The world’s first ever Night Safari can be found on 40 hectares of secondary rainforest in Singapore’s National Zoo. The Night Safari took three years to plan and execute and was first mooted in the 1980’s as a tourist attraction. However the Night safari’s instant success must have surprised the instigators of the project as it draws a staggering 1 million tourists a year.

The difference between the Singapore Night safari and other nocturnal animal exhibits is that the Night Safari is an open air nocturnal habitat that mimics the wild. Other nocturnal exhibits use a variety of techniques to reverse the day-night cycle of animals so that animals will be active during the day. The Night Safari is divided in to eight geographical zones; visitors can explore these trails either on foot or by tram.

Traveling on foot gives you the impression of exploring a tropical rainforest at night, the lush rainforest environment houses over 1,200 animals belonging to 100 species all of whom are naturally nocturnal. A special lighting system has been installed at the Night Safari that allows visitors to see the animals, though much brighter than moonlight it doesn’t disturb the normal movements and functions of animals.

Exhibits for the Night safari were sourced from tropical jungles of South America and Asia, According to Singapore’s open zoo policy animals are not placed inside enclosures and fenced off, instead they are separated from visitors using natural obstacles such as logs and artificially created moats. Regular cultural performances are also held at the Night safari and usually consist of tribal dances and ceremonies, demonstrations on how to use a blowpipe and fire eating ceremonies.

Tourists visiting the night safari can stay at Copthorne King's Hotel which is an excellent luxury hotel in Singapore. Due to the small size of the island and the excellent transport network most attractions only require a short commuting time. Also Singapore hotel reservation services will enable you to book in to a hotel of your choice and not worry about the rush of tourists.