There is model mock up in front of the zoo entrance showing where all the new stuff is supposed to go, but where it says "indoor nature attraction" in the video, the model says that this area will contain a family friendly eco resort. I haven't found much, but it's supposed to be run by Banyan Tree and have about 400-rooms despite claims that the area can support 1,000 new room construction. I think a Roar n' Snore type set up would be preferable, but what I would really like to see is how the Khatib Shuttle-SMRT corridor is going to be addressed or adjusted. I'd prefer to be dumped onto zoo grounds directly from the SMRT, but that's probably a pipe dream. As to the environmental concerns, land is indeed scarce in Singapore, but I do not see it as reaching critical mass yet. There's a lot of decking that can be done to existing roadways if Singapore wants to become a genuine concrete jungle.
Like a lot of people, I'm interested in how much staying there will cost. Being right in the middle of a whole cluster of separate attractions which will take several days to see is the obvious choice for any Zoochatter - but not all of us are in a position to be paying hundreds of dollars per night.
I'm curious as well, but given Banyan Tree's reputation I can't imagine that it'll be a budget destination. But with the family friendly aspect I can't see them going all in on pricing. Fortunately it's still only a ~30-minute drive from the downtown core and only ~S$20 by taxi. I forget... SMRT was about 90 minutes.
For transport to Mandai, a new MRT line passing through the city will open from end 2019/early 2020 with a station that is about a 15 minute shuttle away from the Mandai parks. That's as close as the MRT will get as there aren't enough populated areas near Mandai to justify the cost of building a subway line. For accommodation, I understand that in addition to the Banyan Tree resort (i would estimate the cheapest room to be about $200 Singapore dollars a night), there will be tent style accommodation too, which should be lower cost.
That's good news, but isn't the current Khatib shuttle 15 minutes from the parks?. S$200? That's almost US$150/night. Seems way too low for Banyan Tree to bother. S$300-350/night seems about right, but we'll see what the future brings. But regarding a tent set up, and take this with a grain of salt, but I confirmed with three separate staffers at the San Diego Wild Animal Park that Singapore Zoo reps had been out to the park recently to take stock of the Roar & Snore program in order to implement something similar. I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with!
More details of the upcoming Banyan Tree resort at Mandai. I understand that the tent accommodation mentioned in the previous posts will be a separate set up from the resort. Mandai eco-resort to offer guests behind-the-scenes animal experiences
The 2018/2019 work year Mandai Park Holdings (parent company of Wildlife Reserves Singapore) annual report has been uploaded. For those interested in reading the full report, the link is below. Some interesting nuggets of information: Combined visitor attendance at the 4 parks (Zoo, Night Safari, River Safari and Jurong Bird Park) for the work year hit a record 5.2 million. This figure includes the 200,000 visitors to the Rainforest Lumina seasonal night attraction that ran at the Singapore Zoo from July 2018 to February 2019. As of March 2019, the WRS animal collection stood at over 16,300 specimens representing 956 species. Some of the species held under international managed species programmes (eg. EEP, SSP) which have not been displayed include pileated gibbon, De Brazza's monkey, Mexican beaded lizard and Cuban boa. For the next work year (April 2019 to March 2020), the key development projects at the Zoo are the new children's zoo, Asian elephant exhibit, and the conversion of Frozen Tundra into a marine coastal habitat housing sealions and penguins (probably the African penguins that are not slated for the new bird park). A new Asian rhino exhibit is also under development at Night Safari, taking over the former giraffe exhibit. The Mandai rejuvenation project's first 2 key developments - the wildlife crossing and a new animal quarantine centre are expected to be completed by end-2019. https://www.wrs.com.sg/content/dam/...ldlife-reserves-singapore-yearbook-fy1819.pdf
The new 140 metre long Wildlife Bridge will be accessible to native wildlife from next month. Safer animal crossings with new Mandai Wildlife Bridge Some updates on the other Mandai rejuvenation project elements below (the names of the attractions are working names): The new Bird Park still does not have an opening date but it looks likely that it will only be ready in the second half of 2020 at the earliest. The transition period between the current Jurong site and the new park (moving of the birds) could be several months as the Jurong site has plans in place to remain open to the public till mid-2021. The new Bird Park will have 8 large walk-in aviaries, an amphitheatre inside an aviary for free flight bird shows, a 3-storey Sub-Antarctic penguin display, and a cluster of small, mixed aviaries. The Southeast Asian-themed Rainforest Park North has commenced construction, but it will be slow-going as most of the forest cover at the site is being preserved. Opening of the park is expected to be in late 2021. Species like orang utans, tigers and Malayan tapirs will feature here. There will be a large re-created cavern, as well as "adventure elements" integrated with the animal habitats - think rope bridges and climbing walls. The detailed design phase of Rainforest Park South has recently been completed and engineering design is now ongoing. A supposed key feature is a large 2-hectare-ish walk-in habitat. It will also house a wildlife rehabilitation centre and camping grounds. The first of 2 indoor attractions, Living Planet, is a science centre that will use technology and multimedia to allow visitors to explore environments that are otherwise inaccessible (because of time or space) or cannot be re-created in zoos - think prehistoric lands, microcosmos or the deep ocean. Construction of this attraction will only commence after 2020. The other indoor attraction, Curiosity Cove, is a nature-themed play space for children. It will likewise only commence construction after next year. Both indoor attractions are expected to open in 2023. Right next to the Singapore Zoo will be a 338-room hotel run by Singapore boutique hotel company Banyan Tree, with a focus on sustainability and being integrated with the forest surroundings. According to plans, there will also be safari tent-type accommodation next to the hotel (but probably not run by Banyan Tree). The hotel is slated to open in 2023.
Official press release of the opening of the Mandai Wildlife Bridge in the link below. Seems like the opening of the new bird park has been delayed till 2022, and the rest of the attractions till 2024. Mandai Wildlife Bridge Officially Launched For Wildlife Crossings
This is my fault. I jinxed it yesterday by telling @FunkyGibbon that I thought it was opening next year.
Well you weren't wrong. Up till today the new bird park's opening had been publicly stated as 2020. I guess they intend to take it slow with the transition and settling in. Jurong will supposedly continue to operate till the 3rd quarter of 2021, so it seems like there could be a few months when neither bird park will be open, at least not fully.
I wish I'd been a bit braver with my initial instinct to say 'Yeah, naah' I think on balance this makes more sense than having both parks open for a few months, as had previously been implied.
I would also like to know. Last I checked, construction was deemed essential during the circuit breaker. The penguins, however, are enjoying their tours around the zoo though!
@driftaguy @Buldeo Construction work on the new Mandai developments has been suspended due to stricter lockdown measures here. The lockdown is expected to be lifted in early June but there could still be a slow restart to construction as health and safety precautions are taken. Add to that possible delays in the shipment of building materials which are being sourced from around the world. For instance the mesh used for the new bird park's aviaries is made in Europe. The timeline for completion remains as earlier communicated (starting with the new bird park in 2022 and everything else opening up in phases through 2024). There are no plans to scale back the Mandai developments as yet, but no one really knows how this pandemic will play out.
Thank you for your reply. I had thought the bird park and rainforest Park were due to open next year. Lucky I didn't book my trip then.
Selfishly speaking, the delay is good news. Since I was forced to cancel/postpone/whatever everything this year, I hope to be able to pass through next year and see the original Jurong one last time. Out of curiousity, has there been any word on how the raptors will be displayed at New Jurong? It goes without saying that it might be, well, odd to exhibit them with prey species.
I understand that many of the birds if prey species will be phased out, with select species (like the Philippine eagles) being retained and housed in conventional aviaries or displayed during free flight shows. There's a 1 hectare section of the new bird park set aside for a cluster of small aviaries according to the plans.
