Monarto Safari Park Park

Address: Monarto South, South Australia

Website: https://www.monartosafari.com.au/

Monarto Safari Park is an open-range wildlife park in South Australia near the town of Murray Bridge that provides large, semi-natural enclosures for African and other large mammals. The park emphasises conservation breeding, education and open-safari experiences rather than traditional zoo enclosures.

Visitors experience guided safari tours and drive-through areas where animals roam in extensive habitats, allowing relatively close observation of species such as giraffe and rhinoceros within large paddocks. The park’s size and open-plan design distinguish it from urban zoos.

Monarto was developed to provide a large-scale facility for species conservation and breeding and is managed with an emphasis on long-term population security for threatened species. It supports scientific and conservation programs alongside public education.

The park is located on the plains east of Adelaide near Murray Bridge in South Australia, set in broad pastoral landscape that allows extensive open-range enclosures.

• Visitor experience: Operates as an open-range, conservation-focused wildlife park with guided safari tours and vehicle access across large enclosures.
• Conservation role: Houses breeding programs for large mammals and is managed by the South Australian zoo authority as a major conservation facility in Australia.

Monarto Safari Park is on the outskirts of Monarto, east of Adelaide (near Murray Bridge). The park is primarily reached by car from Adelaide via the South Eastern Freeway/Princes Highway (A1) and local roads; it’s a drive east of the Adelaide metropolitan area (typically around an hour depending on traffic). Public transport options are limited - many visitors use organised day tours or drive and use the park’s on-site parking.

• Book one of Monarto's guided safari experiences or the giraffe/keeper encounters in advance-these sell out and give much closer viewing than general wandering areas.
• Arrive in the cooler early morning or late afternoon when large mammals are most active and more visible across the open-range enclosures.
• Use the park's main entrance off Monarto Road (signposted from Murray Bridge) and allow extra time for on-site vehicle movement-the park is very large and your chosen safari start point may be some distance from the carpark.