Savanna Adventure: A Guide to Monarto Safari Park [2025]

About an hour’s drive from the CBD, you have the chance to connect with nature and wildlife at Monarto Safari Park, home to over 50 species of both native and exotic animals.

As a conservation zoo, it serves as both a recreational and educational facility. In fact, after my visit here, I realized the importance of preserving our country’s wildlife and helping in the protection of our endangered species!

Here you can meet friendly lions, cheetahs, zebras, and more! If you’re planning to visit the park, I’ve created a guide to highlight the best attractions, tours, and exhibits of the zoo.

How do you go to Monarto Safari Park?

If you’re coming from the CBD, Monarto Safari Park is just a 50-minute drive away. You can also take the Monarto Safari Park Shuttle from the central bus station, but remember to pre-book your trip.

Unfortunately, there are no tram or bus lines that go directly to the park. However, you can hire a taxi from the Murra Bus station to take you there.

If you’re a tourist, we recommend availing a rental car to get to the park. Trust us when we say that the exotic creatures you’ll encounter there will be well worth the journey!

How much are tickets to Monarto Safari Park?

Here are the ticket prices at Monarto Safari Park:

Ticket type	Price
For adults (15 years above)	$37.50
Children (4–14 years)	$18.75
Concession (seniors and students)	$30.00
Family tickets (2 adults with up to 6 children)	$93.75

What are Monarto Safari Park’s opening hours?
Monarto Safari Park is open the whole week from 9:30 AM–5 PM. The park is open even during holidays.

What are Monarto Safari Park’s best attractions?

Monarto is the park for you if you’re looking for a more thrilling and wild experience. Here are some of its attractions that I enjoyed the most.

Lions 360

Feeling brave? Monarto Safari Park’s Lions 360 is the perfect chance for you to test your courage against the king of the jungle!

Here, you’ll step inside the lion’s den with only reinforced glass for protection. It made me all sweaty from both the heat and nerves!

The view of the lions here is especially stunning during the afternoon because it’s when their mighty forms glow gold with the sun. My camera was instantly filled with photos of the lions as they stretched and flexed their muscles.

I also had the chance to view them from underneath as they walked lightly above. These magnificent creatures have some of the biggest paws I’ve ever seen!

The best part was the chance to do what I like to call a “meat and greet.” The lions became like playful house cats when they saw I had big chunks of food for them to munch on!

Land of the Lemurs

The Land of the Lemurs was another attraction at Monarto Safari Park that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a refreshing change from the dry lion lands, as the lemurs lived in a lush rainforest-like enclosure.

These energetic primates leaped from branch to branch and entertained visitors with their playful antics!

The lemurs were so friendly and interactive that it felt like they were the ones guiding us through their home. Just don’t steal their tamarind leaves!

The landscaping of the area was impressive, with organized rock formations and towering canopies.

As part of the park’s conservation efforts, there’s also an education center where I learned about the important role lemurs play in the ecosystem and the various initiatives to preserve their population.

Giraffe Feeding Experience

Giraffes are known for their height, elegance, slender legs, and fascinating fur, but I discovered during my visit to Monarto Safari Park that they are not the most graceful eaters. In fact, they chew very loudly, which I found amusing.

Additionally, they frequently stick their tongues out, which caused laughter among the visitors. It’s no wonder that guests were so eager to feed them hay!

The ones in Monarto Safari Park are southern giraffes, which are the tallest in the world. I had a great time listening to the tour guide’s explanation of these mammals’ unique biology.

Meeting the Rhinos

As a dinosaur enthusiast, it was a joy to see a rhinoceros in real life! They look just like the Triceratops in Jurassic Park with their sharp horns and bulky body.

Unfortunately, the southern white rhinos in the park are one of the most endangered species in the world. The good news is that as you watch the rhinos play in the mud and run in the wild, you’re also helping in conserving their numbers.

During my visit to Monarto Safari Park, I had the opportunity to meet the magnificent rhinos as they were enjoying their breakfast. Despite their large size, they were gentle creatures and quietly munched on grass.

To my surprise however, I learned that they’re one of the fastest running animals in their ecosystem! In fact, a pack of these animals is called a crash (which probably describes what it’s like to be run over by one).

Meerkat Mingle

Meerkats are one of the most adorable and energetic creatures in the park! They’re social creatures that are always curious about every guest that visits!

It was thrilling to see them doing different tasks with their small hands—foraging for food, playing with one another, or climbing. These animals are comfortable around humans, and some even climb onto guests’ laps to search for food.

They are also quite the mischievous bunch! One even snatched the mealworm treat I had without any hesitation.

The kids in the crowd I visited with had a lot of chuckles watching the meerkats scout the grounds for food. The latter’s quick head turns were so frequent that it almost seemed like they were bobbleheads!

Doggies in the Savanna

In the furthest parts of the park, you can catch a glimpse of the wilder and more ferocious relatives of our beloved pet dogs. The park is home to African painted dogs and spotted hyenas.

Surprisingly, they’re nothing like how they’re depicted in The Lion King. The hyenas here are gentle, especially when they were hand fed with meat!

What caught me off guard the most, though, were the sounds they made. It’s a captivatingly chaotic blend of laughter and whooping!

Meeting the Chimps

Ever wondered what your ancestors probably looked like millions of years ago? Have a look at our distant relatives, the chimpanzees in Monarto Safari Park.

They are highly intelligent and social animals who frequently engage in play with each other. It was a joy to watch them hug and roll around in their hay.

My most fond memory was seeing one of the young ones continue to tease his mother! Playfulness is definitely part of our genetic makeup.

I was lucky to see them swinging by the ropes ala Tarzan. Their strong muscles and sharp eyes keep them fit and ready for foraging.

The zookeepers also provide them with plenty of obstacle courses to keep them stimulated. When they’re not participating in these courses, you can observe them interacting with guests through the glass barrier.

Aussie Native Animals

Of course, a visit to Monarto wouldn’t be complete without meeting some of Australia’s fascinating native animals. At the park, you can see rock wallabies, Tasmanian devils, and bilbies up close.

Meeting a Tasmanian devil is an unforgettable experience! These energetic creatures are constantly on the move, making it hard to keep up with them.

Despite their short legs, they move with incredible speed and agility. And their cute grunts and screeches only add to their charm.

The wallabies are another favorite of mine because of their large eyes that always seem curious. I could spend hours just watching them hop around and explore their environment.

And then there are the bilbies, which look like a cross between a mouse and a rabbit.

These adorable creatures have long snouts that are always twitching and sniffing for food.

It’s amazing to see how they use their powerful sense of smell to navigate their surroundings.

How do you get around Monarto Safari Park?

Monarto Safari Park has many bus stops scattered all over the park to make it easy to visit their attractions. You’re not required to book this service, so just wait by the stops to continue your adventure.

Is there a playground in Monarto Safari Park?

There’s a playground in Monarto Safari Park located near the entrance. During times when the animal attractions aren’t open, take your kids here instead.

Their playground has plenty of equipment for playing such as sandpits, climbing frames, and slides. You can also lounge nearby as you watch your little monkeys spend the energy from their lunch.

Where can you eat inside Monarto Safari Park?

Speaking of lunch, there are also some spots for you to eat inside Monarto Safari Park.

Monarto Safari Park Cafe

The main dining place in Monarto Safari Park is the cafe which offers burgers, snacks, and meals-on-the-go. It’s a great place to quench your thirst if you’ve been touring the park all afternoon.