Room for Two: Monarto Safari Lodge

By Andrew Mevissen

Intro

Like a mass migration of African wildebeest, the striking Monarto Safari Resort in South Australia has received waves of awards, acclaim and more than 30,000 guests since opening in May 2025. And in April this year, ever-expanding operators Journey Beyond opened Monarto’s latest chapter: the luxury, exclusive and all-inclusive Monarto Safari Lodge, an inspired, inventive and boldly unique habitat where indulgence, glamping, luxe-living, creative design and the wild animals of Africa perfectly meet in the unlikely savannah-like heathlands just an hour from Adelaide.

Overview

Complementing the one-year-old Monarto Safari Resort with its 78 rooms, two magnificent infinity pools, restaurant, bar and sumptuous wellness centre, the brand new Monarto Safari Lodge sits on sweeping grasslands 2km from the resort and elevates stays at Monarto via the addition of 20 luxury, tent-like havens modelled on the deluxe tented camps of Africa. This exclusive bolthole also boasts an elegant restaurant and bar where all food and drinks are included, and alluring pools where you can graze lazily with cocktails all afternoon while watching giraffes, zebra and oryx graze equally as languidly on the adjacent plains.

It’s all part of the new-look Monarto Safari Park which has grown into the largest open-range safari experience outside Africa, covering more than 1,500 hectares and home to more than 500 African animals across 50 species which freely roam the plains in sight of guests at the lodge. A portion of all revenue supports conservation of endangered animals.

Location

In just over 60 minutes on a fast motorway, you are transported east from the suburbs of Adelaide to the broad horizons of the Mallee Plains near Murray Bridge, where Monarto Safari Lodge and the nearby resort command pride of place over the sprawling safari park. Rhinos, hippos, cheetahs, lions, zebras, giraffes, antelopes and ostriches gather around waterholes just metres from the lodge.

Look and Feel

Lazing on the outdoor deck of our private luxury tent, the views of giraffes and other exotic animals wandering the vast open plains are exhilaratingly cinematic and seemingly improbable all at the same time. There is nowhere else in Australia quite like it: an ultra-luxe retreat where you can experience Africa’s most magnificent wildlife without leaving the country, with the concept designed to connect you with some of nature’s most remarkable creatures. Access to the lodge is through coded gates and electric safari fences, Jurassic Park-style, which adds considerably to the sense of occasion.

At the centre of a crescent of tented cottages, the hub of the lodge is an intimate lounge-bar-restaurant sprinkled with bespoke art pieces reflecting a subdued African theme. The bar serves complimentary beverages all day as well as sunset canapes, and service throughout the lodge is refreshingly intuitive, relaxed and unfailingly efficient.

There is also a heated outdoor pool and plunge pools overlooking the ‘pridelands’, and a gym. All guests enjoy an included late-afternoon wildlife safari aboard a custom-built, open-sided 4WD Landcruiser. Exclusive to lodge guests, the safari is an enthralling journey across sweeping meadows and past lush waterholes, with close-up encounters with giant giraffes, rhinos, hippos and ostriches, as well as cheetahs, zebras and scimitar-horned oryx. As hippos splash in the lake, the setting sun paints the sky in hues of soft blush, fiery scarlet and burnt orange. The experience is entirely surreal. You need to pinch yourself that you are an hour from Adelaide rather than halfway around the world.

Best Room for Two

Each of the 20 tents sits privately and separately facing the safari park. The canvas walls may billow gently in the breeze but the space feels more like a luxury cabin, with its super-comfy king bed, plush lounge, butler’s pantry/dressing room and luxe ensuite where you can shower while watching any passing wildlife. There is an outdoor deck with daybed, used at night just as readily to take in the starry skies and listen to the distant roar of lions. A free minibar offers a small selection of beverages. The absence of a television means the focus falls entirely on the quasi-African panorama before you, and if the animals do not venture as close as often as you might like, that only makes the experience feel more genuine.

Food and Drink

All meals and drinks are included in your stay at the lodge, which is a considerable part of the appeal. To start the day, we ordered the hearty Safari Breakfast with the works. Lunch was a generous grazing platter by one of the two private plunge pools (a tip for couples: book this complimentary option as soon as you arrive). One of our two dinners was an eclectic nine-course degustation featuring tuna tartare, wagyu skewers, kingfish, lamb loin and plum sorbet; the other a shared feast of smoked brisket, barramundi, porchetta, lamb shoulder, heirloom pickled beetroot with goat’s curd and pistachio tiramisu. On either evening, African wildlife may wander into view alongside the wine.

Spa and Wellness

Pool lovers are well catered for at Monarto, with two beautiful infinity pools facing the safari plains at the main resort (lodge guests are free to use these, though they retreat into shadow in the afternoon) and the smaller, more generously sunlit pool and plunge dips at the lodge itself. For an extra $110 per couple, an hour at the Soak House at the main resort is well worth the addition: a warm Vitality Hydrotherapy Pool, dry cedarwood sauna and cold plunge (brief, in our case), all enhanced by complimentary sparkling wine, a fruit platter and sweeping views over the safari park.

Couples Will Love

The sunrises behind the tent, the grazing platters by the private pools, the Soak House, stargazing from the private deck at night and the sundowner canapes at the bar are all highlights. So too are the safari snacks and sparkling wine served midway through the wildlife drive. Monarto Safari Lodge is the kind of place that suits a honeymoon or a significant birthday, not because it performs occasion, but because the setting does that quietly on its own.

monartosafariresort.com/safari-lodge

Inclusions

A two-night stay includes the Wild Africa Sunset Safari Experience in a custom-built open-sided 4WD Landcruiser, a two-day general admission pass to Monarto Safari Park, all meals (breakfast, lunch, afternoon canapes and a bespoke three-course dinner) and all-day access to lodge beverages including coffee, tea, soft drinks, spirits, cocktails, wine and beer. Two-night packages start from AUD $2,920 per tent.