STAY
WILD
An African-style safari stay without the need for a passport? Journey Beyond’s newest property blends sophisticated and thoughtfully designed accommodation with an immersive safari experience.
WORDS: Carla Grossetti
For animal lovers, there is no greater experience than coming whisker-close to a wild animal. Whether it’s witnessing the elegant tilt of a giraffe’s head as it leans in for a closer look or being mesmerised by the might of a hippopotamus as it soaks up the sun. You’d be forgiven for thinking you were on an African safari. But this is South Australia, an hour’s drive from Adelaide (Tarntanya), where exclusive safari experiences are available to guests at the new multimillion-dollar Monarto Safari Resort. Located beside Monarto Safari Park – the largest open-range safari experience outside of Africa – Monarto Safari Resort is the newest signature offering in Journey Beyond’s growing portfolio of exclusive Australian properties. This destination led experience offers guests the rare opportunity to stay within view of roaming wildlife, where sophistication meets the wild in every detail.
A FRONT-ROW SEAT TO THE WILD Designed to let nature take centre stage, the resort’s 78 rooms and forthcoming luxury tents (opening late 2025) are built for immersion. Each room and suite is positioned to take in the expansive views of South Australia’s Mallee Plains which mimics Africa’s natural landscape and the ideal home for Monarto Safari Park’s new Wild Africa precinct that wraps around the resort. Guests can choose from a sweeping savannah view or a room overlooking the watering hole where animals can be seen quenching their thirst.
“This isn’t just a stay, it’s a sensory experience,” says Monarto Safari Resort General Manager Andreas Huck. “You can watch giraffes over your morning coffee, hear the low rumblings of animals while you drift to sleep. It’s immersive by design.”
For those drawn to deeper encounters, the resort offers exclusive guest-only safaris across the 550 hectares of the Wild Africa precinct. At dawn and dusk, when the animals are most active, guests can board custom-designed vehicles for intimate safari experience, led by knowledgeable guides.
You might spot zebras silhouetted against sunrise or Southern White Rhinoceros emerging from the grassland.Back at the resort, a sundowner deck overlooking the watering hole promises another kind of spectacle. As the light softens, here you will find tables filled with new friends laughing and comparing notes about the day’s encounters. “We want visitors who stay at Monarto Safari Resort to leave as ambassadors after seeing some of the world’s most iconic endangered species,” Huck says.
A NEW KIND OF SAFARI Built on the traditional lands of the Ngarrindjeri people, the resort is located in the Murraylands, a landscape of mallee scrub, vast plains, and shifting light. With features including a world-class spa, two swimming pools, restaurant and conference spaces, the resort caters to both leisure and purpose. It’s a place to indulge in the serenity of your surroundings and support conservation, where a stay at the resort supports the mission of Zoos SA, which manages Monarto Safari Park, and who Journey Beyond works closely with. A portion of each booking goes toward the Zoos SA Conservation Fund to support the critical global breeding and protection programs of endangered animals.
DESIGNING WITH NATURE
Designing the interior of a resort surrounded by free-roaming animals isn’t as simple as blending sophistication with location. For the team at architecture and interior design practice Studio Gram, the goal was to create spaces that felt rooted in Monarto’s environment. Inspired by African safari lodges, they focused on dissolving the boundaries between architecture and landscape, while reinterpreting that idea in an unmistakably Australian way.“It’s about quiet immersion,” says Studio Gram director Graham Charbonneau. “The interiors take their cues from the Monarto landscape, its dryness, its low horizons, and its ever-changing palette of ochres. We also embraced the Australian idea of casual luxury, spaces that are refined but not precious, where the experience is led by the environment rather than the architecture.” Guest rooms and communal spaces are designed to maximise views of the watering hole while maintaining a respectful distance. “It was about creating proximity without interference,” Charbonneau says. “A design that enables awe without disruption.”
A JEWEL IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA'S CROWN
South Australia’s Minister for Tourism, Zoe Bettison, calls the resort development “a jewel in South Australia’s tourism crown.” With its scale and commitment to conservation, it’s easy to see why. Monarto Safari Park already welcomes thousands of visitors a year, and the new Monarto Safari Resort compliments the experience, elevating it from a day trip to a destination. “Monarto Safari Resort is the first of its kind in Australia that places you in the front row of nature’s greatest theatre,” says Huck. “We look forward to creating an immersive experience in a way that only Journey Beyond can.” Whether you’re enjoying a sundowner on the balcony or watching the sky set over the watering hole, the greatest joy at Monarto Safari Resort will be letting each adventure swallow up the day. Let the safaris begin.