Wild Apex Adventure at Rainforest Wild ASIA
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that Singapore’s 5th zoological park, Rainforest Wild ASIA, has been open since March, and it’s unlike any other. What might be lesser known is that there’s an adventure-based wildlife park experience within the premises that promises exploration and action; we got to go on their Wild Apex Adventure tour, and here’s what we thought.
Table of Contents
- Wild Apex Adventure at Rainforest Wild ASIA
- What is the Wild Apex Adventure?
- What can you expect at the Wild Apex Adventure experience?
- What are the opening hours of the Wild Apex Adventure?
- Who can go on the Wild Apex Adventure?
- How much are tickets to the Wild Apex Adventure?
- What should I wear for the Wild Apex Adventure?
- Is the Wild Apex Adventure worth it? – The Smart Local review
What is the Wild Apex Adventure?
The Wild Apex Adventure is a park-contained adventure activity featuring high-element traversal and scenic views of the landscape.
Climb up the rocky face of The Karsts, and enjoy breathtaking views from the peak, meet wild langurs that are free-roaming in The Canopy, and explore new vantage points high up in the trees. Oh, and no prior climbing experience required to enjoy the adventure.
What can you expect at the Wild Apex Adventure experience?
There are 8 immersion zones in the Rainforest Wild ASIA park, with distinct environments like rocky karsts, lush canopies, and murky caves. For the Wild Apex Adventure, the tour is mostly concentrated within The Karsts and The Canopy zones and spans 3 hours.
At the start of the tour, you’ll listen to a short safety briefing and overview of the day’s tour, before signing a waiver and consent form and setting off on your journey.
Next, you’ll be fitted with a harness and get a crash course on navigating the technicalities of the rope course. For anyone nervous about the safety of it all – don’t worry. You’ll be securely strapped in with ropes, harnesses, and hooks the entire time.
Plus, the guides are super friendly and attentive, ready to answer burning questions and assuage any fears. It’s really easy to understand the safety instructions and the how-tos of traversing the terrain.
The Karsts
The tour begins at The Karsts, the iconic backdrop for your high-element activity of the day. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, karsts are essentially eroded rock formations that develop unique topography due to the rain and weather. They can be found all over the world, like in China, France, and the US, but they’re most typically found in humid areas with carbonate rock.
Here, you’ll embark on a guided via ferrata climbing route – a via ferrata is a protected climbing route that utilises ropes and rungs installed on the rock surfaces to assist climbers with their ascent. With these added safety elements, you can conquer the steep terrain with greater ease, making the climb more accessible for participants across varied skill levels.
At our very own – albeit man-made – limestone karsts, you’ll cross 3 zones that tower over the rainforest; the peak of these formations reaches up to 22m in height.
Watch your step as you make your way across the swaying rope bridges and clamber across the rocks – the terrain varies between thin wooden planks, steep rock inclines, and scattered metal footholds. At no point in time will you be in danger, since you’re strapped in to your harness, but the course can get tricky, and it’s easy to lose your footing if you’re not careful.
Make sure to stop every now and then to take it all in. After all, the main highlight of the activity is being able to breathe in the fresh air from where you are, towering above the rest of the park. It might be a challenging journey to reach the top, but I’d say it’s worth every quivering muscle and drop of sweat.
Commemorate your efforts with a photo of the view – yes, you can have your phone with you, and don’t forget to request for a phone strap at the base camp that’ll save your phone from an untimely death.
Fun fact: these karsts are actually based on the Gunung Mulu Karsts in Sarawak, Malaysia. As you scale the course, you’ll be able to spot the endangered François’ langurs in the central area of the karsts. These primates are exclusive to Rainforest Wild Asia, so don’t miss the chance to see them in their natural habitat.
Your tour atop the karsts will culminate in an abseiling-like rope descent, and while the ~5m drop isn’t too far, it’s still enough to get a bit of blood pumping. There’s a bit of a thoughtful balance – for adrenaline junkies, it’ll be a piece of cake, but kids and novices will still find this aerial challenge exhilarating.
Next, you’ll be headed to The Canopy at the opposite end of the park. On your guided trek from one end of the park to the other, you’ll take a leisurely stroll through The Forest Floor and Rock Cascade. Our guides were very knowledgeable, constantly providing us with tidbits of information about the park and its animals. On the way over, look out for some of the animals roaming the open spaces of their enclosures, like the Axis Deer or Malayan Tiger.
The Canopy
At The Canopy, you’ll wander across elevated walkways among the trees, as you enjoy the sights of the park’s flora and fauna from 10m above the ground.
If you’re lucky enough, you might even get a close-up encounter with the roaming animals. On our visit, we chanced upon a couple of Red-Shanked Douc Langurs snoozing on the railings of the deck.
Don’t forget to take a walk on the Langur Walking Nets, which span a whopping 180sqm. Suspended high above ground, you’ll be in the perfect spot to glimpse the endangered Philippine Spotted Deer. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t spot any, but hey, there’s always next time.
To end the tour, you’ll visit one final lookout point at the Langur Observation Deck, where you’ll cross a short wooden suspension bridge that’ll get you that much closer to the animals up in the trees. The planks may wobble, and the height may give you cold feet, but keep your eyes peeled for the langurs that’re always there in the trees, leaping from branch to branch with a grace that you can only admire.
Following that, the guides will bring you back to the base camp to remove your safety equipment and collect your belongings from the lockers. You’re all done now – you can explore the rest of the park with your two feet back on solid ground for the rest of the day.
What are the opening hours of the Wild Apex Adventure?
The Wild Apex Adventure experience is open to the public daily, with tours every hour from 9am-2pm. The total duration of the tour is 3 hours, and each tour can accommodate up to 12 participants.
Who can go on the Wild Apex Adventure?
While there is no strict minimum age requirement for participants, guests must fulfil certain criteria in order to go on the Wild Apex Adventure. This includes a minimum height of 1.35m, and weight limits of 20kg-120kg. You must also be able to climb and descend ladders, and walk on uneven terrain without assistance.
How much are tickets to the Wild Apex Adventure?
Admission to the Wild Apex Adventure comes in a bundle, with tickets to the Rainforest Wild ASIA park and a photo-taking voucher included. Ticket prices for the various age groups are as follows:
| Admission | Adults | Children | Seniors |
| General public | $192 | $182 | $172 |
| Wildpass holders | $174 | $165 | $158 |
| Friends of Mandai
Friends of Rainforest Wild ASIA Friends of Wildlife |
$140 | $140 | $140 |
From now until 31st May, there is a 1-for-1 Wild Apex Adventure Buddy Bundle ticket promotion for Singapore citizens and residents.
What should I wear for the Wild Apex Adventure?
You don’t need to prepare much – simply arrive in sports attire with long pants and fully covered, closed-toe sports shoes. You will be provided with regulated harnesses, so no other personal equipment is required. Free lockers are available for use at the base camp if you need to store your bags and items before you start on the trail.
Slather on some sunscreen, and make sure to bring along a water bottle to hydrate throughout the tour. It gets really hot, especially in the afternoon, and you’ll be engaging in some fairly strenuous physical activities.
Is the Wild Apex Adventure worth it? – The Smart Local review
With regular ticket prices of $192 per adult, the Wild Apex Adventure comes at a pretty steep price point. Even with the 1-for-1 ticket buddy bundle, it’ll still cost $96 each, which can be considered a hefty sum.
However, the Wild Apex Adventure is a unique twist on the typical zoo experience, and it was nice to trade in conventional sightseeing and walking at the zoo for something a bit more adventurous.
At the end of the day, the Wild Apex Adventure remains a family-friendly activity that’s catered to a wide audience. If you’re a seasoned thrillseeker, the relative ease and leisurely nature of the course might be a literal walk in the park for you – but it delivers on the views, and you can bring your family on the ride for once.
It’s definitely not boring by any means, and is a good mix of accessible and exciting, so we do think that most participants will get a kick out of the experience.
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Photography by Cassia Leong & Adriel Ang.