*Media Invite*
Of all the attractions we have in Singapore, the Night Safari is one of my favourites. That’s saying a lot, coming from me, since I really don’t like animals, much to my animal-loving husband’s dismay. I guess there’s just something about the mysterious aura of the night, the coolness of the air, and of course, the totally kick-ass set up of the Night Safari. Where the zoo brings you close to the animals, the Night Safari brings you right up close and personal with some of the animals on its tram safari experience as free-ranging animals come within an arms-length as the tram winds through their enclosures. I love it.
Naturally, we’ve brought Noey to the Night Safari a couple of times and he’s always enjoyed it. He regularly asks if we can make a trip there, so you can imagine how thrilled he was when I told him we were going, and better yet, that Mystica was back! We enjoyed last year’s edition (save for the crowds) and were really looking forward to seeing the mysterious creatures of the night, and finishing the quest. It would be Mei’s first visit to the Night Safari too.
We didn’t have to wait long to get into it as we were welcomed at the door by the characters of Mystica. Noey was thrilled, and Mei, I think she started wondering what she had gotten herself into!
With the Prickly Porcupine. He juggles too, much the the kids’ delight.
With one of the Jumparoos and The Lion Heads!
The little miss was eventually won over — by none other than a fairy, of course! The lovely Guardian Nymph.
Part of the fun of Mystica is the Quest which brings you to different stations around the park. Complete the tasks and you will earn for yourself coloured wristbands that can be exchanged for prizes at the end of the night. At Station 1, you’ll have to find and snap a selfie with the Ravishing Raven. This is near the entrance of the park.
Station 1: Snap a selfie with the Ravishing Raven. He’s really quite a sight to behold!
We hopped onto the tram to travel to the East Lodge where more adventures awaited. And speaking of Mei not knowing what she had gotten herself into, it was at this point, that she started to realise what sort of a place the Night Safari was.
(After walking into the park and seeing some animals)
Mei: (suspiciously) Is this the zoo?
(After getting on the tram)
Mei: Where’s the safari?
Me: We’re on it! This is the safari ride.
Mei: (impatiently) No, this is a tram!
Poor girl.
Nevertheless, she perked up when we got to East Lodge and were greeted by The Forest Fairies. This was Station 2, where you have to navigate a tricky trail set up by the trail guardians.
Venture into the East Lodge and there you’ll find Station 3 — and some dancing zebras! Solve the puzzle and figure out how many zebras there are in the picture to claim your wristband.
How many zebras do you see?
Wrist baaaaaaaaannnnds
We decided to take a break from all the questing at this point to walk the Leopard trail. Aside from the tram ride, it is also fun to walk the trails to see some of the other animals. One of the best things about the Night Safari is being able to see nocturnal animals in their most active state. Here’s where you’ll see prowling lions, skulking leopards and stealthy civet cats. We also made it a point to stop by and say hi to the slow loris, one of Papa’s favourite zoo animals.
The leopard wonders what we are up to.
The real porcupine, the non-juggling one, unlike the one we met at the start.
Sweet little mousedeer.
We finished off the night by hopping back on the tram to finish our journey through the seven geographical regions at the Night Safari. My favourite part of the ride is always the moment when you roll into an area and find an animal, a deer or maybe a tapir, just standing right next to the tram. The children were fascinated too. The ride on this cool night was the perfect way to round off our evening.
It was already way past the kids’ bedtime by the end of the ride so we decided to call it a night. Alas, that meant that I was not able to make it over to the Wallaby Trail for Station 4 of our quest, so we were to complete the quest and redeem the prize: a Night Safari Glitter Tumbler. Guess I’ll have to try again another day!
Mystica at Night Safari is runs from 21 Nov to 20 Dec 2014 (every Fri and Sat only), from 5.30pm to 10pm. Quest stations open at 7.30pm. The activities are free but the usual admission charges to the Night Safari apply.
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