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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Jamala Wildlife Lodge is the ultimate overnight safari and Canberra's first luxury lodge experience. With just 18 rooms this amazing package gives guests exclusive access to a once in a lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the Zoo's beautiful residents. Price includes 2 zoo tours, dinner & dinner beverages & breakfast.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Great View
Languages Spoken
English
Location
999 Lady Denman Drive National Zoo & Aquarium, Canberra 2611 Australia
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We had 2 nights here in different rooms. The first night (happened to be our actual anniversary date) we were in the the Giraffe treehouse, where the giraffes come right to your balcony for you to hand feed. They roam around their area, and visit the rooms many times during the night and day. The second night was in the Wild Encounter room. This room includes your own personal close and personal session with “Solo” the most beautiful and placid Cheetah. The rooms are all set out with African Safari decor, with comfortable beds and plenty of space to move around (much bigger than most normal hotel deluxe rooms). The dining is to die for. It’s a real experience you won’t forget. Starts with a session of pre dinner drinks, with a visit from 2 White Lions. Most special dietary needs can be catered for, but you must advise them when making your booking. The guided tours are excellent, as your able to get close to some of the animals that the general public can’t, and you are able hand feed them and sometimes pat them. Your itinerary for your stay is given to your upon arrival, along with an afternoon high tea. The staff at the lodge and the Zoo are so friendly and helpful with making your time here memorable. Talking to other guests at the dinner table, it seems all other rooms have their own unique animal pay them a visit at their window. Everyone agreed it is an experience they will never forget. Yes, it is not cheap, but how often can you this close to zoo animals and have 5 star accommodation at you disposal while there. Everything is included in the cost (except the comprehensive minibar in your room). The lodge is only 6 years old, and still looks like it was only opened last year. The rooms are presented well and very clean and comfortable. This is also reflected in the care of the animals in the zoo. Their areas are cleaned everyday (when possible) and fed and cared for very thoroughly. The aquarium (although small, compared to the one in Sydney), has a very good range of sea life and exhibits in it, and is incorporated into the lodge for some viewing of the sea life. This place deserves a 6-7 star rating. Thanks again to all at the lodge and zoo who made our anniversary so memorable. We can’t not stop talking about it.
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Date of stay: February 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
One of the best experiences on offer..... the best environment and the whole event over 2 days is amazing and so well managed. The communal dinner is great to meet people and the food is some of the most amazing you will ever experience....try the full entree platter!!!
The rooms are clean modern and spacious with the animals of choice right there - can recommend Meerkats for their active nature.
Just something to do you will never forget.
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Date of stay: March 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were delighted to receive an overnight booking for the Giraffe room at Jamala Wildlife Lodge and finally the day came for us to avail ourselves.
We had heard so many good things about the Zoo & Aquarium as well as the overnight stay .... we were definitely not disappointed.
Our private tour guide Jess was fantastic. She walked us through the zoo itself at a relatively leisurely pace whilst we looked at the animals and fed several (rhino, sun bears & llamas) which was an awesome experience.
We then went to our accommodation lodge. It is beyond amazing. The African themed room was beautiful - tastefully decorated & themed - and coupled with the balcony out the back where we fed the giraffes it was truly a day to remember.
We were provided with a charcuterie box around 4.30 and our main dinner at about 8pm in our room .... this just topped off the day. The food was top shelf and plentiful.
The cost is not insignificant at approx $1600 but, truthfully, it is really hard to put a value on such a beautiful and memorable experience; especially if you can’t get to an African safari in the near future.
Cannot recommend highly enough
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Date of stay: March 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I read a lot of reviews on here before we booked. I think all people booking need to be prepared before they commit to this kind of zoo experience! Below are my top tips.
1. It’s expensive. They make no excuses around that. It’s a one of a kind experience in Australia and if you can, pay for the jungle bungalow. Our cost was $2200 for one night so like I said, it’s expensive. Laying in a huge bubble bath, drinking champagne with two tiger toddlers play wrestling 30 cm away from you is probably something I won’t experience again though! This is also an amazing privately run zoo and all of the money from Jamala goes back into conservation and zoo operations
2. You can’t choose your animal. If you book a jungle bungalow you will be able to give preferences (tigers, cheetah, sun bear, lions) and they will let you know a day or two before what you have been allocated. You can’t make a request, just preferences.
3. It is quite structured but...it’s a working zoo. You can’t seriously expect to just be able to wander around? Or order bottles of spirits because you prefer to drink those? Come on. You should be prepared for structured tours, shared dining experiences and a fairly rigid timetable to make sure you get the most out of it. They also do not allow BYO which makes total sense to me - imagine if I drank a bottle of champagne and decided to cuddle a penguin? One piece of feedback I would give is that with COVID-19 they have had to adjust their shared dining experience to allow space between guests at the long tables. I hope they continue this option because as an introverted person with sensory issues, I do find those shared dining experiences and meeting new people a little overwhelming. An in-room dining option would also be a fantastic thing to maybe consider for jungle bungalow guests in the future?
4. Book extra animal experiences early on in the process so they don’t fill up. The white lion feed is amazing, so is the meerkat, so is the red panda....they all are!
5. Finally, they send you significantly detailed emails beforehand. Quite a few of them. I really appreciated this because I’m a very organised person but if you weren’t checking your emails and missed them I can see that you might be unprepared or taken by surprise with the itinerary
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Date of stay: October 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
One of the best experiences of our lives. From the moment you arrive you are treated like royalty. All staff are amazing and loved the friendliness of each staff member. We stayed in the Giraffe Treehouse for one night. It may seem expensive at first until you discover everything that is included in the price. All food, drinks (which is amazing and plenty to choose from) and tours are included. The meal at night is just metres away from the white lions. The rooms are luxurious and comfortable. The tours take you up close to animals you do not usually have the opportunity to be so close to. You hand feed giraffes and we got to give a rhino a scratch. So many experiences that you may never get to do again. We also booked a tiger experience where we fed the tigers. All the guides are very knowledgable and quite funny. Don't think twice about booking a room... just do it and enjoy the experience!
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Date of stay: December 2019
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed two nights at the Canberra Zoo & Aquarium' Jamala Wildlife Lodge to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. It was the best experience... ever! The food was exquisite, the accommodation was first-class and the experience with the zoo's animals absorbing and informative. Yes, it may seem expensive, but include the personalized zoo tours (including feed animals), food, drinks and accommodation, it's worth every penny. All the staff were attentive and accommodating. While the accessible room had a hinged door, this was the only issue I had. The zoo itself is wheelchair accessible. The accessible room (Capuchin room 2) has two bathrooms - one accessible - and is easy to navigate around.
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Stay two nights. The Lodge also has a deal with the Canberra Hyatt (stay one night at Jamala and...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
After a wonderful experience at Jamala a couple of years ago, we chose it as the special place to celebrate my husband's birthday. The main event for us at the time, was the excellent meal in the dining room with the 'theatre' of the amazing lions.
Sadly our stay on the 18th July did not live up to that memory. We do understand Covid restrictions and how they have reduced numbers at accommodation and restaurants over the last 18 months.
Unfortunately, seating for our meal was not in the dining room but upstairs in the reception lounge, with our table for two, staring into the aquarium tank. There were only two other couples, well spaced. Certainly not the warm convivial atmosphere of the dinind room. We understand that Covid restrictions have reduced the number of patrons allowed to be accommodated, however we were not advised in advance that we would not be able to enjoy the main event (the reason why we booked Jamala).
As we had made our reservation three months earlier, we have been anticipating our celebration for some time. Further, given that the restaurant is only allowed to seat a certain number, bookings should have been reduced to suit that number so that the six people would not have been disappointed. Certainly, we consider that our dining experience should not have been taken from us without notice.
The restaurant is one of the main features of the total package, and provides that wow factor. Apart from not being able to enjoy that, meals had to be brought from the downstairs kitchen, some distance away, so they were not hot enough. Once delivered to the three tables, the waiter then individually explained the dishes at each table. Our table was the last, so by the time we started each course, the meal was lukewarm, at best. The waiter, who did his very best but was quite rushed.
Following our stay, we wrote to Jamala but no response to date. We also note from the website that dinner only reservations can now be made (ie no need to overnight) but seatng will be upstairs in the reception lounger not the dining room.
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Date of stay: July 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Enquire beforehand to ensure that you will be in the dining room for dinner - it's a must.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had the most amazing experiences we booked just as some of the Covid -19 restrictions were eased. I had booked the Reef Room and what a calming experience that was, we loved our big friend Oscar watching us, he's magnificent. The meals were delicious together with a great beer and spirit menu. The staff are super friendly and helpful. Having the private tours of the wildlife park were great the staff and keepers all know their charges. The grounds are super clean the animal enclosures are immaculate and they have so much room and are all cared for. There is just so much to see, you could watch some of the animals all day. Just remember to take your camera .We will return just need to pick which room....
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Date of stay: July 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
From the minute you arrive the staff are so friendly and nothing is a problem attitude, next when you arrive to your room (we were in bungalo 1 Lions) the room is so beautiful and luxurious, to see the lions so up and close is an experience you need to go through, the food is unbelievable delicious and so much of it too, we can honestly not fault one thing. The tours are so good you get to feed animals the guides are very knowledgeable and super friendly, it’s a credit to the zoo to have such excellent staff. Be prepared to have broken sleep with the roars during the night, but you won’t care because it’s just amazing to have the experience. Thank you Jamala lodge for making our two nights magical and special for our wedding anniversary. If you do anything special in this world this is a must you will not be disappointed
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Date of stay: April 2021
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Bungalo 1 with the lions
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My partner and I were lucky enough to spend two nights at Jamala - in two different rooms. We spent one night in a bungalow room with Jura the Cheetah and the second night in a private room. This room gave us the opportunity to meet and pat Solo the cheetah the next morning - an experience that I will never forget. On top of all of that we were treated to three amazing tours, met and came up close to incredible animals whilst learning about the zoo's breeding and conservation programs; we ate and drank amazing foods from an inspirational menu and the rooms themselves were beyond comfortable. I would highly recommend to any animal lover or anyone wanting a different holiday experience.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Based on our trip, the tigers are more likely to come up to the bungalow window, more so than any...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Amy,
Yes, guests staying out within the zoo can access the pool facilities also, although it may be hard to pull yourself away from our resident Giraffe Hummer!
There are more places to choose from in the Canberra area.
PRICE RANGE
AU$1,620 - AU$1,811 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
AustraliaAustralian Capital TerritoryCanberra
NUMBER OF ROOMS
18
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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Yes, it offers wheelchair access, reduced mobility rooms, and facilities for disabled guests. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.
