After New Year’s Eve in Hahndorf, we started the new year on safari. Monarto Safari Park is out on the dry plains past the Adelaide Hills near Murray Bridge, and it’s about as close to Africa as you can get in South Australia: rhinos, lions, cheetahs, elephants and wild dogs in huge open yards, with walking tracks and a bus to get you around.
What we like
- Big African animals up close
- Walking tracks between the yards
- Hop-on hop-off shuttle bus
- Viewing decks with binoculars
What we don’t
- Little shade on a hot day
- Tickets add up for a family
About Monarto Safari ParkAbout
Monarto is the open-range park run by Zoos SA, the same people who run Adelaide Zoo, and it’s built for big animals that need space. The yards are huge stretches of red dirt, saltbush and mallee, and the animals come from Africa and Asia: white and black rhinos, lions, cheetahs, African wild dogs, Asian elephants, ostriches, chimpanzees and meerkats among them. Keeper talks run through the day, and there are paid experiences like the walk-through lion experience if you want to get closer.
It’s open 9.30 am to 5 pm every day of the year, public holidays included, which is how we ended up there on New Year’s Day. Tickets are for a set date and you book them online; when we checked, an adult was $57 and a child $32.
Quick facts
- Address63 Monarto Road, Monarto SA 5254, AustraliaSee on the trip map →
- FacilitiesVisitor CentreWalking TrailsViewing PlatformToiletsParkingRestaurantNo CampingNo Shade
- Good to knowOpen every day, 9.30–5Last bus 3 pmBook a set date online
- Fees$57 adult$32 child
- 8.9/10Overall rated
- Book your site
Getting There
Monarto is just off the South Eastern Freeway past the Adelaide Hills, about 45 minutes from Adelaide and half an hour from Hahndorf, where we’d spent the night before. The road in is sealed, and there’s a big gravel car park by the visitor centre with plenty of room for a 4WD with a rooftop tent.
Getting Around: Walking Tracks and the Zu-loopGetting Around: Walking…
From the visitor centre, a network of walking tracks heads out across the plains to the yards and viewing decks, with orange signposts at every junction pointing to Windana, the Waterhole, the Cheetah Stop and the rest. There’s a map board at the start, and it’s worth a photo before you set off. The Windana viewing deck has binoculars and a view over the plains.
You don’t have to walk it all. The Zu-loop buses run a hop-on, hop-off circuit with stops at the yards, and there’s a separate Carnivore Shuttle. We walked quite a bit of the way out and then took the shuttle back from further in the park. The last Zu-loop leaves the visitor centre at 3 pm, so don’t leave the far end of the park until last.
Park LayoutLayout
The Zu-loop runs one way around the park from the visitor centre and stops at eight places in the same order every time: the Cheetah stop, the Outpost (meerkats, porcupines and chimps, with a cafe), Black Rhino, Elephants of Asia, the Waterhole (giraffes and ostriches), the Bomas (white rhinos), Windana (lions, hyenas and wild dogs), and back to the visitor centre. You don’t need to book, you can get on and off as often as you like, and only bottled water is allowed on board. Around 12 km of walking tracks link the yards in between, from easy to medium, so you can walk one stretch and ride the next.
Out Among the AnimalsThe animals
The white rhinos have a wide yard of red dirt with logs and a shelter to stand under in the heat, and we watched a cheetah eating in the long grass just the other side of the fence. The Asian elephants have their own big yard with gum trees, and the ostriches came right up to the fence. Out on the plains, the African wild dogs rested under a fallen tree, and the lions lay in the grass in their enclosure. There are meerkats and chimpanzees too.
Tips for a Hot Day
Monarto is on dry, open plains, and in summer it gets hot. Most of the walking tracks are out in full sun, with not much shade between the viewing shelters, so bring a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water, and plan the walking for the morning. A sign on the tracks warns about snakes in the warmer months, so stay on the paths. The animals are most active in the cooler hours too, so arriving at opening time pays off twice.
Things to Do NearbyThings to do
Hahndorf, half an hour back up the freeway, is the place for a German pub dinner after a day on the plains, and the Barossa Valley is another hour north. Our Adelaide Hills guide has the whole area. We camped that night at Pymbroke Camp, a quiet Hipcamp on the Bremer River 20 minutes away, and Monarto Safari Resort has accommodation if you’d rather stay at the park.
Summary
Monarto Safari Park is the closest thing to a safari in South Australia: big African animals in huge open yards, walking tracks between viewing decks and a hop-on, hop-off bus when your legs give out, all about 45 minutes from Adelaide. Book a date online, come early, bring water and a hat, and give it the whole day.
A real safari day an hour from Adelaide.
Rhinos, lions, cheetahs, elephants and wild dogs live in big open yards, and you get around on walking tracks between viewing decks or hop on the Zu-loop bus for the far end. Go early, bring water and a hat, and plan a whole day.
- Families
- Couples
- Travellers
Yes, for a full day. $57 for an adult buys a day of big animals in big open yards, with free keeper talks through the day.
Recommended Gear for Monarto Safari Park
A hot day on the plains needs water, so carry plenty in good water containers in the car and refill before you set off on the tracks. A good camping fridge keeps lunch and drinks cold in the car park, a handheld fan helps on the open tracks, and a couple of camping chairs make a shady lunch stop under the trees by the car park.
