bushes, some searching to the reservoir. The idea of the resort is sympathetic to the prevailing vegetation, treelines and pure topography. It’s designed to be unobtrusive, sitting beneath the higher cover layer of the encompassing bushes.
Biophilia deeply influences the resort’s structure and is infused in all programmes, signature facilities and repair. Drawing inspiration from Banyan Group’s wealthy legacy of honouring the essence of the situation it’s in, the distinctive traits of rainforests – from the forest flooring to the understorey, cover and emergent layers – are illustrated inside the rooms to encourage friends to understand the biodiversity surrounding them.
Inside the resort are each an all-day eating in addition to a specialty restaurant the place sustainably sourced substances take centre stage. The resort will even provide a sensory journey by means of native artwork and design in addition to spa experiences. Visitors will have the ability to discover native creations from neighborhood artists within the retail store. A signature Wellness Centre will provide friends a spread of holistic remedies crafted by Banyan Group’s famend spa specialists.
Mandai Rainforest Resort additionally debuts because the first-ever Tremendous Low Vitality (SLE) resort within the nation that includes good management methods, passive infrared occupancy sensors, and passive displacement air flow, an answer that cools air utilizing chilled water somewhat than conventional air con compressor models.
Adventures within the multi-layered rainforest
The sense of exploration and surprise of the pure world reaches new heights within the 12.6-ha Rainforest Wild Asia, the primary zoological park in Asia to combine journey parts into its design. Quite a lot of paths will cater to completely different expeditions, with probability sightings of animals just like the Malayan tiger, Malayan solar bear and François’ langur – a species on exhibit in Singapore for the primary time.
Journey ranges begin with a leisurely stroll throughout a wheelchair-friendly boardwalk to soak up the sights and sounds of nature and wildlife, to exploring forest treks, crossing over streams, boulders and fallen logs on rainforest trails. Parkgoers may also select to embark on thrill-seeking adventures, climbing, leaping and abseiling across the park in security harnesses whereas they take pleasure in among the most picturesque views and distinctive encounters the rainforest has to supply.
The finale to the rainforest journey is a 220-metre cavern, inhabited by cave racer snakes, scorpions, hissing cockroaches, and quite a lot of different reptiles and invertebrates. That includes huge rock formations of stalactites and stalagmites, the cavern expertise is impressed by the Mulu Caves in Sarawak – dwelling to among the largest, magnificent, and various limestone caves on the earth.
Over at Rainforest Wild Africa, friends will expertise an Afro-Tropical and Madagascar-inspired panorama with function animals such because the Pygmy hippo and elusive Okapi, a species that will even be making its debut in Singapore. The panorama has unique elements that includes iconic bushes reflecting their geographical places, and ravine formations the place animal actions are orchestrated. Visitors may also benefit from the park by means of immersive aerial adventures.
Planet-loving experiences for all ages
Nestled within the jap aspect of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, adjoining to the resort, are two buildings devoted to immersive indoor experiences and areas – Exploria, Curiosity Cove, Mandai Gallery, Inexperienced Canvas and ZooSchool. Surrounding these constructions are verdant inexperienced areas and exercise lawns, which supply ample area for alfresco actions, meals and beverage selections and shops, creating a fascinating surroundings for play, exploration and schooling.
Designed to be immersive edutainment utilizing know-how, guests to Exploria will uncover real-life phenomena in hyper-natural environments throughout 5 worlds by means of digital expeditions. From a wonder-library of microorganisms to a simulation of utmost frontiers on Earth, they’re set to come across the planet’s most resilient and engaging species nearly. Inside the similar constructing is Inexperienced Canvas, a collaborative area that invitations folks from all walks of life to its 2,800sqm occasion area, auditorium and assembly rooms. That is the place travelling exhibitions, nature-themed life-style occasions and stimulating talks will likely be hosted, protecting quite a lot of matters, together with these geared toward inspiring its audiences to rally round and assist champion nature and wildlife conservation.
Within the adjoining constructing are Mandai Gallery, Curiosity Cove, ZooSchool. Embark on a journey by means of time and delve into the historical past and heritage of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve with a dynamic visible expertise within the Mandai Gallery, a free-access everlasting exhibition. At Curiosity Cove, households will likely be enveloped in an indoor nature setting that’s accessible for younger youngsters at a scale, tempo and stage of interplay that inculcates an early love for nature and wildlife by means of tactile play. From the woodlands the place arboreal wildlife thrive, to the river of life within the wetlands – a sequence of multimedia-enriched sensory adventures encourage discovery by cultivating cognitive, social, motor and locomotor expertise in opposition to an immersive indoor playscape. By outdoor-based discoveries and experiences set inside the distinctive canvas of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, ZooSchool will introduce youngsters to nature-based out of doors journey programmes that nurture their innate curiosity, resilience and sense of journey. With a tailor-made curriculum mixing out of doors and wildlife schooling, coupled with park visits, ZooSchool goals to instill in younger minds a profound appreciation and look after the pure world.
