Safari lodges and wildlife resorts offer animal lovers an opportunity to spend the night with some of the coolest, most exotic animals in the world- from a safe distance, of course. Thing is, a lot of these animal-centric resorts are located in rural sanctuaries or wildlife preserves far from the nearest major city. That can be a selling point for some guests, but if your vacation is largely centered around one city, traveling a few hours out to a remote wildlife retreat means factoring more time and travel in your itinerary.
Luckily, animal afficionados visiting Sydney, Australia, don't even have to leave city limits to walk (or rather, sleep) on the wild side. At the Taronga Zoo in Sydney Harbor, guests can "visit" the Australian bush in the big city with an overnight stay at their Wildlife Retreat!
No time to go on a long Australian "safari?" Then let the Taronga Zoo bring the safari to you. A reporter from @thepointsguy got the "best of both worlds" experience with an overnight stay at the Taronga Zoo's Wildlife Retreat, located only about a 15-minute drive away from Sydney's city center.
According to the TPG reporter, guests can choose from three different accommodations, but the Taronga Zoo Wildlife Retreat's website actually specifies four different accommodation types. There's the Bushland Room, which overlooks the zoo's native bird exhibit; the Animal View room, which looks out over the zoo's iconic wildlife sanctuary; the Harbour View room, with scenic views of the harbor and the Sydney Opera House; and the Treetop Suites, with panoramic views and spacious floorplans. There are also four suites designed to be wheelchair-accessible.
The luxury suites are nice, but the wildlife encounters are the retreat's main attraction. Included in the cost of a stay here are guided tours through the animal sanctuary in the early mornings and afternoons, where guests can experience up-close encounters with animals like kangaroos, koalas, and dingoes, and even help feed some of the cute critters! Overnight guests also get two days of covered entry into the Taronga Zoo, along with access to a special gate that opens right inside the zoo- no waiting in line required!
The Wildlife Retreat at the Taronga Zoo
Along with the luxury suites and aforementioned perks, guests get complimentary buffet breakfast at the Me-Gal restaurant and access to the stylish N'Gurra Lounge, which serves up scenic harbor views and casual lunches. For an added cost, guests can add lunch and dinner at the Me-Gal to their stay as well. Between their packed, adventurous guest itineraries, luxury accommodations, and convenient location, the Taronga Zoo's Wildlife Retreat offers an unbeatable experience... which, of course, means that it also costs a pretty penny.
I'll admit, though, I expected something like this to cost at least $1,000 a night, so I was pleased to see that this wasn't the case. Prices fluctuated a lot by date, but I found a lot of available dates for under $600. Now let me just add a caveat before this next part: since it's an Australian website, I assumed the prices were in Australian dollars, not American. If that's the case, then a $540 room rate would actually only cost around $360 in USD, for example. That said, I'm not sure if the prices were in AUD or USD, as I didn't see it specified. If you want clarification, I'd call the Taronga Zoo directly for booking information to be safe.
As The Points Guy 's reporter said, though, every penny you spend there is worth it, because it all helps fund the Taronga Zoo's conservationist mission of preserving native wildlife in Australia and around the world. An exciting, eco-friendly, and convenient wildlife retreat, all within the heart of Sydney, Australia ? That sounds like a dream vacation to me.
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