Wild New Hotel Invites Guests to Befriend Hummer the Giraffe, Mr. Bathtub Bear & All Their Furry Pals

A new hotel in Australia lets guests get up close and personal with wild animals from the comfort of their rooms.

The new Jamala Wildlife Lodge in Canberra, Australia is inviting guests to tap into their wild side. The hotel opened in December, and the property is integrated into Australia’s National Zoo and Aquarium. Suites are incorporated into several different animal enclosures onsite, allowing guests to get personal with giraffes, bears, lions, tigers, cheetahs, monkeys, lemurs, hyenas and snow leopards.

Guests have the option of staying in one of three residences:

The Giraffe Treehouses

Here, the rooms are up higher so guests can feed Hummer, the lodge’s resident giraffe, from their balcony.

The uShaka Lodge

These seven suites house a 52,000 gallon tank of sharks and a terrace packed with monkeys. UShaka is the Zulu word for shark, so this residence truly lives up to its name.

The Jungle Bungalows

This is perhaps the most wild of all the residences. The bungalows are adjacent to enclosures for the lions, bears and cheetahs, all of which come up to the windows as they please.

Reservations are only available for one night, but the room rate includes a three-course dinner, wine before the meal, complimentary mini-bar refreshments, breakfast and exclusive tours to meet the animals. Nightly rates start at $400 and include two-days of entry to the zoo.

[Photos: National Zoo and Aquarium]