Zoofari Lodge at Taronga Western Plains

The animals are wonderful but the staff are truly extraordinary. The same zoo keepers that took us on behind-the-scenes animal tours welcomed us, served us dinner and even made cocktails! I highly highly recommend the Zoofari experience. It was worth spending the extra money for the accommodation, meals, animal experiences, and customer service. A truly wonderful trip. We flew to Dubbo with Rex which only took an hour, and you must hire a car so you can get around and explore the zoo at your leisure.

This was a bucket list item for us and it didn’t disappoint. The tent is amazing, true luxury under canvas. The location on the plains was breathtaking. The service from the staff couldn’t be faulted. They go above and beyond to make this experience perfect. The food was awesome, very different to anything we would normally have. The extra tours of the zoo also a highlight. The only negative for us was the kids during dinner. To make this truly 5 star it would be good to have a different dining hour for families.

The whole experience was awesome. Having a behind the scenes night and morning tours with very knowledgeable guides with the rest of the zoofari guests was great. However, we stayed two nights, and despite being advertised a “personalised itinerary”, we received the exact same itinerary both days. Since most other people stay only one night, we are told the same information during the tours, down to the same jokes (about the mound of poo being turned into chocolate ice cream). It was cool to see the animals again, I would not recommend spending twice the amount of money for the same thing. At least the dinner was different each night, which was absolutely phenomenal. Best food all included.

What a wonderful experience. The staff at Zoofari Lodge are phenomenal - so enthusiastic about the animals and exceptionally helpful - organising our breakfast to be ready early so we could get to our flight on time. We had a full itinerary of private safaris and a giraffe encounter. The food was amazing and the accommodation was spectacular. Highly recommended.

This is an extraordinary experience that should not be missed. The accommodation was wonderful. And, as well as getting some special viewing access of the animals, every dollar you spend helps to keep endangered animals alive.

Communing with and waking up to the animals was amazing! Feed giraffes was fabulous. The tours were enjoyable. The cabins were comfortable. The food was fine as long as you didn’t have inflated expectations. The only complaint I have is the politicisation of the acknowledgement of country. Had no issue with the acknowledgement, just the added personal commentary on sovereignty. It was not needed, ruined both evening meals, and tainted the visit.

The whole Zoofari experience was incredible from check in until check out. We were unable to book one of the front lodges (with views straight out over the Savannah area), but it didn’t matter. There’s a viewing area very close by and all the lodges are spacious, clean & cool. Check in was fast and easy. We arrived earlier in the day & were able to spend some time at the zoo before. Once checked in, we were kept fairly well occupied until check out. The staff at check in were all friendly & helpful. We had 3 animal experiences - giraffe feeding at the Savannah, and 2 zoo tours - one after dark, and one before breakfast. The guides were very knowledgeable, friendly & entertaining. The food was amazing and they appeared to be very good with food allergies. (We don’t have any restrictions, but did notice that some people had slightly different options for their grazing plates; and they did check with us if we had allergies. Overall, the whole experience was amazing. The zoo is not for profit & the animals are well cared for. When you factor in accommodation, meals, zoo entry for 2 days & tours - it’s also very good value.

Lovely accommodation with fantastic view of animals. Dinner a big let down - cold, small portion, not great quality or taste. Tours interesting. Felt $1500 too pricy for experience- if the food was a high standard I would have been happy with price. Wish they served the breakfast for dinner as this was great.

Definitely recommend staying in one of the animal view lodges- waking up to the animals is such a unique and incredible experience, we spent a lot of time just watching the animals! Food was excellent, activities were a great addition, and the staff really went above and beyond to help us out. Overall an amazing time and well worth a visit