#Jamala Wildlife Lodge

[gaycarboys]

Genesis GV80 Roadtrip Pt 3 – The Brilliant Jamala Lodge and Zoo

[kyndaris]

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

COVID-19 impacted a lot of things for many people. Trapped inside our homes, unable to venture outside, plans that had been in the making for years needed to be abandoned or modified. In the case of my family that meant a trip over to the African continent and going on a mini-safari to see giraffes, lions and zebras out in the wild. So, in a bid to enjoy an African experience whilst in Australia, my mother booked a stay at the Jamala Wildlife Lodge for the whole family to enjoy.

Though a little shy from what an actual trip overseas might cost, staying at the Jamala Wildlife Lodge is still considerably expensive for most individuals. $1450 a night for couples or $2525 for four adults. But should the price deter you, one should also know it’s a full package deal that includes a light afternoon tea with cute sliders, mini quiches, finger sandwiches and some sweets; along with a three-course meal that includes an exorbitant array of canapes as well as a very filling and delicious breakfast. Then, of course, there’s the entry into the National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra and a guided tour either in the morning or in the afternoon (depending on the number of nights or room you might stay). I mean, if I can get to feed a giraffe or get up close and personal with a white lion during my stay, I’d say it’s plenty worth it! 

And having unlimited access to hot chocolates? Where can I pay for it again?

So, our night at Jamala Wildlife Lodge booked, we drove down to Australia’s capital city. For many across the world, it’s a little known place overshadowed by both Sydney and Melbourne. A bit like Ottawa in Canada. 

Among Australians, it’s known for not having much in the way of entertainment beyond a few museums and being the place of governance for the entire nation. Almost everyone has visited Questacon and the War Memorial in their youth, but beyond that, Canberra’s not had much staying power unless one works in government or works in construction.

We arrived at the zoo with a few minutes to spare before afternoon tea. A three hour drive, Google Maps steered us wrong as it thought the Federation Highway was closed and tried to take us down the road less travelled by diverting us to a nearby town where the road was actually closed.

After we arrived, setting down our luggage at the entrance, we enjoyed a light repast before taking a self-guided gander at the animals that were on display. The National Zoo and Aquarium is host to several animals both big and small. From close to the Capuchin Rooms, I was able to spy both the normal lions and the white lions that the zoo had. They were lazing out in the weak winter sun, soaking in the last remnants of warmth they could. 

And though it took me a while to figure out how to leave the uShaka Lodge and enter the zoo proper, I was down with the delightful fish, reptiles and amphibians. Then it was out into the open air with the squirrel monkeys and marmosets. I tried to spot the leopards in their enclosure but I was sure that they had been relocated as workers helped wield the gate inside. Then it was off to the otters that were being fed (and hidden from view by waist-high wall) before I diverted to the sun bear and Sumatran tigers. 

Always eager to snap more and more photos of the animals around me, I checked in with the koalas napping in trees, saw a tree kangaroo up high on its roost and watched a cute flock of penguins swimming around in the water. Then I was off to the shared wallaby and emu walk-through area before I headed in the opposite direction of the Adventure Trail signs, diverting instead to the Tasmania devil enclosure (and saw one loping around in circles). As I went around the right hand-side of the zoo, I was startled by a serval, one of the most regal cats I’ve ever seen before taking in the ruff lemurs that were playing about. 

From there, I tried to spot the cheetahs and African painted dogs but they were nowhere to be seen. Disappointed, I wended my way through the deer and llama walk-in before heading out to see a few dingoes and stumbling upon another cheetah enclosure where they were lazing about near the edge of the enclosure. Elands, rhinos, giraffes, barbary sheep, blackbucks and zebras were all next. There was also a Canadian elk with a mighty array of antlers that I snapped a photo of.

Continuing my journey of real life Pokemon Snap, I got to see ostriches, siamang and as many primates as I wanted. Then, of course, there was an attempt at trying to snap a decent photo of a barking owl but they were having none of it. At the least, the meerkats were cute! If only I knew then that they were the one animal species that killed more of their own than any other. Dominant matriarchal meerkats are probably the worst.

Once my quick tour of the zoo was over, we were shown to our rooms. My family were to say in the Meerkat suite. That meant that we had a small enclosure where a family of four meerkats would run around and explore the burrows that had been created for them. And I could watch them and snap closer personal shots. Others might have been satisfied to have a lion or tiger lounge up close and personal, but I feel like taking the Meerkat suite was the right call. Either that or the Reef Room where one could share one side of their bedroom with fish. 

At dinner, all of those that had chosen to stay at the Jungle Bungalows or at the uShaka lodge were able to observe the hyenas curiously looking on at us human bystanders as they became more active past nightfall. We were also treated to the sight of two white lion siblings chowing down on scraps of meat as we we made our way through a decent helping of canapes. But it was only when I was enjoying dinner and dessert that I realised that I had become the very thing I hated: a person that takes photos of their food.

To be fair, I had felt compelled to do so to show my work colleagues that I was messaging. But for absolute years I had refused to take photos of my food because I didn’t want to emulate the influencers on Instagram that seemed only to ever take photos of their food. I even rolled my eyes at my own mother for snapping shots of whatever breakfast she had.

IS IT BECAUSE I’M ALMOST THIRTY? OR IS IT BECAUSE I ACTUALLY WANT TO IMPRESS PEOPLE WITH THE FOOD I ATE? WHEN DID I SUDDENLY WANT TO SNAP A PHOTOGRAPH OF SOME DISH TO REMEMBER FOR POSTERITY?!

Internet culture has ruined me...

The next day saw a guided tour through the zoo, as well as a very generous portion for breakfast. Although I revisited many of the enclosures that I saw the day before, I had Ben and Bella providing narration and interesting anecdotes of animal facts and stories about territorial black swans. With the zookeepers leading the way, I also got to feed llama and deer alike with carrots, the elands with some lettuce leaves and ALMOST ALMOST ALMOST got to touch a rhinoceros before he backed away. At least I was able to get pretty close and personal to it.

With the guided tour over, it was time to head back home to Sydney.

Alas, my mother had other plans and we stayed the night in Goulburn. On the bright side, the place we were staying in had Amazon Prime (without the need for me to sign into the account) and I managed to watch copious amounts of The Legend of Vox Machina.

Still didn’t finish it but yay for actually sneaking in a good three quarters of the episodes?

[yourblueheart]

Jamala wildlife lodge 😍

I wish I could have my fingers inside of you. And of course I know you better than most

And I never went away. Remember something always brings me back to you 😘

[gotripdeals]

Canberra's National Zoo & Aquarium Gets Rave Reviews Despite $1,000 Cost

How much are you willing to pay for a ticket to the local zoo? Say $25, maybe $35? A one-day pass to the San Diego Zoo, the most expensive — and largely considered the best zoo in the U.S. — charges $58 (before discounts). So how does Canberra, Australia's National Zoo & Aquarium get visitors through the door with a four-figure fee? For starters, the cost of admission comes with an invitation to stay the night.

Sleeping alongside lions, cheetahs and sun bears

Travelers willing to part with nearly U.S. $1,500 for a one-night stay usually expect a high degree of certainty with their bookings. But those reserving a Jungle Bungalow at Canberra's Jamala Wildlife Lodge — located within the zoo — won't get that. The chance to sleep alongside lions, cheetahs, tigers or Malayan sun bears is worth the gamble. Guests in the property's five premium rooms can rank their top three animals upon booking, but aren't told which ones they'll be snoozing nearby until their arrival. Sun bears are found in the forests of Southeast Asia. Courtesy of Jamala Wildlife Lodge Luckily, humans are diverse creatures. Many guests at Jamala are big cat fans (apparently tiger tattoos are more common than you'd think), though plenty of others are highly enamoured with the world's tallest living terrestrial animals too. That's why guests are willing to shell out $1,070 for one of six Giraffe Treehouses, which include the chance to feed the animals from the treehouse veranda.

From aquarium to luxury boutique hotel

Designing an African safari experience in the middle of a zoo in Australia's capital city didn't feature in the original plans of Richard and Maureen Tindale, the owners of Canberra's 47-acre privately-owned zoo. In 1998, when the pair took over what was then a run-down aquarium, their focus was primarily on achieving the world's best practices in animal husbandry and welfare. Guests staying in a Giraffe Treehouse can feed the animals from their rooms. Courtesy of Jamala Wildlife Lodge Over the years, they worked with other Australian zoos to establish breeding programs, support conservation groups like Free the Bears and the Cheetah Conservation Fund, and take in animals like Malayan sun bears, which narrowly avoid being made into the cruel delicacy that is bear paw soup. In time, they realized funding their ambitions on turnstile takings alone wasn't going to be enough, so in 2014 the pair turned a shared passion for Africa into a way to make their conservation efforts financially sustainable. The couple moved out of their house and turned it into Ushaka Lodge, which now hosts seven of the 18 luxurious sleeping options at Jamala Wildlife Lodge.

An African experience in Australia

The formula worked. Today, Jamala runs at 85% to 90% occupancy and gets rave reviews, with many guests returning more than once. African fabrics, materials and sculptures decorate Jamala Wildlife Lodge. Courtesy of Jamala Wildlife Lodge It's hard to know if that's due to the focus on high-end dining (the evening African dinner party included in every stay which spans five courses), Maureen's designer touches — authentic African fabrics, materials and sculptures decorate the property — or the animal encounters themselves. But by pre-dinner drinks, many guests are spouting platitudes about the experience despite being only five hours into the 22-hour program.

How long to stay: 1 night or forever

So deep is the passion for the experience that for some visitors, 22 hours isn't enough. While most do the one-night program, a number stay for two or three nights. "The record was a woman who stayed five nights," says Amanda Mead, Jamala's lodge manager. "She was like family by the end." While many visitors come to Jamala for an anniversary, milestone birthday or bucket list experience, it's likely few will repeat Mead's own actions. Four years ago, she and her husband arrived for one night to celebrate their anniversary. Four weeks later, she quit her job of 16 years and began working as the lodge manager. Meerkats are steps away from your room. Courtesy of Jamala Wildlife Lodge Mead was largely driven by the passion for animals that exudes from guests, staff members and her bosses, who are very hands-on in the operations of both the zoo and the lodge. For her, the feeling of being part of something unique never gets old. "People who have been to Africa often tell us this experience is just like being there," she says. "That's the best compliment of all." The price includes: Accommodations for two people, food, beverages and exclusive tours. Room choices and specific experiences are not guaranteed, as Jamala's animals are enticed, but never forced to participate (backup plans abound which satisfy most guests). Read the full article

[innonurse]

#travelgram: live tourist snaps have turned solo adventures into social occasions

- By Michael James Walsh , Naomi F Dale , Raechel Johns , The Conversation -

In the years since selfie sticks went global, it has become clear that the mobile phone has changed the way we travel. The ubiquity of social media means tourists can now produce content on the move for their networked audiences to view in close to real time.

Where once we shared slideshows post trip and saved prints and postcards as keepsakes, we now share holiday images and selfies from the road, sea or air — expanding the “tourist gaze” from the traveller to include remote audiences back home.

Instagram-worthy

Travelling has gone from a solitary quest to a “social occasion”. As such, gazing is becoming inseparably linked with photography. Taking photos has become habitual, rendering the camera as a way of seeing and experiencing new places.

Travellers take selfies that present both locations and people in aesthetically pleasing and positive ways.

Indeed, the “instagrammability” of a destination is a key motivation for younger people to travel there - even if filters and mirrors have been used to create a less than realistic image.

This transforms the relationship between travellers and their social networks in three important ways: between tourists and destination hosts; between fellow tourists; and lastly, between tourists and those that stay home.

The urge to share travel imagery is not without risk. An Australian couple were released from detention in Iran in October, following their arrest for ostensibly flying a drone without a permit.

Other tourists earned derision for scrambling to post selfies at Uluru before it was closed to climbers.

Meanwhile, there is a sad story behind the newly popular travelgram destination Rainbow Mountain in the Peruvian Andes. It has reportedly only recently emerged due to climate change melting its once snowy peaks.

Testing the effects

To understand the way social media photography impacts travelling, we undertook an exploratory study of overnight visitors at zoological accommodation in lavish surrounds.

We divided 12 participants into two groups. One group was directed to abstain from posting on social media but were still able to take photos. The second group had no restrictions on sharing photos. Though the numbers were small, we gathered qualitative information about engagement and attitudes.

Participants were invited to book at Jamala Wildlife Lodge in Canberra. The visit was funded by the researchers — Jamala Wildlife Lodge did not sponsor the research and the interviewees’ stay at the Lodge was a standard visit. We then conducted interviews immediately after their departure from the zoo, critically exploring the full experience of their stay.

The study confirmed that the desire to share travel pictures in close to real time is strongly scripted into the role of the tourist; altering the way travellers engage with sites they are visiting, but also their sense of urgency to communicate this with remote audiences.

Pics or it didn’t happen

Participants Mandy and Amy were among those instructed to refrain from posting pictures to social media while at the zoo. They described having to refrain from social media use as a disappointment, even though it seemed to further their engagement.

Interviewer: Did you look at your social media throughout your stay or did you refrain?

Mandy: A bit yeah. But even then, probably not reading it as much as I often would. I don’t think I commented on anything yeah.

Amy: Even today when we put something up [after staying at the Zoo] about the things we’d done today and only a few people had liked it, there was that little bit of disappointment that ‘Oh more people haven’t liked my post.’ Where we didn’t have that for the previous 24 hours [because of the experiment] … because nobody knew about it.

The desire for social media recognition resumed after leaving the zoo. For Michelle, posting after the experience presented new concerns:

Interviewer: How did you feel about not being able to post?

Michelle: Spanner in the works! For me personally not being able to post was a negative experience because I wanted to show people what we’re doing, when we’re doing it.

And I also feel, like a couple of people knew we were going to the zoo, right, and knew that we couldn’t use social media. So, when I eventually post it, they’re going to go, ‘She’s been hanging on to those and now she’s posting them and that’s just a bit weird.’ Like, to post it after the event. Everyone normally posts it in real time.

Later, Michelle commented that withholding content from posting to social media also diminished a part of the experience itself:

I sort of feel like if we don’t share the photos it’s like a tree fell down in the forest and no one heard it, like, we’ve had this amazing experience and if I don’t share them, then no one’s going to know that we had this experience, you know, apart from us.

Tips garnered from travelgrammers fill lots of online video tutorials.

Centre Stage

Digital photography and social media transform the relationship between the travelling self and its audience, as individuals have an expanded — and potentially diversified — audience.

Selfies in tourist contexts reflect the tourist gaze back at the tourist, rather than outward.

The perfect digital postcard now incorporates the self centrestage. As one participant suggested:

Shannon: It almost feels like it’s kind of an expected behaviour when you are doing something touristy … We’ve actually had tour guides before … kind of a bit disappointed if you don’t take a photograph.

The purpose of photography has shifted from a memory aid to a way of sharing experience in the moment. There is tension now between the need to capture tourist experiences for digital sharing and individual engagement in the tourist activity. Decrying the desire to use photography as a way of communicating experience will not constructively address this tension.

To ensure tourism sustainability, and engagement with their target market, tourism providers need to explore better ways to manage travellers’ face-to-face and digital engagement.

Digital engagements have become a defining part of travel, and organisations should be encouraged to promote online sharing of experiences — phone charging stations and photo competitions were two suggestions offered by our interviewees.

In contrast, device-free days or activities could be another way to encourage face-to-face engagement and prompt tourists to be more considered with their online sharing.

Michael James Walsh, Assistant Professor Social Science, University of Canberra; Naomi F Dale, Associate Professor of Management, University of Canberra, and Raechel Johns, Head of the Canberra Business School and Professor of Marketing and Service Management, University of Canberra

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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[usnewsrank]

A zoo experience with a $1,000 price tag is getting rave reviews

A zoo experience with a $1,000 price tag is getting rave reviews

How much are you willing to pay for a ticket to the local zoo? Say $25, maybe $35? A one-day pass to the San Diego Zoo, the most expensive — and largely considered the best zoo in the U.S. — charges $58 (before discounts).

So how does Canberra, Australia’s National Zoo & Aquarium get visitors through the door with a four-figure fee?

A room with a view at Jamala Wildlife Lodge.

Courtesy of…

[travelinghobby]

A zoo experience with a $1,000 price tag is getting rave reviews

A zoo experience with a $1,000 price tag is getting rave reviews

How much are you willing to pay for a ticket to the local zoo? Say $25, maybe $35? A one-day pass to the San Diego Zoo, the most expensive — and largely considered the best zoo in the U.S. — charges $58 (before discounts).

So how does Canberra, Australia’s National Zoo & Aquarium get visitors through the door with a four-figure fee?

A room with a view at Jamala Wildlife Lodge.

Courtesy of…

[destinationstravelmagazine-blog]

Jamala Wildlife Lodge offers the opportunity of experiencing the thrill of close encounters with endangered animals, as well as relaxing in the unique atmosphere of 3 individually-designed five star Accommodation hubs; Giraffe Treehouses, Jungle Bungalows, and uShaka Lodge. #jamala #jamalawildlifelodge #canberra #visitcanberra #igerscanberra #australia australian australia_shotz #australiaau #australiagram #australiazoo #wildlife #wildlifelodge #travel #travelling #traveller #lux #luxury #luxurytrave #luxuryworldtraveler luxuryinteriors #luxurylifestyles #animalencounters #architecture architecturelovers #architectureporn #architecture_best #architecture_lovers #architecturedesign

[the-angi-love]

全世界最野性的酒店

Jamala Wildlife Lodge, wild idea and wild experience, what do you think?

[jamesrobinsphotography]

This is Hummer, he lives at the National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra. If you stay at the wonderful Jamala Wildlife Lodge in a Giraffe Treehouse, you get to feed Hummer and he will come and visit you at your balcony during your stay. #visitcanberra #nationalzooandaquarium #nationalzoo #jamalawildlifelodge #giraffe #hummer via Instagram http://bit.ly/2yjmVgg

[pgagolf]

We Tried the Jamala Wildlife Lodge at the National Zoo and Aquarium

[yourblueheart]

Google jamala wildlife lodge. We going!

[marianamor]

The Horror In Our Capital City

Still not entirely sure this whole thing is even real. #wildlife #animalrights

No, this isn’t a political commentary – I’m all politically exhausted at the moment, time for a break. It does, however, discuss a travesty going on in our country’s capital city; the Jamala Wildlife Lodge, or Canberra Zoo. There’s a concept called Poe’s Law, which refers to the fact that sarcasm and satire have become such a part of human discourse that sometimes we can’t be sure whether a…

[genialewelt]

Jamala Wildlife Lodge: Mit wilden Tieren übernachten

Jamala Wildlife Lodge: Mit wilden Tieren übernachten

Wer auf ausgefallene Hotelzimmer steht, für den ist die “Jamala Wildlife Lodge” in Canberra, Australien genau das Richtige. Die dort angebotenen “Dschungel-Bungalows” befinden sich direkt neben mehreren Wildgehegen. Lediglich eine Glaswand trennt den Zimmergast von gefährlichen Tieren wie Löwen, Geparden, Tigern und Braunbären. Ob man also im Lounge-Bereich entspannen-, im Bett ruhen-, oder ein…

[traveltechgadgets]

Jamala Wildlife Lodge review, Canberra National Zoo & Aquarium: Australia's first luxury zoo hotel https://t.co/4Wyoi1cJ3h

Jamala Wildlife Lodge review, Canberra National Zoo & Aquarium: Australia's first luxury zoo hotel https://t.co/4Wyoi1cJ3h

— Travel Tech Gadgets (@toptravelgadget) March 2, 2017

from Twitter https://twitter.com/toptravelgadget March 02, 2017 at 02:40PM via

[weirdtravel]

Jamala Wildlife Lodge, Canberra, Australia

In 1998, a family in Canberra set about creating the National Zoo & Aquarium. Today, tucked snugly inside this private zoo we have Jamala Wildlife Lodge – a boutique, luxury hotel and truly unique wildlife experience.

Located an easy 15 minutes drive from Canberra, Jamala is far beyond any other hotel you might have been to before. Accommodation is all within the zoo its self, with some rooms joining up to the animal enclosures. Guests have the option of sleeping in 5-star African inspired suites next to sharks, lemurs, cheetahs, bears, tigers and even a pair of lions.

With only a floor to ceiling pane of reinforced glass between you and these wild animals, it’s truly breaks the norms of traditional zoos. The animals can see inside your room just as well as you can see them, making for some unique encounters. Our guides jokingly told us that small children often attract the lions to pay extra attention to the tasty morsel inside their bungalow.

While lions and sharks sound quite exciting, we were over the moon with our tree house accommodations resident animal: a friendly giraffe named Hummer. But more of that later.

The National Zoo & Aquarium is a privately run, family owned zoo, which allows for most of the enclosure sizes to be far larger than found in other urban zoos. After a short afternoon tea and introduction to some beautiful snakes, our guides Tanya and Kelly took us for a tour through the zoo to see where we would be staying that night. Our guide’s enthusiasm for their job was infectious. On the first of many walks through the zoo we got to learn some more about the history behind The National Zoo & Aquarium as well as hearing the stories behind the zoo’s residents. We were introduced to some cheeky monkeys, patted a wombat, and fed meerkats. We also met a colony of Little Penguins (fairy penguins) who are all named after rappers including Snoop Dog, RZA and Tupac.

The zoo is an active participant in the worldwide conservation and breading programs essential for keeping many species around the world alive and well. Some of the special animal residents include a Malayan Sun Bear who was rescued from a tortured life in a tiny cage as a dancing bear and endangered Sumatran Tigers who are part of an essential breeding program. This and other programs the zoo runs made it clear that the animals came first at all times and we were guests in their home.

After walking through a field of timid deer and not so timid alpacas, we were finally at our tree house hotel. Our guides let us know that our neighbor, the 17 year old giraffe Hummer does not like to be patted, but he defiantly likes to snack on carrots which we then got to hand feed him at his head height on our room’s balcony. He is a friendly giraffe who was quite happy to munch away on some straw and get a few photos with us. Have you had a giraffe selfie before? At Jamala it’s almost impossible not to get one!

That evening as we sipped our champagne, bit into delicious canapés and mingled with the fellow Jamala guests on a private deck, two lion siblings who live at the zoo joined us for their own dinner. The National Zoo has one of the largest groups of big cats in Australia. These two lions happily munched on some fresh meat, safely behind bars less than a meter away from our group.

Later on as we enjoyed our delicious five-course dinner these two big cats snuggled together in the dining rooms adjoining floor to ceiling glass lion cave. My plus one and I wined and dined at one of the large communal tables with the other guests who ranged from married couples to international visitors who loved animals, after all the excitement of the first tour of the night we all had a lot to discuss over our Australian craft beers and wine.

The five-course menu catered for everyone’s dietary requirements and features seasonal fresh produce. We were particularly impressed by the delicious lamb and a fresh and filling mushroom risotto. We were nicely full by the fourth course when the dessert came, after one glance at the beautifully presented sticky date pudding and mango sorbet we just had to fit it in.

After some coffee, tea and chocolate animals it was time to call it a night. Conveniently, our guides were there ready and waiting to drive us in a mini bus all the way back home.

The next morning we rose nice and early for a private stroll through the zoo. If you have ever been to a urban zoo you would understand the frustration of always having 100’s of people running around. The advantage of staying inside a zoo meant that we had the entire place to ourselves that morning on the walk to breakfast.

After a filling breakfast and chat to some of the fellow guests it was time for the morning zoo tour. Our guide for the morning was Ty, who enthusiastically let us know we were going to get a private tour of the newly expanded, closed to the public section of the zoo to meet some new animals.  Only guests of Jamala get this VIP treatment, and we were all excited to see what was behind the locked gate.

The National Zoo & Aquarium is undergoing an extensive expansion, adding an additional 30-acres of exhibitions with world-class wildlife facilities. Some of the new guests you will get to meet in the future include a family of rhinoceros (who we got to pat), a pair of cheetahs and a herd of giraffe. There was also a very special surprise animal, which, at the time of writing, we are not allowed to mention but trust us, it was cute and you will want to see him for yourself.

After the fantastic experience with our highly knowledgeable and qualified guides there was no doubt left in our minds that these animals were very well looked after by people who loved what they did. To make the experience even more wonderful, funds from your stay at Jamala directly fund the zoo’s impressive breeding and conservation efforts. Jamala Wildlife Lodge is a major step to bolster the conservation programs that are run by the zoo.

Over the course of almost 24 hours, we met many happy animals up close and personal, ate some delicious food and relaxed in truly stunning, luxury accommodation. While this feels like a once in a lifetime experience, we left with a grin from ear to ear and a promise to return one day for another fantastic wildlife encounter.