River Safari's Amazon River boat ride opens to public

Singapore - The final attraction at the River Safari, Singapore's first and only river-themed wildlife park, has officially opened.

The 483 metre-long Amazon River Quest boat ride which opened to visitors on Saturday, is designed to simulate an open-top boat voyage down the Amazon River featuring land and tree-dwelling animals in their naturalistic habitats. 

The 12 to 15 minute-long ride allows visitors to plunge into the mysterious rainforest of the Amazon and come face-to-face with close to 30 animal species living on the edges of the Amazon River. 

For the first time in Singapore, visitors will get see the red-backed bearded saki monkey, collared peccary, and red howler monkey. Other animals along the ride include the capybara (world's biggest rodent), giant anteater (world's largest anteater), and jaguar (South America's biggest wild cat).

Ms Claire Chiang, Chairman, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, said: "The launch of the Amazon River Quest completes River Safari, and offers our visitors a new immersive channel into the world of animals that depend on the Amazon River for survival. We are thrilled to welcome visitors on this river expedition, and hope that they will gain a deeper appreciation of the interconnectedness of animals, plants and rivers, and be inspired to protect fragile freshwater habitats."

The Amazon River Quest is part of the park's Wild Amazonia zone which showcases the rich biodiversity in the Amazon basin. The two other habitats in this zone are the Squirrel Monkey Forest, a walk-through exhibit home to over 40 free-ranging squirrel monkeys, and the Amazon Flooded Forest which simulates the annual flooding of the Amazon rainforest with manatees and arapaimas swimming amongst giant trees.

AsiaOne was invited to experience the ride on Saturday. 

The ride was conceptualised to mimic an open-top boat voyage down the Amazon river, which took us through dark “caves” and three gentle plunges. And while you lose yourself in the scenery trying to catch a glimpse of the animals, you can't help but wish the 12 to 15 minute-long ride was slightly longer.

Said student Yeo Kay, 17, who was there alone: “Like the night safari, I think it's quite good that they did it close-up. But I think the boat went a bit fast. So I couldn't really catch a view of them. Some of them were hiding, so it takes a while to actually spot them and by that time I've actually moved away. You can't go back to see them. But overall, I think it's quite a good experience.”

Eager to be one of the first few to experience the Amazon River Quest boat ride, visitors were queuing in line even though the wait was up to 90 minutes.

But there is a perk in going solo, as lone visitors will get to join a separate queue just for single riders, which will shorten the waiting time.

One of the personal highlights of the ride was seeing the maned wolf pacing back and forth among the trees, even appearing in full view once. It was unlike any experience at the zoo, as the barriers separating the animals from the visitors were barely visible. 

Rare monkeys, like the brown-headed spider monkey and the cotton-top tamarin, were also spotted leaping from tree to tree overhead. These monkeys are also both classified as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. As such, seeing them roaming about was an extraordinary experience.

The boat ride is entertaining enough for children, and The Amazon River Quest is a good activity for the whole family to enjoy.

Visitors can embark on the Amazon River Quest from 10am to 5pm. Boat ride safety regulations apply. For more information, visit http://riversafari.com.sg/wild-amazonia/amazon-river-quest.html

Tickets will continue to be priced at a discounted rate of $25 (adult), $16 (child between 3-12 years) and $12.50 (local senior citizens 60 years and above).

Park admission will eventually be priced at $35 (adult), $23 (child between 3-12 years), and $17.50 (local senior citizens 60 years and above) at a later date.

dewinbms@sph.com.sg

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