Zoofari Lodge — Hotel in Dubbo

I cannot recommend this Zoofari Lodge experience more highly….If I could give it 100 stars I would. Where to start….the accomodation was located literally on the edge of the animal enclosure with rhino, ostrich, zebra and giraffe all within metres of the balcony. Yes there are cheaper options to stay including rooms with a view and camping….don’t do either if you wanna see animals close up. The Zoofari Lodge is worth staying 2 nights so you get to see everything with time to spare…one night wouldn’t have satisfied us and we would have regretted it.

The tours included in the package provide way more access to other parts of the zoo you do not get with just day access, including private feeding of cheetah, rhino, giraffe and an early morning visit to see elephant bath time. You also get to see parts of the 1000 acre zoo where animals are rotated into large enclosures to rest or feed or be part of the breeding programs all with awesome commentary from extremely learned staff members who drive and explain what you’re seeing.

The staff are an absolute stand out and really make the experience incredibly personal. These people are extremely passionate about animals, the environment, conservation and their knowledge of all things Zoology is stunningly impressive. They are also the same staff who do the mundane things…check you in, wait food and drinks for guests and drive the tour buses. Be nice to them. They really are juggling all roles and are super impressive. Nothing is ever a problem and everyone is done with a smile.

The package we took included food for breakfast and dinner and it was also a stand out of the trip. The breakfast is so good…eggs bacon etc or large pancakes to fill you up for the day. Get your own lunch and back to Zoofari Lodge for dinner which was a theme of eating animals I had never eaten before. Crocodile, buffalo, camel all done In beautiful dishes to share with the chef coming to address the room and explain what they had prepared for us. A very special experience indeed.

In summary….yeah it was probably more than we normally spend for 2 adults and 2 kids to stay 2 nights but at under $3000 for an experience that the kids (and us adults) will never forget, it’s absolutely totally worth it. Just spend the money - you won’t regret it….I promise.

Highly recommend doing a second night as the time from 2-3 check in to 10am check out the next day flys….definitely get on every single tour possible. You won’t regret or forget this trip.

We would definitely come back for another stay if in Sydney or Dubbo visiting family in the coming years. Thankyou for the...

I'll be as honest as I can based on my personal experience with Zoofari specifically, not the Zoo as a whole.

On arrival we were greeted by a very friendly young guy who gave us a super warm welcome and even lent me some free sunscreen which I really appreciated.

Parking is plentiful so you shouldn't have any issues there.

The on site facilities include lots of tables and chairs, a swimming pool (too cold when we were there but nice to know they have it) and a big fire pit.

Our cabin was not one of the savannah view glamping huts as those seem to get booked out months in advance. We were slightly set back from the view of the animals but no big deal.

The cabin itself was disappointing. No tv, no wifi for a start. Not essentials, but for the price I think they should be a minimum offering. The floors were still wet from mopping when we entered at around 2:30. The bathroom was filthy with the walls caked in grout and hair from previous guests all over the floor. Everything else seemed acceptable, if a little below the standard of how much we paid.

The guided tours are really what you're there for though, and they don't disappoint. Our guide Cecilia was great and made the experience so informative and enjoyable. Getting up close and personal to the beautiful creatures living at this zoo is genuinely a once in a lifetime experience.

Wine tasting back at the lodge was nice. I quite enjoyed all the selections. Dinner was pretty decent too - we were given too much food to finish (not a complaint at all), and the variety of meats was great.

Checking out was super simple - you just drop your keys off and either pay for any extras like drinks during dinner or minibar purchases at the desk. You can opt to pay on the spot or have it taken out of your refundable $100 security deposit which is returned after a few days.

We spent the rest of our second day properly checking out the zoo using the free rental bikes we received as part of the Zoofari package. Word to the wise - the bikes are just awful and more effort than they're worth on any of the gravel surfaces or anywhere that isn't downhill. I strongly recommend walking or taking one of the golf buggies instead.

Overall, we really enjoyed the weekend despite the few minor bugbears. It's a very expensive holiday, but in my opinion it's mostly worthwhile as the hefty price is contributing to the conservation of so many rare and...

I struggle to describe just how disappointed I am with my zoofari experience second time around. I had been trying to get back here for a stay to show my husband, after telling him about how amazing it was. Sadly this is no longer an 'experience', as too many changes have taken this from what used to be a hugely memorable luxury 5* event, to a 2* overpriced stay in a dark tent with mediocre service and extremely small, stingy food portions. Cocktails were very poor, must have been pre-mix and overpriced even during 'happy hour', for the quality. The beds were on wheels, uncomfortable, the lights had bulbs in that didn't work and there was only two of everything, despite us being a family of three. Absolutely no sign of any luxuries here. No umbrella for the pouring rain. No torch or binoculars, no teaspoons, bug spray or repellent. It is so wrong to mislead paying guests into thinking they will be received something special, a rare opportunity to experience a social and cultural event like an African Banquet with canapés (which is how it used to be) and then on arrival ask for a preorder of chicken or beef in custard and sit everyone with their backs to each other and plonk down the smallest plates of main dishes I've ever seen! Stroke of luck that we met a member of staff, I think his name was Cam, who was able to read our devastation on our faces and tried his best to make us feel more comfortable. All of us, including our daughter, left feeling extremely underwhelmed. Why ruin an experience that used to be so faultless? I thought experiences are meant to only improve and get better over time with customer feedback leading to increases in life's little luxuries. Instead only increases to prices have ocurred, whilst taking away everything about it that used to feel luxury. Please also consider that for alot of guests this is a 10hr round trip minimum. It used to be well...