Monsoon Forest is now open along with the main pathway through Bali – giving you a closer view of the glorious Bali starling and Java sparrow in the Bali Starling Temple, which has previously been visible from the Lazy River Boat Trip.
Probably the most striking part of your Monsoon Forest experience will be the dense planting of hundreds of tropical plants. Take your time exploring the plant life and watch out for the critically endangered carnivorous pitcher plants. There are also a number of colourful orchids and a range of different fruits including starfruit, mango and paw paw. With the sights, sounds, smells and heat of the Monsoon Forest you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to South East Asia.
The conditions in Monsoon Forest are hot and humid and you may also experience the monsoon rains during your visit – check at the weather station before you enter to see what the conditions are like inside.
Already resident in Monsoon Forest are our rhinoceros hornbill, giant Asian pond turtle, Asian giant tortoise and of course our extraordinary new species the Sunda gharial crocodiles.
The macaques will be making their debut on Islands, initially inside Monsoon Forest but we’re expecting them to explore their outside space very soon too.
Also in Monsoon Forest you’ll be able to visit the Tripa Forest Research Station where you can get close to some of our smaller species including the Malaysian katydid and the Asian forest scorpions.
The final part of the Islands development will see the babirusas, Sumatran orangutans and Sumatran tigers move to their new homes. We’ll let you know as soon as we have a timetable for the moves but in the meantime each species are in their current home in the main zoo.
As with the rest of Islands, we’re expecting Monsoon Forest to evolve and grow in the coming months with new species of fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects and birds being added so keep an eye on our website or sign up to our email newsletter for updates.