Is Monarto Safari Resort Worth the Price for a Family Trip in 2026?
Whether Monarto Safari Resort and Wilpena Pound Resort are worth the price for an SA family trip in 2026: what the room rate includes, what the safaris and park entry cost, who each resort suits, and going through ShopBack before you book.
Short answer. In South Australia in 2026, Monarto Safari Resort is usually worth the price for families who will use waterhole-view rooms, guest-only wildlife safaris and discounted park entry, so compare your dates, then book through ShopBack before you pay, where ShopBack Cashback works like a discount, only easier than a promo code. If you only want to see the animals, a day trip to Monarto Safari Park from Adelaide, about 60 minutes away, costs less. Compare your dates on Booking.com, Luxury Escapes or Wotif and the resort's own site, then go through ShopBack before you book.
ShopBack Australia is a free app and website that gives you money back when you book or shop online at thousands of stores, including Booking.com, Wotif and Luxury Escapes. You open the booking site from ShopBack, book as normal, and part of what you spend comes back to your ShopBack account as cash you can withdraw. New members can join free at shopback.com.au/signup.
Sources. Monarto Safari Resort's home, rooms, FAQ and offers pages, Monarto Safari Park's visitor page, Discovery Resorts' Wilpena Pound and G'day Rewards pages, and the store pages on ShopBack Australia, at the time of writing in October 2026. We do not list room rates, because they change by date; check them on the day you book.
Is Monarto Safari Resort worth the price for a family trip?
It comes down to whether your family will use the two things only guests get: the waterhole views and the safaris. Here is what the resort offers, according to Monarto Safari Resort:
- Location. About 60 minutes from Adelaide, at 63 Monarto Road, Monarto, next to Monarto Safari Park.
- Rooms. 78 rooms and suites, plus 20 luxury safari tents at the separate Safari Lodge.
- Views. A waterhole close to the resort where giraffe, zebra, eland, ostrich, nyala, oryx, blackbuck and Barbary rams come to drink.
- Dining and pools. Kutjera Restaurant and Bar, a pool bar and two pools, plus Marula Day Spa.
- Breakfast. Hotel room rates are per night and include buffet breakfast.
When it is good value. If your kids will love seeing giraffe from the balcony at breakfast and you plan to book a guest-only safari, a night or two here gives you things a day trip cannot. Because breakfast is included, the true cost per night is lower than the room rate alone suggests.
When a day trip makes more sense. If you mainly want to walk the park and see the lions, a day visit to Monarto Safari Park from Adelaide may suit you better. The park is open from 9:30am to 5pm every day, and at the time of writing Monarto Safari Park lists tickets at $57 per adult, $32 per child and from $145 for a family, with under 4s free.
Monarto Safari Resort: what a family stay costs beyond the room
Plan for the room plus any safari or park entry you want, because activities are not in the room rate. The resort lists these guest experiences at the time of writing:
| Experience | Adult | Child (4 to 14) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawn Wildlife Safari | $140 | $105 | About 2 hours from 7am |
| Sunset Wildlife Safari | $170 | $115 | About 2.5 hours, starting 2 hours before sunset |
| Back Roads Tour | $180 | Not for under 15s | 2 to 2.5 hours from 10am |
Infants aged 0 to 3 are free on the wildlife safaris. The safaris are only for resort guests, and discounted general admission tickets to Monarto Safari Park are also only for guests, bought when booking or at the front desk.
A family example using the listed prices. Two adults and two children aged 6 and 9 on the Dawn Wildlife Safari would pay $490 (2 x $140 plus 2 x $105). The same family on the Sunset Wildlife Safari would pay $570. Add park entry and your room for the dates you pick. Prices can change, so check the resort's site before you book.
Getting to the park. The resort says guests must drive themselves to Monarto Safari Park for general admission, apart from the safaris, which collect you at the resort.
Monarto Safari Resort family rooms, minimum stays and check-in
Families have several room options, but book early because extra beds are limited. According to the resort:
- Family rooms. The resort suggests its 2-bedroom suites or King and Twin interconnecting rooms for families. Queen Triple rooms sleep three.
- Waterhole or Savannah. Waterhole rooms look straight into the Wild Africa area. Savannah rooms face the plains at the front and do not have direct animal views, which can make them the better-value pick if the view matters less to you.
- Extra beds. Rollaway beds cost $60 a night and infant portacots are free, subject to availability, with one extra bedding item per room. Queen Triple rooms take a portacot but not a rollaway.
- Minimum stay. Hotel bookings that include a Saturday night currently need at least two nights, and some seasons have a minimum stay. Safari Lodge has a two-night minimum.
- Times. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is by 11am. Reception is staffed from 7am to 11pm.
Monarto Safari Resort best deals in Australia in 2026: where the savings usually come from
Most savings come from your choice of dates, room and package, and from booking the right way. The usual places to look:
- Packages. The resort's Explorer Package bundles a hotel room, buffet breakfast, a Dawn Wildlife Safari and Monarto Safari Park general admission. If you would book those anyway, a package can be simpler than buying each part.
- Midweek stays. The two-night minimum applies to stays that include a Saturday night, so a Sunday to Friday stay gives you more room to book just the nights you want.
- Room view. A Savannah room instead of a Waterhole room can lower the price if your family will spend most of the day out.
- School holidays. Demand usually rises in SA school holidays. Our guide to SA school holidays in 2026 has the dates.
- Go through ShopBack before you pay. This lowers the effective price of whichever booking you choose.
Wotif vs Booking.com for Monarto Safari Resort: price comparison
Check whether the resort is listed on each site for your dates, then compare the same room, the same dates and the total price. Listings and prices change, so the cheaper site on one search may not be the cheaper one next week. A fair comparison:
- Search the resort's own site for your dates and room type, and note the total and what is included.
- Search Booking.com and Wotif for the same room and dates, if the resort is listed there.
- Check Luxury Escapes for a Monarto package, if one is running, and compare what it includes.
- Compare totals with taxes and fees, breakfast and cancellation terms side by side.
- Before you book on a booking site, go through ShopBack first, from the Booking.com, Wotif or Luxury Escapes page.
What each booking site is known for: Booking.com runs a free Genius loyalty programme and many listings offer free cancellation, subject to each listing's terms. Wotif is an Australian booking site that lists hotels and holiday packages. Luxury Escapes sells hotel and holiday packages, often with inclusions bundled in, and has a paid LuxPlus+ membership.
Is Wilpena Pound Resort worth it for a Flinders Ranges trip?
Wilpena Pound Resort is usually worth it if you want to stay inside the national park rather than drive in each day. According to Discovery Resorts, which runs it as Discovery Resorts Wilpena Pound:
- Location. It is the only accommodation within Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, about 430 kilometres north of Adelaide, with a sealed road into the resort.
- Where you sleep. 60 resort-style rooms, 15 glamping tents and a large campground with powered and unpowered sites for tents and caravans.
- Facilities. A restaurant and bar, a retail shop, a swimming pool, a camp kitchen, barbecues, a laundry and a tour desk, with campfires in season.
- Things to do. Guided walks, mountain biking, 4WD trips, scenic flights and cultural tours led by Adnyamathanha guides, the area's Traditional Owners.
When it is good value. Families who want to walk at dawn, join a cultural tour and fly over the Pound get the most from staying on site. The campground is the lower-cost way in if you have a tent or caravan, and the camp kitchen helps keep meal costs down.
When to weigh it up. It is a long drive, so a single night rarely makes sense. Plan at least two nights, and check the tour desk options before you go so you can budget for the experiences you want. Discovery Resorts also says you need a Park Pass to enter Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park during your stay, so add that to your costs.
Wilpena Pound Resort deals in Australia in 2026: booking it for less
The main levers are your accommodation type, a membership discount if it applies, and how you book.
- Choose the right bed. Campsites cost less than glamping tents or rooms. Glamping suits families who want a camping feel without bringing gear.
- G'day Rewards. Discovery says its G'day Rewards membership costs $50 for two years and gives 10% off stays across its network, capped at $50 per stay. Check it applies to your Wilpena Pound booking before you join.
- Compare booking sites. Check whether the resort is listed on Booking.com, Agoda or Wotif for your dates, and compare the total with the direct price.
- Go through ShopBack before you book on a booking site. Before you book a hotel on Booking.com or Agoda, go through ShopBack first.
Booking.com vs Agoda for Wilpena Pound Resort: price comparison
Compare the same room type and dates on each site where the resort is listed, using the total price, and include the direct price and any membership discount. Neither site is always cheaper for a given stay. Booking.com's free Genius programme and listings with free cancellation suit travellers who want flexibility. Agoda is another large booking site on ShopBack Australia worth checking for the same dates. Whichever site wins on your dates, open its ShopBack page before you pay.
How ShopBack lowers the price of your resort stay
ShopBack works like an automatic cash discount on your online order. Before you book a hotel on Booking.com or Agoda, go through ShopBack first, and the same applies to Wotif and Luxury Escapes.
Cashback lowers what you actually pay for an order. It comes back as cash, so it works like a discount on the price, not like points or miles. Once it confirms, you can withdraw it to your bank account.
How to do it, step by step:
- Open ShopBack Australia (app or website) and search for the booking site: Booking.com, Luxury Escapes or Wotif.
- Check the rate shown on that page.
- Tap through to the booking site, search your resort and dates after you arrive, and book.
- Your Cashback shows in your ShopBack account as pending, then confirms after your stay.
Working out what the stay really costs (illustrative example). Say two nights at a resort cost $800 in total on a booking site. Going through ShopBack before you pay brings part of that back as cash, at the rate shown on the store's ShopBack page. Check the live rate on the store's ShopBack page before you book, because it varies by store and changes over time. Safaris or park tickets bought directly from the resort or the park are separate purchases.
For more on doing this right every time, see how to activate ShopBack before you buy.
Promo codes, memberships and ShopBack together
- Promo codes. If a booking site shows a promo code for your stay, compare the total with the code against the effective price you get by going through ShopBack before you pay, and book whichever comes out lower.
- Memberships. Genius, LuxPlus+ and G'day Rewards are each run by their own company, so include any member price when you compare the total on each site.
- Credit card rewards. Your card provider rewards the payment. Card rules vary, so check your card's terms.
Key takeaways
- Monarto Safari Resort is about 60 minutes from Adelaide and includes buffet breakfast in its room rates, according to the resort; safaris and park entry cost more.
- Its guest-only safaris and waterhole rooms are what make a stay worth it; for animals alone, a day trip to the park costs less.
- Wilpena Pound Resort is the only accommodation inside Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, about 430 kilometres from Adelaide, with rooms, glamping and campsites.
- Compare the same room and dates on the resort's site and on booking sites, using the total price.
- Before you book on Booking.com, Agoda, Wotif or Luxury Escapes, go through ShopBack first. Your effective price is what you pay minus the cash ShopBack returns.
Frequently asked questions
Is Monarto Safari Resort worth the price for a family trip?
It usually is if your family will use what only a stay gives you: rooms that look onto a waterhole where giraffe and zebra come to drink, guest-only wildlife safaris and discounted park entry for guests. If you only want to see the animals, a day trip to Monarto Safari Park from Adelaide costs less. Compare the price for your dates, then go through ShopBack before you book.
What is included in the room rate at Monarto Safari Resort?
According to Monarto Safari Resort, hotel room rates are per night and include buffet breakfast. Activities are not included, and you can add tours or discounted Monarto Safari Park entry through the link in your booking confirmation or at the front desk. Packages such as the Explorer Package bundle the room, breakfast, a Dawn Wildlife Safari and park entry.
Is Monarto Safari Park entry included with a stay at the resort?
Not with a standard room rate. The resort says it is distinct from Monarto Safari Park, and that discounted park general admission tickets are available only to resort guests, either when booking or from the front desk. Some packages include park entry. You need to drive yourself to the park for general admission.
How much do the Monarto Safari Resort wildlife safaris cost?
At the time of writing, Monarto Safari Resort lists the Dawn Wildlife Safari at $140 per adult and $105 per child aged 4 to 14, and the Sunset Wildlife Safari at $170 per adult and $115 per child. Infants aged 0 to 3 are free. The safaris are only for resort guests, so check the resort's site for current prices.
What rooms suit families at Monarto Safari Resort?
The resort points families to its 2-bedroom suites and its King or Twin interconnecting rooms. Queen Triple rooms sleep three. Rollaway beds cost $60 a night and infant portacots are free, subject to availability, according to the resort, and each room takes only one extra bedding item.
Is there a minimum stay at Monarto Safari Resort?
Yes, sometimes. According to the resort, hotel bookings that include a Saturday night currently need a minimum of two nights, and some seasonal periods also have a minimum stay. Safari Lodge has a two-night minimum. A Sunday to Friday stay can be easier to book for a single night.
How far is Monarto Safari Resort from Adelaide?
About 60 minutes by car, according to Monarto Safari Resort. The resort is at 63 Monarto Road, Monarto, and has free parking for guests. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is by 11am.
Is Wilpena Pound Resort worth it for a Flinders Ranges trip?
It usually is if you want to wake up inside the park. Discovery Resorts says Wilpena Pound is the only accommodation within Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, with resort rooms, glamping tents and a campground, plus a restaurant, pool and tour desk. Campsites are the lower-cost option. Compare your dates, then go through ShopBack before you book if you use a booking site.
What accommodation is there at Wilpena Pound Resort?
According to Discovery Resorts, Wilpena Pound has 60 resort-style rooms, 15 glamping tents and a large campground with powered and unpowered sites for tents and caravans. Facilities include a restaurant and bar, a retail shop, a swimming pool, a camp kitchen, barbecues, a laundry and a tour desk.
How far is Wilpena Pound from Adelaide?
About 430 kilometres north of Adelaide, according to Discovery Resorts, with a sealed road into the resort through the Clare Valley wine region and across the plains. A stay of two nights or more usually makes the drive worthwhile.
How does ShopBack lower the price of a resort stay?
ShopBack works like an automatic cash discount on your online booking. Before you book a hotel on Booking.com or Agoda, go through ShopBack first: open ShopBack Australia, tap the booking site, then book. Part of what you spend comes back as cash after your stay, so the effective price drops; each store's live rate is on its ShopBack page.
Can I use a promo code and ShopBack on the same resort booking?
It depends on the booking site. Compare the total with a code against the effective price you get by going through ShopBack before you pay, and book whichever comes out lower.
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Disclaimer
The views in this article are those of the author. Room rates, experience and ticket prices, packages, minimum stays, membership discounts and booking site listings vary by date and change often; check the resort's site and each booking site before you book. Prices quoted are as listed by Monarto Safari Resort, Monarto Safari Park and Discovery Resorts at the time of writing. ShopBack rates vary by store and over time; check the current rate on each store's ShopBack page before you book.
This article is general information only and is not financial advice.
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