If the only river you see on a regular basis is the Singapore River, you can be forgiven for thinking that rivers are harmless places. In fact, they can be home to a menagerie of wild and fearsome creatures.
River Safari is Asia’s first and only river-themed wildlife park, featuring over 8,700 land and aquatic animals hailing from seven major river ecosystems of the world: the Amazon, Mississippi, Congo, Nile, Ganges, Mekong and Yangtze.
This top family attraction just got more exciting with their latest initiative — Tales of Fearsome River Creatures. Meet wildlife inhabitants of the park in a series of exciting activities, including guided tours and exclusive behind-the-scenes feeding sessions.
Get up close with the tigerfish, known for leaping out of water and catching birds in flight. Encounter the alligator snapping turtle with its sharp snappy beak, piranhas with their deadly bite and many more fearsomely awesome creatures of the river.
You can also participate in a thrilling new event — River Lockdown. This themed escape game requires players to put on their thinking caps to solve a series of puzzles and discover more about the fearsome animals that call River Safari home.
Race against time to solve puzzles
In River Lockdown, you play the role of an intrepid adventurer who comes across an ancient board game.
Fearsome river creatures start to appear as you roll the dice, and you must complete the game to help free an adventurer who has been trapped in the board game since he first rolled the dice 20 years ago. Finish the game in two hours to escape, or you too will be trapped indefinitely!
This family-friendly, team-based game takes place in a sheltered environment, and requires the use of observation, lateral thinking and problem-solving skills. Organised by River Safari, Lockdown Singapore and ThinkOut Events, it involves a maximum of six people who must put their heads together to overcome obstacles and escape.
Those who successfully complete the game will receive an exclusive Pin of Honour — but only limited quantities are available per weekend. River Lockdown can be played every weekend from Nov 17 to Dec 30, as well as Christmas Day itself, from 10am to 5pm.
Join in this coming weekend (Nov 17 and 18) to receive a special goodie bag from Lockdown Singapore.
Tickets cost $240 for a team of up to six people, or you can purchase walk-in tickets on the day itself for $60 per person. Click here to book tickets.
If this experience has left you pumped for more, head over to the Giant Panda courtyard to play exciting River Games such as Anaconda Squeeze and Crouching Tiger, Flying Fish to learn more about creatures like the anaconda and tigerfish.
Hear tales of River Safari’s fearsome denizens
Meet some of River Safari’s inhabitants on the daily River Trails tour. These guided tours offer a glimpse of the amazing diversity of life that thrives in rivers and along riverbanks, with a focus on the more sinister creatures that call this habitat their home.
You will hear fun facts — and scary stories — about these creatures, for a thrilling and educational experience.
Here are two tales of the many animals you will meet:
- Alligator snapping turtle
Legend has it that people have lost fingers to the bite from an alligator snapping turtle’s lightning-quick jaws and razor-sharp beak.
The tigerfish is said to have attacked and killed people who venture into rivers where they roam.
River Trails occur daily at Rivers of the World from Nov 17 to Dec 30 at 10.15am, and last for approximately 20 minutes.
not feed the animals
Get up close and personal with River Safari’s animals at Fearsome Feeds. Marvel at the giant river otters, gape at the red-bellied piranhas and be shocked (but not literally!) by the electric eels in a series of feeding sessions.
Be regaled by tales of these river-dwelling animals as you watch them being fed by an experienced aquarist.
For a more intimate behind-the-scenes experience, try Amazing Amazonia, where you can feed piranhas, electric eels and stingrays in a special restricted area. Additional costs apply.
Having met the fearsome, now meet the cute — Canola, River Safari’s adorable manatee mascot. She is available to meet and greet on weekends and Christmas Day from Nov 17 to Dec 30 at 10am and 4.30pm.
Click here to find out more about Tales of Fearsome River Creatures.