4. Three challenges facing River Safari

The first challenge would be the location of River Safari. Because River Safari is located at Mandai which to many people might be a little far and secluded, the place is not easily accessible. Shuttle buses from MRTs only work on weekends or public holidays as well. Therefore, the only way to go to River Safari is to take a bus from the MRT station. As River Safari is not that easily accessible, people might find it very inconvenient to visit the place if they are not driving, this will then cause people to turn away from visiting the attraction.

The second challenge would be the limited activities at River Safari. If we were to compare the activities between River Safari and the Singapore Zoo, the zoo has much more activities than the River Safari. Based on my trip to the River Safari, I realized that besides activities such as feeding, touching and meeting the animals, there are not much activities left for the visitors to do unlike the zoo where there are even shows that visitors are able to enjoy. Therefore, if a visitor were to choose between visiting the River Safari or the Singapore Zoo, they would choose the zoo.  

The third challenge would be that the distance between each feature/station is quite far from each other. During my trip there at the River Safari, I realized that there is a lot of walking to do just to get to each feature. It might be alright for young people like us however it might not be as inconvenient for the elderly. Adding on to the humid weather, people may feel tired very easily if they have to walk a lot. Thus this might leave a bad impression on the visitors and they might not want to return for another trip again.  

3. Motivators of Demand

Motivators would be factors that make people want to visit attractions and it is different for each person.

Firstly, would be new experiences and sensation that would make people visit River Safari. Before River Safari was built, there was the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and the Jurong Bird Park. All had something in common – animals. Each attraction has its own features, the Singapore Zoo has animals such as lions, giraffes, tigers etc. The Night Safari allows people to see animals at night whereas the Bird park has birds.

When River Safari first opened, people would be curious to what they could expect. Questions such as “more animals?” and “or something different?” would come across people’s mind if they have never been to River Safari. They will then be curious as to what would be there and this will spark their interest in wanting to visit the attraction. They want to experience something different from what they experienced at the zoo or the bird park.

The second motivator would be education. I have mentioned in my River Safari experience post that during my trip there, I encountered a group of kindergarteners on a field trip. Not only students, even adults learn something new there. There were so many different types of sea animals that we did not knew existed! My trip to the River Safari definitely broadened my understanding on sea animals and I am sure this applies to every visitor who visits there. Therefore, visitors who are keen in learning something new, this would be a place that they would want to visit.

The third motivator would be the opportunity to buy different types of food and souvenirs. I had spotted two souvenirs shop at River Safari – one was at the Giant Panda Courtyard and the other was at the entrance. Visitors especially tourists would always want to buy souvenirs to bring back to their country as a way to remember their experience at the attraction. Some visitors would also want to buy souvenirs for not only themselves but also for their family members or friends as a gift.

There is also food kiosk at the River Safari. Several attractions might have some food that are their specialty, in this case, River Safari has the “panda pao”. Visitors are encouraged to try out their unique “panda pao” when they visit River Safari. Several visitors would want to try the food at the attraction because they might not have the exact same food back in their country which is why they will be willing to spend extra just to try their food. Also, visitors will bound to be hungry and thirsty and they would want to stop somewhere to have a rest and eat some snacks, which is why this is a good opportunity for them to try the specialty dishes. 

2. River Safari Experience

So I finally went to the River Safari with three of my friends. When we bought the tickets at the ticketing booth, we received a River Safari map that will serve as a guide for us to know where to go. There are many different types of attractions at the river safari. Not only do we get to see different types of animals, we also got the chance to see them up close with the Amazon River Quest. Besides seeing them, we also get to touch them to experience how the animals feels like and besides touching, there is also a chance to feed certain animals. At each attraction, there will also be guides to explain the different types of animals and where they come from.

One of the services that have been well presented would be that there is a food and drink kiosk near each attraction that we went to. This makes it very convenient for people who are hungry or thirsty as spending the day at River Safari definitely makes you thirsty and it is important to hydrate yourself constantly because of the humid weather as well.

Another feature that was well presented is that visitors had a chance to take photos with a green screen that will show different backgrounds. We will then get to view the photos after exiting the place and even though I did not choose to buy the pictures as it was quite expensive, however I feel that this is definitely a feature that was well presented.

Also, it is very useful when there are guidelines and information at every attraction we went to. This broadens our understanding of the animals and we got to learn something new along the way. 

The attraction has been quite engaging for us, the visitors. Like I mentioned earlier on, there were guides along each attraction to tell us more about each animals. We are able to ask them questions as well if there is any. Also, as mentioned earlier on, we had the chance to feel or feed certain animals. 

The guide explaining to us 

A staff feeding the animals

I had the chance to touch the starfish!

I forgot what reptile this is.. but I think it should be a lizard..?

These forms of engagements are useful as it involves the visitors themselves as I am sure it would be boring without these engagements. At the entrance when we entered River Safari, there was a panda mascot that people could take pictures with. A staff had asked me and my friends if we wanted to take a picture but we were too shy so we declined.

But I do noticed that several families with children were very excited and were queuing up to take a picture with the mascot. This type of engagement actually makes people excited to start their journey at the attraction since it was at the entrance.

Since it was my first time at the River Safari, I was definitely excited as I do not know what to expect there. However though, I was mostly excited to see the pandas, Kai Kai and Jia Jia. I am sure I was not the only one who was excited. 

We started our journey through the different rivers of the world such as the River Wonders, Mississippi River, Congo River etc.

Our first stop at the River Wonders

A type of dove!

I was really fascinated by the different types of sea animals that I did not know existed! Some were scary and some were cute! I had noticed that the other visitors, like me, were awed by the sea animals. Many were taking pictures after pictures, I am pretty sure that it was their first time there as well. 

As we were all seeing sea animals that we cannot see in our daily life, the sense of thrill and excitement filled us as we were busy snapping pictures.

During my trip, I have also noticed a group of kindergarteners who were on a field trip as well. There was a guide showing them around and the children looked very interested in what they were learning. This tells me that attractions can not only give you new experiences and excitement, but also a platform for a learning experience as well.

Like I said earlier on, I was mostly excited to meet Kai Kai and Jia Jia! We reached the House of Kai Kai and Jia Jia and to be honest, I did not want to leave, not only because it was air-conditioned, but also because I could stare at them all day! 

the food that Kai Kai and Jia Jia eats

When we first entered, we saw Kai Kai first. 

Since we all knew that the most popular attraction of River Safari is definitely seeing the two pandas, I was expecting quite a lot of people snapping pictures. 

True enough, there was quite a lot of people who were trying to get the perfect angle for a picture of the pandas. Because in order to not disturb them, we have to be very quiet inside. So even though it was a little crowded, it was not that bad still. 

Not just children, even adults were excited to see the pandas. They are just too cute!

Next we move on to see Jia Jia. 

Unfortunately, unlike Kai Kai who was busy eating and rolling around, Jia Jia was in dreamland. She was just sleeping, oblivious to us who were busy snapping pictures again. 

After visiting the pandas, there is also a souvenir shop with pandas related items where people can buy. There were hats, water bottles, t shirts, soft toys etc. Definitely a panda heaven for panda lovers!

Apart from the pandas, the next feature that I was excited about would be the Amazon River Quest ride. I did not mind paying the extra $5 because I wanted to see what the ride had to offer. 

Because it was still quite early in the morning, there was no queue at all for the ride. Overall I enjoyed the ride even though several of the animals could not be seen. Along the way, there was a recording that introduced the different animals to us. We were able to see animals such as the jaguars, flamingos etc. 

Being able to see the animals up close during the ride definitely made the $5 that I paid worth it, here is a video of my journey at the Amazon River Quest. 

We also got to see the adorable squirrel monkeys. They were very close to us and were running around on the railings. I made sure to stay quiet so as to not get their attention just in case they decide to attack whew.

Now, one thing that disappointed me was the River Safari Cruise. I feel like this is the only feature of the attraction that is boring. To me at least. 

Reading the map, all I knew that that we will get to ride along Seletar Reservoir. I was already quite tired by the time I was waiting. Plus, the weather was quite hot as it was already about 12 noon. By the time it was our turn to board, we were tired and it was humid. Also, the sun was glaring harshly on us and I found myself yawning constantly. 

Even when the cruise started, all of us felt quite bored as there was nothing special to see except for the few giraffes that we spotted from the zoo side. 

Other than that, there was nothing else to see. To me, it felt like I wasted 15 minutes. Being tired, humid with the sun glaring down made the cruise ride extremely boring. 

We ended our journey at the Amazon Flooded Forest which was the perfect place to end the trip to be honest. It was because we could just sit down and stare at the huge tank or aquarium that has all the fishes in it. 

Other visitors there were also resting, enjoying the perfect view. I feel that this is the perfect place to end our journey as it is air conditioned as well therefore after the whole day of exploring River Safari in the humid weather, the Amazon Flooded Forest is the best place to end.

Oh and we got to see the cute otters family as well! Just before exiting the Amazon Flooded Forest.

enjoying a relaxing swim under the humid weather!

1. Pre-visit Research on River Safari

picture credit to geminitravel.com.sg

The River Safari is the newest wildlife attraction after the Singapore Zoo, Jurong Bird Park and the Night Safari. The park is home to over 6,000 animals which includes 40 species that are threatened. It is home to our resident giant pandas, Kai Kai and Jia Jia as well. The River Safari is worth $160 million and has the world’s largest freshwater aquarium.

The River Safari has six rivers – the Mississippi River, Congo River, River Nile, Ganges River, Mekong River and the Yangtze River. There is also the Giant Panda Forest where people are able to see Kai Kai and Jia Jia.

There are three programmes at the Wild Amazonia – the Amazon River Quest, Squirrel Monkey Forest and the Amazon Flooded Forest. The River Safari also offers special programmes such as the River Safari Cruise, River Trails, Panda Rise and Shine and Meet the American Beavers.

Visitors can not only enjoy various attractions, they are also able to dine at the two diners that River Safari offers – the River Safari Tea House and the Mama Panda Kitchen. Besides dining, there has to be souvenirs shops as well for visitors to buy from. Souvenirs could be bought from the River Safari Shop and the House of Kai Kai and Jia Jia.

The River Safari admission tickets are priced differently for adults, children and senior citizens. The adult ticket is priced at $30, children tickets at $20 and senior citizen tickets priced at $14. There are also various specials such as birthday special where you could get a ticket for free within your birthday week. Alongside with the birthday special, there is also the parkhopper special where visitors can buy a ticket from about $70 where they could visit not only the River Safari but also the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and the Jurong Bird Park.

In order to attract more visitors to visit, River Safari will put out various promotions. For example, there is an ongoing promotion right now where NTUC, Passion and SAFRA card members are able to enjoy a discounted price of 20% on Adult and Child admission tickets. There is several information on the official River Safari website which visitors could read before making their visit to the attraction, this includes basic information such as the opening and closing hours, how to travel there by busing or trains. There is also information on parking rates for people who are driving there.

On the official website, there are also guidelines for visitors to take note of when they are at the safari. Guidelines such as wearing sunscreen and comfortable food wear, bringing an umbrella and reminders on not to feed the animals. These information are very useful for visitors before their visit to the River Safari as it prepares them. It is also a kind of engagement as it shows that the people at River Safari cares about the visitor’s wellbeing which is why they offers tips in order to make their experience at the River Safari a pleasurable and exciting one.