Exploria at Mandai: Singapore’s Most Mind-Blowing New Indoor Adventure

Your kids have met the tigers at the Zoo. They’ve watched penguins at Bird Paradise. Now it’s time to show them creatures they’ve never seen in their lives. Welcome to Exploria! Mandai Wildlife Reserve’s brand-new indoor attraction. It’ll be opened on 3 March 2026. And it’s already one of the most talked-about places in Singapore.

This isn’t a museum. There are no glass cases or dusty old exhibits. This is a full-body, all-senses, totally immersive adventure. Prehistoric giants towering above you. Arctic blizzards that make you shiver. Glowing deep-sea creatures drifting through total darkness. All of it indoors. All of it with air conditioning. And all of it jaw-droppingly cool.

Here’s BusyKidd’s guide with everything you need to know before you go.

What Is Exploria, Exactly?

Exploria spans 10,000 square metres and is among Southeast Asia’s largest indoor, nature-themed multimedia attractions. It is inside Mandai Wildlife EAST, right next to Curiosity Cove and the Singapore Zoo.

Instead of a traditional museum, it’s a multi-sensory adventure. Visitors use RFID wristbands to play games, collect badges, and explore five immersive worlds. These range from a 40°C desert simulation to life-sized prehistoric exhibits and glowing deep-sea caves.

The best part? There’s no actual weather to worry about. Hot day, rainy afternoon, or school holiday rush. It doesn’t matter. You’re indoors the whole time. Comfortable, cool, and completely blown away.

The Five Worlds Inside Exploria

Your family starts at the central hub. It’s called Our Interconnected World. At the centre sits a four-metre LED globe called the Biopool that gently pulses like a living heartbeat. When you interact with the exhibits nearby, light pulses ripple back to the globe. It shows how everything in nature is connected, including you.

The Planet Awakens light and sound show plays here regularly. It fills the whole space with colour, sound, and energy. It’s one of those moments where kids go completely quiet. That’s a good sign.

From there, you branch out into the five worlds.

Bitdeer AI Extreme Frontiers

This one takes you to Earth’s harshest places. Polar ice. Scorching desert. Howling wind. You’ll meet animals that thrive in extremes and follow the epic 5,000-kilometre journey of one of nature’s most resilient migratory birds. You’ll also meet a reticulated python that somehow thrives in cities. Wind simulations, cold mists, vibrating floors, and temperature shifts serve to immerse visitors in each realm. So, yes! Your kids will actually feel the cold. Prepare for dramatic screaming.

Infinite Wonderland

This is the rainforest zone. Visitors climb through rainforest layers, from the forest floor to the treetops. And they uncover the rich web of life that connects animals, plants, and people. You’ll encounter the Philippine Eagle high in the emergent layer. You’ll follow a Sumatran Orangutan through the canopy. You’ll spot camouflaged species hidden in plain sight. Kids who love a “spot the animal” challenge will be obsessed with this zone.

Micro Worlds

This one is sneakily brilliant. From resilient extremophiles to bustling ant colonies and drifting plankton, discover how even the smallest creatures play mighty roles in keeping our planet in balance. You’ll also learn about microbiomes. The trillions of tiny helpers living inside your own body. Cue every child turning to their parent and saying, “So there are creatures inside me?!” Yes. There are. It’s fine.

The photography in this zone is absolutely stunning. Every corner is an Instagram-worthy moment. Even teens who arrive reluctantly will be taking photos here.

World of Darkness

Here’s the zone that gets everyone talking. The experience culminates in World of Darkness, which leans heavily into the eerie. Set in caves and the deep ocean, this zone explores life without light, spotlighting creatures like glowing squids, eyeless crabs, and blind cave fish that have adapted in strange and fascinating ways. There’s also a twinkling New Zealand glowworm cave. Walking into it feels like stepping under a night sky full of tiny stars. Kids tend to whisper here. It’s that kind of magical.

A gentle heads-up: this zone is darker and louder in parts. Very young toddlers may find it startling.

Realm of the Giants

Save some energy for this one. It’s the showstopper. Visitors embark on a breathtaking journey through 500 million years of Earth’s history. Witness the rise and fall of dinosaurs, the devastation of mass extinctions, and the dawn of mammals in a world transformed. Life-sized dinosaurs tower above you. AR windows bring prehistoric creatures into modern landscapes. The Giants Show plays on a massive screen and turns the whole room cinematic. Kids who love dinosaurs will lose their minds here completely.

The RFID Wristband Game — A Genius Touch

Every visitor gets a recyclable RFID wristband at the entrance. It’s not just for entry. Guests use it to create a digital avatar, activate interactive installations, collect species badges, and unlock hidden surprises throughout the attraction. A live scoreboard at the exit tracks visitor progress, and each profile stays active for a year, encouraging repeat visits and friendly competition.

There are also Hidden Gems, subtle interactive moments tucked into the environment. And Memory Hook stations, where you take photos that you can download after. This gamification layer is what separates Exploria from any other exhibition in Singapore. Kids aren’t just watching. They’re playing, competing, and collecting the whole way through.

Practical Tips From the BusyKidd Team

How long do you need? You should spare at least 2–3 hours to fully complete the experience across all five worlds. If your kids love interacting with every station, budget closer to 3 hours.

Toddlers under 3 enter completely free. This is a nice bonus for families with mixed-age children.

Best age group? Aimed at teens and adults, but great for kids aged 7 and up. Kids under 3 are free, but some loud and dark zones might scare toddlers. If you have a toddler-age child, consider combining Exploria with a trip to neighbouring Curiosity Cove. It’s right next door and perfectly designed for the under-7 crowd.

Connect to the free Wi-Fi. Look for the network called EXPLORIA_FREE_WIFI inside. You need it to access the Biopool gamification experience on your phone and download your Memory Hook photos afterward.

Pre-register online before you visit. Once you buy tickets, you’ll receive a pre-registration form by email. Fill it in before you arrive. It speeds up entry and ensures your family photos are ready to download at the end.

Get WildPass first. It’s free for Singapore residents. WildPass holders get to enjoy discounted ratesю Еhat’s 10% off straight away with zero effort.

Tickets and Pricing

Here’s the full breakdown so you can plan your budget:

Standard tickets: 

• Adult $38 | Child/Student $28

With free WildPass membership (local residents): 

• Adult $34.20 | Child/Student $25.20 | Senior $20

Opening bundle (until 31 May 2026):

• Adult ticket + Mighty Jaxx blind box $48 (save $9)
• Child ticket + Mighty Jaxx blind box $38 (save $9)

The Mighty Jaxx blind boxes are genuinely cute. Each contains a plush figure inspired by Exploria’s five worlds, from Bengal tigers in Infinite Wonderland to tardigrades from Micro Worlds. Mix-and-match charms for food and habitat themes are also available in the gift shop.

For families who plan to visit Mandai multiple times this year, the Friends of Mandai Ultimate membership is worth serious consideration. It gives unlimited access to all seven attractions at Mandai Wildlife Reserve, including Exploria and Curiosity Cove. The price is from $64/month for a family of two adults and one child.

Opening Hours

• Weekdays: 11am – 8pm (last admission 7pm)
• Weekends & Public Holidays: 11am – 9pm (last admission 8pm)

Getting There

Exploria is at 80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729826, inside the Mandai Wildlife EAST precinct. The easiest way to get there without a car is the Mandai Khatib Shuttle, which departs from Khatib MRT regularly. Public buses also stop nearby. If you’re taking a taxi or Grab, note there is a $5 surcharge from Mandai after 1pm daily.

Is It Worth It?

Short answer: yes. Genuinely, yes. Exploria is the kind of attraction Singapore has been missing. It’s not another soft playground. It’s not a passive screen-watching experience. It’s educational without being boring. It’s interactive without being chaotic. And it’s beautiful. Genuinely, visually beautiful in ways you don’t expect.

Book tickets and check more information at Exploria at Mandai. Have a nice adventure!