How to get to Singapore Zoo (costs and time compared)

Singapore Zoo is located in the Mandai wildlife area in the northern part of Singapore. It’s nestled amongst serene waters, scenic jungle, and a couple of military bases (Singapore is land scarce after all). I find it can be a bit confusing for visitors to figure out the best way that suits them (hint, it’s NOT likely to be the Mandai Shuttle) so I put this guide together to go through all the ways you can get to the Zoo including how long each one takes.

In my opinion, the best way for most people to get TO Singapore Zoo is by taxi. A taxi will cost roughly S$25 to S$35 depending on how far you are from the Zoo and it can transport up to 4 people.

To get home FROM the Zoo, I recommend taking either bus 138 or the Mandai Khatib shuttle to get out of the Mandai Wildlife area, and then taking the MRT or a taxi after the bus drops you at a nearby MRT station (Springleaf or Khatib respectively).

Take a taxi to get to Singapore Zoo, but I do not recommend relying on one to get out after your visit

The Mandai City Express coach service (operated by Big Bus Tours) is also a good way to get to or from the Zoo if the timing suits you (it only runs a few times per day). Tickets for the Mandai City Express cost S$8 per person each way.

Here are some examples of the travel time and costs involved with each way of getting to Singapore Zoo:

Transport	Cost	Duration
MRT + Mandai Khatib Shuttle	S$5 per person	60-80 minutes
MRT + public bus route 138	S$2 per person	60-75 minutes
Taxi	S$20-S$40 per taxi (up to 4 people)	30-45 minutes
Mandai City Express Coach	S$8 per person	45-60 minutes
MRT + cycling	S$5 per person	90+ minutes

These prices updated based on my last visit in June 2024.

Travel times are based on a hotel in the Orchard area, but are similar if you’re staying in the CBD, Little India, Chinatown, or Bugis.

I’ve gone into more detail on travel time, cost, and step-by-step instructions for each option below.

1. Public Transport (bus and MRT)

For most visitors staying at hotels in the city, there are essentially two routes you can to get to the Singapore Zoo by public transport:

Catch MRT to Springleaf station (brown Thomson East Coast Line) and then take bus route 138 to the Zoo.
Catch the MRT to Khatib station (red North-South Line) and then take the Mandai Khatib shuttle bus.

Public Transport Route (to Zoo)	Cost (estimated)
MRT to Springleaf + public bus 138	S$2.13 - S$2.37
MRT to Khatib + Mandai Shuttle	S$4.88 - S$5.13

Actual cost depends on how far away you are from the Zoo. Areas such as Orchard and Newton are closer and therefore have cheaper fares than Marina Bay and the CBD. I’ve also included the one-way cost of the Mandai Shuttle - getting into the Zoo costs S$3 but leaving the Zoo is free.

Photo of interior of Mandai Khatib shuttle — Interior of the Mandai Khatib shuttle; it often runs as a coach like this with stairs to climb on board. Some buses operating the shuttle service are wheelchair friendly.

When leaving the Zoo, the public transport options are:

Catch bus route 138 to Springleaf MRT and then take the MRT (brown Thomson East Coast Line) back to your hotel
Catch the Mandai Khatib Shuttle to Khatib MRT and then take the MRT (red North-South Line) back to your hotel

Cost will be roughly S$1.88 to S$2.13 depending on where your hotel is. It’s slightly cheaper to use the Mandai Shuttle as there is no charge for its portion of the journey.

Payment methods accepted for public transport in Singapore include Visa or MasterCard credit and debit cards, and the local prepaid fare card called EZ Link. MRT and Mandai Khatib Shuttle DO NOT accept cash. A small fee is applied when using a foreign credit card to pay for Singapore’s bus or MRT tickets, I wrote a whole guide on how this can impact visitors to Singapore and what the best options are, check it out here: reachingsingapore.com/transport-payment-methods

Photo of Mandai Shuttle sign — The Mandai Khatib shuttle accepts payment by credit card, Apple/Google/Samsung Pay, and EZ Link

Singapore Tourist Pass can only be used on public transport and does not include the Mandai Khatib Shuttle. If you are using a Singapore Tourist Pass, I highly recommend taking the MRT to Springleaf MRT station and then changing for bus route 138. You can still use the Mandai Khatib shuttle to leave the Zoo though as it is free when leaving.

Is the Singapore Tourist Pass worth it? I wrote a whole guide with calculations to help you figure out if the Singapore Tourist Pass is worth it (probably not), check it out here: reachingsingapore.com/is-stp-worth-it.

Recommendation: To the Zoo, take bus 138

To get to the Zoo by public transport I usually recommend bus 138, using the following route:

Take the MRT to Springleaf station
Change to bus route 138
Alight at the Singapore Zoo stop

Bus 138 reliably has more space on-board the bus. You’re less likely to be told to wait for the next one, and if you have a pram it will be easier to manoeuvre compared to the Mandai Khatib Shuttle (though the Shuttle driver is more proactive about helping with the pram, the 138 driver I don’t see helping as much).

I also find the service frequency of route 138 to be more reliable as it’s a long important route and the operator (SBS Transit) has a lot of vehicles avaialble to serve the route. The Mandai Khatib Shuttle on the other hand is operated by a smaller company that often uses coach-style buses with stairs and lesser standing capacity (meaning there’s a greater chance you won’t be able to fit on the bus).

The journey is about 20 minutes long. While bus 138 typically has more space to accomodate passengers, it does so by sacrificing seats for standing capacity. If you feel you cannot stand for 20 minutes on the bus, I recommend the Mandai Khatib Shuttle where you are more likely to get seat (the bus is coach style).

All that said, I still recommend most people take a taxi to get the Zoo.

Recommendation: When leaving the Zoo, use the first bus available

I usually recommend to visitors to take either bus when leaving the Zoo. Whichever of route 138 or the Mandai Khatib Shuttle comes first is the one you should take. I don’t often recommend visitors take a taxi when leaving the Zoo.

Getting out of the Mandai Wildlife area itself I find is typically more important than waiting for either bus in particular. This is because the cost is roughly the same (there is no charge for the Mandai Shuttle when boarding in Mandai), and the inter-connected MRT network means that it doesn’t really matter if you are on the brown line or the red line.

Chances are wherever your’re going after the Zoo is served adequately by both the Thomson East Coast Line (bus 138 to Springleaf MRT) or the North-South line (Mandai Khatib Shuttle to Khatib MRT station).

There is no ticket required to take the Mandai Khatib Shuttle out of the Mandai Wildlife area.

The Thomson East Coast Line (brown) serves:

Orchard
Great World City
Lau Pa Sat
Gardens by the Bay

The North-South Line (red) serves:

Orchard
Downtown CBD
Marina South Pier (cruise terminal)

Both lines meet for an interchange at Orchard MRT station, they also connect with other lines (yellow Circle, blue Downtown, and green East-West) to provide coverage across the city.

Travel time by public bus is 60-80 minutes

When using MRT and bus to reach the Singapore Zoo, allow 60-80 minutes for the journey. This of course depends on where you are coming from. Some examples of travel time include:

Origin	Travel time to the Zoo
Orchard	60 minutes
Chinatown	70 minutes
Cruise Terminal	85 minutes
Bugis	70 minutes
Sentosa	85 minutes
Suntec	70 minutes

Taxi and Ride Hail

Take a taxi to the Zoo is my usual recommendation when visitors ask me how to get there. If you are in a group of 2-3 people (or 4-6), taking a taxi will save you a significant amount of time and hassle, while not costing much more than the other options.

Do not take a taxi when you are leaving the Zoo - I recommend using one of the buses to get out of the Mandai Wildlife area and then changing for a train or taxi at Springleaf or Khatib stations (depending on which bus you took). This is because it is unreliable to find a taxi departing the Zoo, and there is an additional S$3 surcharge added to the fare (to encourage more drivers to pick up people from the Zoo). More detail about taxi surcharges can be found in my guide here.

Taxis typically cost between S$20 and S$40 depending on which part of Singapore you are coming from and what time of day you are travelling. Some example fares, including all surcharges, are included in the table below:

Journey	Time	Fare
Bencoolen to Mandai	Morning peak	S$25.30
Orchard to Mandai	Morning peak	S$30.20
Orchard to Mandai	Morning off-peak	S$20.70
Sentosa to Mandai	Morning peak	S$42.70

Off-peak starts at 09.30am.

Taxi fares are similar to ride hailing fares (Grab, Gojek etc.).

There is an S$3 surcharge added to rides starting in the Mandai Wildlife area. This is to incentivise drivers to pick up passengers from Mandai.

Uber is not available in Singapore, local ride hailing services include Grab, Gojek and TADA. I find the local taxi company Comfort to be more reliable and have better customer service (e.g. you can call Comfort if there is an issue with your ride, but Grab only has an automated chat bot).

I usually prefer using the Comfort booking app (CDG) or street hailing a taxi. I’ve found ride hailing generally to be more expensive at times when I try to use it, though during off-peak hours I’ve found them to be slightly cheaper.

For more detail on taxi surcharges and ride hailing options, check out my full guide here: reachingsingapore.com/singapore-catch-taxi-guide

Private bus - Mandai City Express Coach

The Mandai City Express coach service is operated by the same company as the Big Bus and Duck tours. It runs a few times a day from Orchard, Bras Basah and Suntec to the Bird Paradise and Zoo. I usually recommend it to visitors who are staying around Bencoolen / Bras Basah, or around Suntec.

Mandai City Express coach costs S$8 per person per direction with pick-up and drop-off available at the following locations:

Orchard Hotel
Wheelock Place
Hilton Orchard
Orchard Plaza
Rendezvous Hotel
Raffles Hotel
Suntec

You do not have to be a guest of these hotels to take advantage of the Mandai City Express.

If you are staying along Orchard Rd, Bras Basah Rd and Bencoolen, or in Suntec, the Mandai Express coach can be a good option for you.

The service only operates a few times each day:

0900 towards Mandai
1130 towards Mandai
1350 return to city
1430 towards Mandai
1650 return to city

These times are from Orchard Hotel, after which the bus travels through the stops to Suntec before using the express way to get to Mandai.

The exact schedule for each stop is available on the Mandai City Express website here.

Travel time is roughly 45 minutes from Suntec, add on 15-20 minutes if you are starting on Orchard Rd. I usually only recommend the Mandai City Express to people staying around Bencoolen and Suntec, as those staying in other areas have quicker and cheaper ways of getting to the Zoo (public bus).

This guide is focussed on the Singapore Zoo, the timing is a little different if you’re going to the Bird Paradise or the Night Safari (River Wonders always shares transport with the Zoo).

A ticket costs S$8. This fare is paid per person per direction, meaning that a return journey costs S$16. For solo travellers and couples, I feel this is a good deal. If you’re travelling in a group of three or more, consider taking taxis or hiring a private transfer to get you to the Zoo.

Tickets should be booked in advance to ensure you get a seat on the coach.

Private Transfer

Private bus operators offer service to Mandai Wildlife area, including the Singapore Zoo.

A transfer by itself typically costs S$60 to S$90 for a vehicle of up to 12 seats.

Private tour packages can also include transport to and from the Zoo.

Private buses drop off at the entrance to the Zoo.

Cycling

Cycling to the Singapore Zoo is possible. The Zoo is connected to cycling paths and bike parking is available at the entrance to the Zoo.

Due to the arrangement of major roads and motorways, I do not recommend cycling all the way from your hotel to the Zoo.

Instead, I recommend catching the MRT to Woodlands South MRT station (on the brown Thomson East Coast Line) and then hiring a bike to cycle along the Ulu Sembawang Park Connector Network to arrive at the Zoo.

Using a bike share scheme is the easiest way to cycle to the Zoo, as only foldable bicycles are allowed on the MRT (that is, even if your hotel offers bicycles to borrow, you probably can’t take them on the MRT).

Bike share schemes available in Singapore include HelloRide (blue) and Anywheel (green).

The pricing scheme starts at S$1 for the first half-hour, and then up to roughly S$6 per hour (or part there of). As there is no drop-off point at the Zoo, you will have to pay for the bike per hour you are visiting the Zoo.

Cycling is really only worthwhile for short trips to the Zoo, as you have to pay hourly while you are visiting.

Hopefully a bike share scheme parking lot is added once the construction work is finished.

Staying at the Zoo

It is not yet possible to stay at or near the Singapore Zoo. There are no hotels in the Mandai area and AirBnB is illegal in Singapore.

A hotel is being constructed within the Mandai Wildlife area and this is expected to open in the first half of 2025. The hotel operator is Banyan Tree, so do not expect this to be cheap either.