Monarto Safari Park’s newest all-ages experience brings a Madagascan expedition to our backyard. Get up close and personal with one of Australia’s largest lemur troops in the Land of the Lemurs.

That’s right – King Julian and friends are now on your doorstep! Can you hear the wild calling?

As you wander through the specially designed walkthrough exhibit, the bright eyed, black-and-white Ring-Tailed Lemurs will freely leap from tree to tree, hang upside down, pounce and play, and run between your feet! It’s hard to beat the endearing cuteness of six-year-old Blossom and three-year-old’s Debbie and Lilo, who have all welcomed the sweetest little members to the family already!

And that’s not all, these Madagascan natives make great roommates to the Aldabra Giant and Radiated Tortoises, who lap up life in the slow lane in the dedicated Tortoise Research Facility.

This fun expedition has just opened to the public, so if you want to be one of the first among your friends to meet the lemurs, then you’d better “move it, move it” and get your tickets immediately! It’s sure to be a family favourite in the upcoming summer school holidays.

While you’re planning your visit, you can’t pass up the full Monarto Safari Park experience. Prepare to spend at least half a day here. The hours will flash by as you explore the park and take in its newest attractions.

If you are planning on spending the day there, you’ll begin your journey at the magnificent new Visitor Centre which was opened in March 2022. The team at the park has made sure it caters to everyone, with wheelchair accessibility, including a lift to a lookout with magnificent views over the Monarto plains, accessible and gender-neutral restrooms, a baby change room, and parents’ rooms with a microwave. The new Visitor Centre has it all.

One of our favourite features of the redevelopment, is that you can now visit the playground, café, gallery and gift shop whenever you want without needing an admission ticket.

And if you’ve been in search of a new trail to conquer, try the 12-kilometre network of walking tracks across the park – ranging from easy to medium grading that’s suitable for a sturdy stroller (or you can always combine a walk with the Zu Loop bus). Plan ahead and check out a map of the park here.

If you’re keen to add on another animal encounter to your visit, there’s a range of unique interactive experiences for everyone.

Here are a couple of our top picks:

• The iconic Lions 360 brings you within clawing range of one of Australia’s largest lion prides.
• You can pet a Southern White Rhino or assist the keeper in feeding the Black Rhinos on the Black and White Rhino Tour, an immersive experience not to be missed.
• Hand-feed carrots to the males of the largest giraffe herd in Australia on the Giraffe Safari.
• Join in on a free keeper talk and learn something new about your favourite animal and to see it being fed and having a play.

With so much to see at Monarto Safari Park already (and a lot more to look forward to), you’re probably going to make a return sooner than later. So how about making a great step towards helping conserve these amazing animals at the park?

In addition to daily park passes, an annual Zoos SA membership will pay for itself within 3 visits. That means you’ll get 365 days of unlimited visits to Monarto Safari Park and Adelaide Zoo, along with discounts on experiences and at the shops and cafés. With Christmas coming up, this is a fantastic present for an animal lover.

And what’s more to love, in our region wine and wildlife go hand in hand.

In 2021, Grapes for Good was launched as a collaborative conservation project between Zoos SA and six incredible wineries in the Langhorne Creek Wine Region, including Kimbolton Wines, Bremerton Wines, Lake Breeze Wines, The Winehouse, Bleasdale Vineyards and Vineyard Road Cellar Door.

After taking home the top prize at the 2023 International Best of Wine Tourism Awards, the initiative, which operates under the guiding principle that “every drop can go a little further and make a real difference,” has recently gained international recognition.

So, once you’ve ticked off Monarto Safari Park, why not include a journey over to Langhorne Creek and collect all six? Create your itinerary here.