Asia’s First River-Themed Park To Open in Singapore

An artist's impression of the River Theme Park set to open in Singapore in 2012

Singapore has finally broken ground on Asia’s first ever river-themed park in Mandai, which is set to open by mid 2012, which will cost around $180 million to build.

Visitors will be able to take boat rides and soak in the freshwater habitats of famous rivers and the park will feature more than 300 plants and 500 animals, including anacondas, electric eels and a 350 kg Mekong river catfish.

Fanny Lai, Group CEO, Wildlife Reserves Singapore noted, “Rivers such as the river Nile, Yangtze River, Mississippi, Amazon [and] even the frozen river of Tundra will be featured in the river safari.” In addition, the safari will boast two major theme park rides – white water rides where visitors can see Malayan Tigers, and the Southeast Asia habitat plus the Amazon slow boat ride, which will highlight more than 20 different types of animals from the Amazon River.  The animals are being brought in from various institutions through exchange programs.

River Safari will also be home to the Giant Pandas from China when they arrive by the third quarter of 2011 as part of a joint collaboration with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. Each panda is expected to consume some 20kg of bamboo so 20 different species of bamboo will be planted throughout the enclosure.

“With its tropical rainforest setting and rich biodiversity, Mandai area provides a compelling contrast to the largely urban environment of Singapore, with the potential to attract five million visitors a year,” said Senior Minister of State, Trade and Industry, S Iswaran.