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This new SA luxe glamping experience allows you to wake up with zebras

Kassia Byrnes Kassia Byrnes
Who said you need to travel to Africa to go on safari? Especially now Monarto Safari Park just opened new, luxurious glamping options.

It only takes a one-hour drive from Adelaide to feel like you’re deep in the heart of an African savanna. Monarto Safari Park’s Wild Africa precinct not only offers the oppourtunity to immerse in this world without leaving Australia, but now guests can sleep in it too, at Safari Lodge.

About Safari Lodge

Monarto safari park zebra
African wildlife takes centre stage at this luxury stay.

Twenty 20 luxury safari tents are now open for bookings in Safari Lodge (owned by Journey Beyond), offering an intimate and secluded escape.

Each luxury safari tent offers an outdoor deck, a spacious lounge area and a king or twin bed, ensuite bathroom and private dressing room. Two accessibility tents are available.

“The opening of Safari Lodge signals the new level of luxury at Monarto Safari Resort," said Gerry Ryan OAM, owner of the luxury Lodge and Resort.

Monarto safari lodge tent interior
Wake up to views of the savannah.

Ryan continues that each tent is “…thoughtfully designed to immerse you in nature. It’s an opportunity to delve into an African wildlife experience, witness the beauty of diverse species and indulge in the serenity of your surroundings."

“Guests will be able to view zebra, giraffe, barbary sheep, nyala, ostrich, eland and oryx as they gather around the waterhole and roam the grassland plains surrounding the Lodge."

The lodge is all-inclusive, from meals and beverages, to an exclusive safari adventure with Monarto Safari Park in a custom-built open-sided 4WD Landcruiser across 550 hectares of the Wild Africa precinct.

Monarto safari lodge outdoor pool
Relax by the outdoor pool.

At the central lodge, guests can sit down an exclusive experience for guests, featuring a private restaurant showcasing South Australia’s local produce from breakfast to dinner.

Elsewhere on the property, dive into the onsite pool and private plunge pools, the gym, pickleball court and the outdoor lounge.

Monarto safari lodge private plunge pool
Dive right into a private plunge pool, with a view of the savannah.

What’s more, for every stay at the Lodge a portion of the room rate will be donated to Monarto Safari Park’s conservation programs.

“Conservation is at the heart of Monarto Safari Park and Zoos SA’s mission,"said Zoos South Australia Chief Executive Dr Phil Ainsley. “By staying at the Lodge and Resort guests are not only enjoying a unique wildlife experience, but investing in the future of our natural environment."

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

AI Prompt

Monarto Safari pool
Lounge by the pool while taking in the views.
Monarto Safari views
Delve into an immersive safari experience.
Safari Lodge
Inside the Safari Lodge.
Monarto Safari
Nestled in the heart of Monarto Safari Park’s Wild Africa precinct.

The details

Inclusions:

  • Safari Tent stay
  • Wild Africa Sunset Safari Experience in a custom-built, open-sided 4WD Landcruiser
  • Two Day general admission pass to Monarto Safari Park
  • All inclusive dining: breakfast, lunch, afternoon canapes and a bespoke three-course dinner
  • All day access to lodge beverages: coffee, tea, soft drinks, selection of spirits, cocktails, wine and beer.

Price: A two-night package to experience Wild Luxury at Safari Lodge is from $2920 per tent (minimum two-night stay required)

Bookings: Reservations are now open for stays starting on 2 April. 

Website: monartosafariresort.com/safari-lodge

Kassia Byrnes
Kassia Byrnes is the Native Content Editor for Australian Traveller and International Traveller. She's come a long way since writing in her diary about family trips to Grandma's. After graduating a BA of Communication from University of Technology Sydney, she has been writing about her travels (and more) professionally for over 10 years for titles like AWOL, News.com.au, Pedestrian.TV, Body + Soul and Punkee. She's addicted to travel but has a terrible sense of direction, so you can usually find her getting lost somewhere new around the world. Luckily, she loves to explore and have new adventures – whether that’s exploring the backstreets, bungee jumping off a bridge or hiking for days. You can follow her adventures on Instagram @probably_kassia.
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Victoria’s surprising new outdoor adventure hotspot

    Craig Tansley Craig Tansley
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    A town charmingly paused in time has become a hot mountain biking destination. 

    There’s a forest reserve full of eucalyptus and pines surrounding town – when you combine all the greenery with a main street of grand old buildings still standing from the Victorian Gold Rush, Creswick looks more period movie set than a 21st-century town.  

    old gold bank Victoria
    Grand buildings from the Victorian gold rush. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    This entire region of Victoria – the Central Goldfields – is as pretty-as-a-picture, but there’s something extra-special about Creswick. I used to live 30 minutes north; I’d drive in some evenings to cruise its main street at dusk, and pretend I was travelling back in time. 

    It was sleepy back then, but that’s changed. Where I used to walk through its forest, now I’m hurtling down the state’s best new mountain bike trails. There’s a 60-kilometre network of mountain bike trails – dubbed Djuwang Baring – which make Creswick the state’s hottest new mountain biking destination.  

    Meet Victoria’s new mountain biking capital 

    Creswick bike trail
    This historic town has become a mountain biking hotspot.

    Victoria has a habit of turning quiet country towns into mountain biking hotspots. I was there in the mid-2000s when the tiny Otways village of Forrest embarked on an ambitious plan to save itself (after the death of its timber cutting industry) courtesy of some of the world’s best mountain bike trails. A screaming success it proved to be, and soon mountain bike trails began popping up all over Victoria. 

    I’m no expert, so I like that a lot of Creswick’s trails are as scenic as they are challenging. I prefer intermediate trails, such as Down Martuk, with its flowing berms and a view round every corner. Everyone from outright beginners to experts can be happy here. There’s trails that take me down technical rock sections with plenty of bumps. But there’s enough on offer to appeal to day-trippers, as much as hard-core mountain-bikers. 

    I love that the trails empty onto that grand old main street. There’s bars still standing from the Gold Rush of the 1850s I can refuel at. Like the award-winning Farmers Arms, not to be confused with the pub sharing its name in Daylesford. It’s stood since 1857. And The American Creswick built two years later, or Odessa Wine Bar, part of Leaver’s Hotel in an 1856-built former gold exchange bank.  

    The Woodlands
    The Woodlands is set on a large bushland property. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

    Creswick is also full of great cafes and restaurants, many of them set in the same old buildings that have stood for 170 years. So whether you’re here for the rush of the trails or the calm of town life, Creswick provides. 

    A traveller’s checklist 

    Staying there 

    1970s log cabin
    Inside the Woodlands, a chic 1970s log cabin. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

    RACV Goldfields Resort is a contemporary stay with a restaurant, swimming pool and golf course. The Woodlands in nearby Lal Lal comprises a chic log cabin set on a 16-hectare property abundant in native wildlife. 

    Eating there 

    Le Peche Gourmand
    Le Peche Gourmand makes for the perfect pitstop for carb and sugar-loading.

    The menu at Odessa at Leaver’s Hotel includes some Thai-inspired fare. Fuel up for your ride on baguettes and pastries from French patisserie Le Peche Gourmand. The Farmers Arms has been a much-loved local institution since 1857. 

    Playing there 

    Miss NorthcottsGarden
    Miss Northcotts Garden is a charming garden store with tea room. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Creswick State Forest has a variety of hiking trails, including a section of the 210-kilometre-long Goldfields Track. Miss Northcotts Garden is a quaint garden store with tea room.