Singapore has a Night Safari at its Mandai Wildlife Reserve, the world’s first nocturnal wildlife park. The premise sounds great. Take a look at the animals when they are most active and not during the heat of the day. The actual implementation fell short of my expectations.

My mom, in particular, was really looking forward to the Night Safari. It was our signature event for our third and last night in Singapore. I cautioned my mom to keep her expectations in check. I’ve been to these safari-type experiences at a few other places, including Disney’s Animal Kingdom, though never at night. I knew the animals could be hard to see in their simulated wildlife environment.

We took a tram that transported us through multiple wildlife environments. I knew photography would be tough, but it was actually even harder to see the animals directly with our eyes. The place was so dark that it was hard to pick out the animals. Or the ones we saw were shadowy.

Since I used the Sony 24mm f2.8 for all my Singapore shots so far, I thought that was the only lens I brought for my Sony A7C. I had forgotten that I also packed the Sigma 85mm f1.4, which I used exclusively for the Night Safari. I think shooting wide open at f1.4 with high ISO enabled the camera to see better than us. I got some sharp animal pictures, but nothing with a composition worth showing.

We also saw the Creatures of the Night show, which is their big show and part of their package. I’m not as critical about the actual safari portion of the experience, but the show was not well executed. On a technical basis, the speaker placement was subpar, and it was hard to hear the presenters. Plus, the actual content of the show was not very exciting.

Singapore is a fantastic place that I enjoyed, as you can tell from the coverage. The shiny, modern architecture is the envy of the world and makes many U.S. cities look outdated. However, when it comes to shows and production quality, the U.S. is still far superior. Let’s just say the Night Safari and accompanying show didn’t quite match Disney’s standards. In America, we know how to put on productions.

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