South Australia Luxury Travel Guide: Kangaroo Island, Barossa Valley & Safari Escapes

Outback ochre to lush wine country — South Australia covers more ground than you could dream of in one state.

From outback ochre to lush wine country, South Australia covers more ground than any other Australian state. It’s a region that pairs a sophisticated capital with some of the country’s most celebrated wine regions, arid outback scenery, and a coastline that swings from swimmable coves to windswept cliffs - all within the same day trip. Watch giraffes cross a waterhole at dawn, sip Penfolds Grange in a century-old wine tunnel, and relax to the sound of waves crashing on a private stretch of Kangaroo Island coast - and take as long over it as you like.

Adelaide, the eclectic and art-filled capital, sits at the centre of it all, an easy hub for reaching the wine country of the Barossa and Adelaide Hills, the wildlife-rich coastline of Kangaroo Island, and the safari plains of Monarto beyond the city’s edge. For anyone planning a luxury trip to South Australia, this is the luxury itinerary that covers it all: safari, island and vineyard, each with its own kind of beauty.

Monarto Safari Resort: wild by day, world-class by night

An hour from Adelaide, Monarto trades city views for African savannah — and it’s no small claim. The adjoining Monarto Safari Park spans 1,500 hectares, making it the largest safari experience outside Africa, home to more than 500 animals across 50-plus species.

The resort’s 78 rooms and suites overlook a waterhole where giraffes, rhino, zebra and wildebeest gather. Mornings start with the Dawn Wildlife Safari, a two-hour drive through the reserve as the animals are most active; evenings bring the Sunset Wildlife Safari, timed to the two hours before dusk. Back at the resort, Kutjera Restaurant & Bar builds its menu around South Australian produce, serving breakfast, dinner and all-day dining to guests and visitors alike. Marula Day Spa — named for the African tree prized for its healing properties — offers massage, facial and a dedicated Soak House for guests wanting to unwind after a day on safari. The resort also donates a portion of every booking to the Zoos SA Conservation Fund, so a stay here supports the wildlife programs behind it.

For something even more immersive, the adjacent Safari Lodge is a separate, guests-only enclave within the Wild Africa precinct — 20 luxury safari tents, each with a King or Twin bed, ensuite and a private deck facing the waterhole. Giraffe, zebra, eland, oryx and ostrich wander close enough to watch from the deck without a lens in sight. Stays include all meals, a private sunset safari, and a multi-day pass into Monarto Safari Park, with a two-night minimum to make the most of it. 

Kangaroo Island: Oceanview Eco Villas

For genuinely private luxury accommodation on Kangaroo Island, South Australia doesn’t offer much that rivals Oceanview. Just two eco-designed villas sit above Nepean Bay, each with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and floor-to-ceiling coastal views from every room. The signature touch is the OEV Sky Window, positioned so guests can watch the night sky from bed, paired with an ensuite featuring a deep bath, twin showers and bifold windows that open to the ocean breeze.

Every stay is fully hosted and all-inclusive: a Kangaroo Island Spirits gin cocktail each evening, three-course dinners built around local produce and paired with South Australian wine, cooked two-course breakfasts, daily villa servicing and a fully stocked butler’s pantry. Private touring is folded into every package rather than sold as an extra — guests choose between the Middle Island Tour, focused on native wildlife, secret beaches and a private stretch of Seal Bay, and the Flinders Chase Tour, taking in Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch.

Longer stays add the East End Maritime History tour, with a private visit to South Australia’s oldest working lighthouse at Cape Willoughby, a climb up Prospect Hill and a picnic lunch by the Chapman River. Every tour includes a gourmet picnic served in a natural bush setting, accompanied by South Australian wine or beer. It’s some of the most considered accommodation on Kangaroo Island, South Australia has to offer for travellers who want the island fully planned for them.

Barossa & Adelaide Hills: two very different kinds of wine luxury

The Barossa Valley and its neighbouring Adelaide Hills sit less than an hour from the city, and between them hold two of South Australia’s most distinct luxury stays.

Kingsford The Barossa

Kingsford The Barossa is a heritage homestead dating to 1856, built for pastoralist Stephen King and set on 225 acres of vineyard and riverbank. Its 13 suites and cottages span the original sandstone homestead, the newer Valley View Suites and the standalone Stonemason’s Cottage, with interiors that pair period detail with contemporary comfort.

The standout is underground: a 25-metre wine tunnel with individual vaulted chambers holding Penfolds Grange and a complete collection of Henschke Hill of Grace, guided by resident sommelier David D’Cruze. Orleana Restaurant, led by Executive Chef De Buys Nortier, draws on produce grown on-site and from nearby growers. Guests can soak in the riverside Bush Bath, a clawfoot tub under the gums with Grown Alchemist bath salts and a chilled bottle on hand, or take a turn at the Kegelbahn, a custom-built German bowling alley original to the property.

Sequoia Lodge

Sequoia Lodge, by contrast, is adults-only and set higher into the hills, 14 suites on Mount Lofty, bordered by the Adelaide Botanic Garden on one side and national park on the other. It’s the base for winery hopping around Tapanappa, Yangarra and Penfolds Magill, and for a degustation dinner at the three-hatted Hardy’s Verandah next door, known for dishes like hay-smoked duck and fig ice-cream.

Days can start with a soak in one of three thermal hot pools, and signature experiences include truffle hunting and a Cleland koala encounter. The lodge has picked up a run of industry recognition, including Best 5-Star Luxury Accommodation at the South Australian Tourism Awards (2025, 2023, 2022), TripAdvisor’s #1 Small and Boutique Hotel for Australia and the South Pacific (2025), and Best Australian Lodge at the HM Awards for four consecutive years.

Whether it’s Kingsford’s heritage grandeur or Sequoia’s hilltop calm, both put guests at the heart of Barossa, Adelaide’s wine country - the choice comes down to which kind of luxury you’re after. 

Wine country for luxury seekers

Beyond the properties themselves, this pocket of South Australia is a mecca for wine lovers. Cellar doors like Seppeltsfield, Yalumba and Hentley Farm sit minutes from both Kingsford and Sequoia, and the drive between the Barossa and Adelaide Hills is a destination in its own right, rolling vineyard giving way to eucalypt forest in under half an hour. Further afield, McLaren Vale and the Clare Valley round out the state’s wine credentials for guests wanting to extend the trip, while the Flinders Ranges and Eyre Peninsula offer a wilder, more rugged counterpoint for those chasing outback scenery or open-water wildlife encounters. For guests building a longer South Australia itinerary, this is the connector between the safari plains of Monarto and the coastline of Kangaroo Island. 

However you want to experience South Australia’s range, safari, coastline or wine country, one region or all three, our travel designers are here to shape the perfect stay. From private touring and exclusive dining reservations to matching the right property to the pace you’re after, we take care of the details so all that’s left to do is arrive and enjoy.