Located 10-minutes from the CBD and 15-minutes from the Airport (driving), Jamala Wildlife Lodge is on Lady Denman Drive, next to Scrivener Dam and is accessible from the Tuggeranong Parkway, Parkes Way, Cotter Road and Clunies Ross Street. Complimentary parking is available onsite.

Check-in for all guests begins at 1pm, with afternoon tea running from 1pm – 2.30pm.

Please refer to your personalised itinerary, however generally guests staying in our Jungle Bungalows or Giraffe Treehouses will join our guides for a tour through the zoo, leaving at 1.45pm on the day of arrival. uShaka Lodge guests will partake in this tour on the morning of departure and can use this time to enjoy the uShaka lodge throughout afternoon tea.

Later check-ins are available, but please let reception know if you will be arriving later. Reception is only open until 6:30pm for late check-ins.

Check-out time is 11am. Unfortunately, late checkouts are not available, however guests are welcome to continue exploring the zoo, or to book one of the zoo’s exciting animal encounters!

All rooms in Jamala are situated within the grounds of the National Zoo and Aquarium.

For safety reasons, all guests are required to stay in their rooms once they have returned after dinner. Guests in uShaka Lodge are welcome to enjoy the luxury lounge and outdoor uShaka lodge seating until 10pm. Guests can leave the zoo at night if arranged with Jamala reception prior, but must be back by 9:30pm at the latest.

Capuchin Rooms — Capuchin Monkeys

Reef Room—5m Deep Ocean Aquarium and Hyenas

Shark Grand Suite—No animals can be seen from the suite, but a guide will take you to a balcony off your room where you can feed a shark and there is also a bonus feeding or a meeting with the hyenas.

Meerkat Room—Meerkats

Wild Encounter Room — No animals can be seen from the room, however guests staying in this room will meet-a-cheetah!

Meerkat Suite— A family of Meerkats!

Giraffe Treehouses—Giraffe, Alpaca and Deer

Jungle Bungalows—Lions, Tigers, Sun Bears or Cheetah

As we are an operational zoo, all children under 18 must always have an adult in attendance, whether in their room, the lodge or the zoo.

Minimum Age for Jamala:

Due to the nature of the experiences offered at Jamala Wildlife Lodge, we are only able to welcome children 4 years and above. Other age restrictions apply to our Jungle Bungalows (see below.) During dinner, children are invited to join one of our guides on a fun aquarium tour while mum and dad enjoy their main course!

Minimum ages for Jungle Bungalows:

Because of the proximity of the Jungle Bungalows to animal enclosures, there must be at least one person 21 years or older in a bungalow. Due to the animals reactions to children, bungalows also have varying minimum age and height restrictions for children. Please note that these can change at short notice:

• Lions — Minimum age is 14 and minimum height is 1.5m tall for children.
• Sun bear: Minimum age is 6 years old.
• Tiger: Minimum age is 6 years old.
• Cheetah: Minimum age is 10 years old.

Children staying at Jamala can attend all scheduled tours.

For additional zoo encounters, varying age restrictions apply for your safety.  For details check “Close Encounters” on the zoo website or “Your Experience/Encounters” on this website.

The dress code for dinner is Smart Casual.

Other than that, life at the Zoo is all about the outdoors, so feel free to dress accordingly. Comfortable walking shoes, a camera and a keen sense of adventure are a must! During the hotter months we recommend you bring a hat and sunscreen and in the cooler months it’s a good idea to pack warm clothing and a rain jacket.

We have optional tours included in your itinerary to enjoy while you are staying at Jamala.

Guided Safari – Explore the open range section of our zoo with our knowledgeable and passionate guides! Experience the sights and sounds of our resident animals are they go about their day! This tour gives you the opportunity to gain insider knowledge of our animals, from rhinos and giraffes to zebras and deer, as well as occasionally getting VERY close to them!

Self-guided Tour — A professional booklet has been prepared by our guides, along with a map of the lower section of the zoo for you to explore! Complimenting the guided safari, this tour walks you through the National Zoo and Aquarium at your leisure, meeting and learning about some of our beautiful animals including lions, tigers, bears, otters, meerkats and many more!

Refer to your tailored itinerary for scheduled tour timings.

Two Night Stays – Guests staying two or more nights receive the added benefit of a second guided tour! Meet our big-cats up close, and say hello to a sun bear! Become acquainted with lions and tigers, sun bears, a snake, otters, monkeys, hyenas and koalas. Fun for adults and kids alike.

Full prepayment is required at the time of booking. We accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

Cancellation/change of date fees (prior to date booked):

31 days or more: Full refund or date change possible
15 – 30 days:     You may change your date up to 12 months in advance (1 date change only)*. If the booking is cancelled, 50% of total monies paid and/or due will be forfeited.
3 – 14 days:       50% of total monies paid will be forfeited – no date changes allowed.

0 – 2 days:         100% of total monies paid will be forfeited – no date changes allowed.

No refund can be given in the event of non-arrival or any unused services due to weather disruption or animal issues. While we endeavour to give guests a memorable experience with our native and exotic animals, we can make no guarantees as to what animal interactions may be available and how an animal may behave on any given day. Although it is rare for an animal at a Jungle Bungalow, Giraffe Treehouse or uShaka Lodge not to visit guests, no guarantee can be made.

*An administration fee of $100 may be charged for date changes made with 59 days of the booking.

We strongly recommend that you protect yourself with Travel Insurance.

Only 1 date change per booking is permitted.

Group Cancellation Policy:

Full prepayment is required at the time of booking. We accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

Cancellation/change of date fees (prior to arrival):

61 days or more: Full refund or date change possible
60 – 31 days:    50% of total monies paid will be forfeited. 
30 – 0 days:       A cancellation fee equivalent to 100% of total booking cost is applicable.

No refund can be given in the event of non-arrival or any unused services due to weather disruption or animal issues. While we endeavour to give guests a memorable experience with our native and exotic animals, we can make no guarantees as to what animal interactions may be available and how an animal may behave on any given day. Although it is rare for an animal at a Jungle Bungalow, Giraffe Treehouse or uShaka Lodge not to visit guests, no guarantee can be made.

*An administration fee of $100 may be charged for date changes made with 59 days of the booking.

We strongly recommend that you protect yourself with Travel Insurance.

The safety of our Animals, staff and guests is paramount in all that we do.

Full details of our Covid Policy can be found through the link here

At Jamala Wildlife Lodge, a group is defined as more than 12 people travelling together. As an intimate overnight experience, some special conditions apply when making group reservations. To preserve the experience of other guests at the property, public speaking is not permitted in the main lodge areas unless previous arrangements have been made with the Lodge. All group enquiries should be made directly with the Lodge.

Group Cancellation Policy:

Full prepayment is required at the time of booking. We accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

Cancellation/change of date fees (prior to arrival):

61 days or more: Full refund or date change possible
60 – 31 days:    50% of total monies paid will be forfeited. 
30 – 0 days:       A cancellation fee equivalent to 100% of total booking cost is applicable.

No refund can be given in the event of non-arrival or any unused services due to weather disruption or animal issues. While we endeavour to give guests a memorable experience with our native and exotic animals, we can make no guarantees as to what animal interactions may be available and how an animal may behave on any given day. Although it is rare for an animal at a Jungle Bungalow, Giraffe Treehouse or uShaka Lodge not to visit guests, no guarantee can be made.

*An administration fee of $100 may be charged for date changes made with 59 days of the booking.

We strongly recommend that you protect yourself with Travel Insurance.

Canberra has a relatively dry climate with warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters. The National Zoo & Aquarium is open rain or shine; most of the animals don’t mind the weather, however some animals may be less active in extremely hot weather as they look for shade. During storms or very wet weather, tours may be cancelled or shortened for safety reasons and animals may be given access to their night houses. Winter sees the animals much more active and has many beautiful sunny days! Canberra residents know to rug up when it is cold and therefore the weather doesn’t affect them, so bring some warm, layered clothing.

Our two beautiful Capuchin Rooms are both wheelchair accessible. The Reef Room and Meerkat Room are not specifically designed for wheelchairs, however they do not have any stairs within. The Meerkat Suite is split level, but one level has a bedroom, the bathroom and there are no stairs between it and the Lodge Lounge area.

We also offer mobility scooters for our zoo tours, but you will need to book these in advance.

Our Giraffe Treehouse and Jungle Bungalow rooms involve walking, stairs and climbing on a bus in the dark. These rooms are not recommended for those with significant mobility issues.

Because of the potentially dangerous environment you are in, we have very strict rules regarding Responsible Service of Alcohol. We are not permitted to allow outside drinks to be bought into Jamala. We do however, have some great wines and beers for you to enjoy.

You are welcome to take photos of our beautiful animals! We ask that there is no flash photography throughout both Jamala and the zoo.

Our beautiful animals are on strict diets to ensure they have a long and healthy life. We take it very seriously and under no circumstances can you feed or touch our animals without a guide’s permission. You can organise encounters with Jamala Reception if you do want to experience feeding your favourite animals.

Yes, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive and safe environment for all guests and visitors.

Click here if you would like to read the policy

• Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer or special.
• Discount applies to room rate only.
• Discount offer must be mentioned at time of booking.
• Subject to room availability.
• One discount valid per booking.
• Discount valid for one night only / first night of booking.
• Discount only applies to bookings made on or before the advertised offer deadline.