What’s New at Mandai Singapore 2025: Penguin Backstage Pass & More

Most of us grew up visiting the Singapore Zoo or River Wonders. But Mandai has quietly been expanding in the past few years. From animal encounters to behind-the-scenes experiences, there are now more ways to explore Mandai than just walking through exhibits. If you have not visited recently, here are some of the new and lesser-known things you can check out in 2025.

Also read: Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree Opens Reservations for Stays

Backstage Pass: Penguin Encounter

Starting from 7 June 2025, Bird Paradise is launching a new Backstage Pass: Penguin Encounter. This one-hour tour brings you behind the scenes at Penguin Cove, where you will get to see how the keepers care for the penguins beyond what visitors normally see.

The programme includes a guided tour of the Penguin Cove exhibit, followed by exclusive access to the food preparation and incubation rooms. Here, you will learn how staff prepare meals, monitor breeding, and maintain the penguins’ living environment.

The tour also includes a meet-and-greet with the penguins and a Q&A session with the keepers, offering a rare chance to hear directly from the people who care for these animals every day.

Tours run on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 10.30am. Each session accommodates two to eight participants, keeping the experience intimate and interactive. A minimum height requirement of 1.2 metres applies.

Also read: White Desert Lets You Camp with the Penguins of Antarctica

Hello From The Wild animal encounters

Also starting in June 2025, the Singapore Zoo is introducing Hello From The Wild, where visitors can meet some of the zoo’s smaller and more elusive animals up close in a calm, controlled setting.

You can choose between two different encounters:

• Fennec Fox encounters run on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Sundays.

• Ring-tailed Lemur encounters run on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Each session is 20 minutes long and limited to 10 participants. During the session, the keepers will share insights into the animals’ natural behaviours, personality quirks, and care routines.

While direct contact is limited for safety reasons, the close-up experience allows you to observe the animals’ behaviours in a more relaxed and personal setting compared to the usual exhibits.

Also read: Johor Bahru’s New Indoor Petting Zoo Opens With Over 40 Animals

Create enrichment toys for the animals.

At the Animal Behaviour & Enrichment Centre (ABEC), visitors have the opportunity to take part in enrichment activities that play a role in the animals’ daily care. These enrichment items help encourage the animals to express natural behaviours, stay active, and remain mentally stimulated.

During the Create Enrichment With Us sessions, you will work alongside animal care staff to design and prepare enrichment items for a variety of animals, including ring-tailed lemurs, fennec foxes, and penguins. Once the objects are ready, you can observe how the animals interact with them inside their enclosures, giving you a rare look at how enrichment supports animal welfare.

In addition to the enrichment activity, ABEC also offers daily keeper talks for both penguins and reptiles. The Penguin Keeper Talk happens at 1.30pm daily, while the Reptile Keeper Talk takes place at 2.00pm daily. These sessions are a good option if you are looking for a slower-paced, educational experience or if you are visiting on a rainy day.

Visit Penguin Cove at Bird Paradise

Bird Paradise officially opened in 2023, but many visitors may not have explored its signature Ocean Network Express Penguin Cove yet. This immersive exhibit features one of the world’s largest sub-Antarctic habitats for penguins, carefully designed to replicate the birds’ natural environment.

Inside, you will find an underwater kelp forest where the penguins swim and dive, as well as rocky beach areas where they waddle and rest. Special lighting mimics the seasonal changes in daylight to reflect their natural habitat, while water and air temperatures are kept at a cool 8°C. Mechanical feeders even simulate natural hunting behaviours by releasing fish intermittently.

You will see several different penguin species here, including king penguins, gentoo penguins, northern rockhopper penguins, and Humboldt penguins. The exhibit also features an Aurora Australis projection, recreating the southern lights for an added touch of atmosphere. Beyond the animals, Penguin Cove was designed with sustainability in mind, incorporating features like rainwater collection, solar power, and a high-efficiency chilling system that reduces energy usage.

For visitors who want to dive a little deeper, the Penguin Keeper Talk is a good chance to learn more about the care and behaviour of these birds.

Final thoughts

Mandai is no longer just the place for your childhood school trips. With new encounters, backstage access, and interactive programmes, it has grown into one of Singapore’s most interesting eco-experiential destinations. Whether you are visiting with kids, friends, or even on your own, there are now more ways to experience the wildlife here than ever before.