Monarto Safari Lodge has opened in South Australia’s Murraylands region, adding a new luxury glamping destination to the country’s growing outdoor hospitality sector. Located about an hour east of Adelaide, the adults-only property sits alongside Monarto Safari Park, Australia’s largest open-range safari park, offering guests accommodations designed to combine premium hospitality with wildlife experiences centered on conservation.
The new lodge features 20 luxury safari-style tents arranged around a central guest facility that includes a restaurant, bar, reception area, indoor and outdoor lounges, swimming and plunge pools, a fitness center, and a pickleball court.
The accommodations are positioned to overlook open plains where guests can observe animals including zebras, giraffes, ostriches, and scimitar-horned oryx from their private decks.
During guest orientation, staff emphasize the property’s focus on the surrounding landscape rather than in-room entertainment. “It’s organic television,” staff member Hana tells arriving guests while pointing toward the wildlife visible beyond the tents.
The lodge complements the nearby Monarto Safari Resort Hotel, a 78-room property that opened approximately 14 months earlier on the same 65-hectare site. Both developments are located adjacent to Monarto Safari Park, which is home to more than 500 animals and focuses on conservation through expansive habitats and educational visitor experiences.
Accommodation packages include admission to Monarto Safari Park as well as guided wildlife activities, according to The Canberra Times.
One of the featured experiences is a late afternoon safari through approximately 550 hectares of habitat, where guests travel in open-sided vehicles to observe species including zebras, southern white rhinoceroses, giraffes, cheetahs, Barbary sheep, hippopotamuses, and antelope.
During one safari, guide Bre encourages guests to immerse themselves in the experience by saying, “Close your eyes; transport yourself all the way across the world to wild Africa.”
As the safari begins, Bre also reminds visitors of wildlife safety procedures. “We are entering Wild Africa, so please, keep all appendages within the vehicle.”
The guided experience includes a sunset stop overlooking grazing rhinoceroses and giraffes, followed by an evening wildlife drive that offers opportunities to observe the park’s resident hippopotamuses, Brindabella and Pansy. When a guest’s cellphone rings during the viewing, Bre asks that it be silenced, explaining, “We don’t want to spook the animals.”
Food and beverage service forms a central part of the guest experience. Evening meals feature seasonal South Australian ingredients served as shared dinners and multi-course degustation menus.
Executive chef DeBuys Nortier curated the menu, while executive sous chef David Cardoso oversees kitchen operations. Cardoso also shared a personal connection to one of the menu items, noting that the sourdough starter and recipe served to guests originated from his grandmother.
The property’s emphasis on local produce and regional wines reflects South Australia’s broader culinary positioning. The state is expected to receive Australia’s first Michelin Guide later this year, a development anticipated to further raise the profile of regional dining and tourism experiences.
Guests visiting the lodge also have access to the broader attractions within Monarto Safari Park, including wildlife tours that provide close encounters with lions, meerkats, lemurs, cheetahs, and other species housed across the conservation-focused reserve.
For professionals in the outdoor hospitality and glamping sectors, Monarto Safari Lodge illustrates how operators are increasingly combining luxury accommodations with immersive, experience-driven programming.
Rather than positioning accommodations solely as places to stay, the lodge integrates guided wildlife encounters, destination dining, wellness amenities, and conservation storytelling into a unified guest offering.
This approach can help operators diversify revenue streams, encourage longer guest stays, and differentiate their properties in a competitive tourism market where experiential travel continues to influence booking decisions.
With its combination of premium glamping accommodations, curated dining experiences, and direct access to wildlife attractions, Monarto Safari Lodge represents another example of how outdoor hospitality businesses are expanding beyond traditional lodging to create destination-based experiences that appeal to both domestic and international travelers.