Nature Immersed Glamping Destinations

Clayoquot

The search is always on for the unique, the nature immersed experiences – this is what drives most glampers . If you’re looking for the next luxury stop, then here are a few out-of-the-box destinations that are sure to please!

It takes a seaplane ride to arrive at the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort. 45 minutes out of Vancouver will take you to the island where luxury tents make a comfortable stay – plush beds, en suite bathrooms, heated floors, running water, and thermostat-controlled propane wood stoves. Activities like bear-watching and zip-lining will fill your stay and horses are the main means of transportation.

Take yourself 5,000 feet elevated into the Swiss Alps and you’ll find yourself at Whitepod. The area is explored mainly through skiing, with the option of snowshoe, dogsled and foot. Here you have a choice between 15 geodesic domes that blend into the Alp landscape with white canvas in winter and green canvas in summertime. The view, as you might expect, is truly inspiring.

Whitepod

If you want to see what it’s like to live out-of-this-world, the Earthship Biostructure may be the closest you can find. This desert setting in Taos, New Mexico, gives an otherworldly feel to this off-the-grid resort – which is still able to offer the amenities of wi-fi and TVs (complete with netflix) through electricity gathered by sun and wind. Everything is built with natural or recycled materials. Rainwater storage is utilized for drinking and showering, as well as for watering the garden.

Then there’s the famous Uluru’s Longitude 131 set in the red sand dunes of Australia. There are just 15 tents, which are more aptly described as freestanding luxury rooms. One-way privacy films coat the expansive windows, so you’ll feel out in the open and perfectly hidden all at the same time. The location is neighbor to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, meaning the views are uninterrupted and the local plants and animals are in your “backyard” of sorts.

Longitude 131

What’s made of 25 individual domes and 3 community domes? The EcoCamp in Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia! The EcoCamp is the Park’s first sustainable accommodation, with geodesic domes that resemble high-tech igloos with transparent ceilings for stargazing. Complete with private terraces, comfortable beds, private bathrooms, wood stoves, gas heaters and splendid views of Torres del Paine peaks. There is no lack of luxury, either, when it comes to the community domes and their Chilean cuisine restaurants.

Add the word “Ger” to your glamping dictionary. At the Three Camel Lodge in Gobi, Mongolia, you’ll experience the traditional mongolian herder tent in luxury. Here there’s a selection among twenty Deluxe Gers that are all handmade using lattice wood covered in felt and canvas.Unlike the typical Mongolian herder your stay will find you in perfect comfort with wood stoves, private bathrooms and king-sized beds, with a view marked by the iconic Gobi-Altai Mountains.

Treehouse enthusiasts will appreciate Chole Mjini, the “castaway fantasy” set in the remote Chole Island in Tanzani, Africa, where they have seven treehouses to choose from. This castaway fantasy is complete with all the creature comforts, including outdoor showers with hot water. The resort has worked alongside the local island community to add a taste to your visit unlike anywhere else, and activity options – including diving, island excursions, swimming with whales, sunset sailing and more – are certain to leave an impression.

Chole Mijini

If you can manage a slot or two out of the 14 allowed spots inside Chumbe Island Coral Park in Zanzibar, Tanzania, it’s certainly worth a stay. Exclusion stems from the need to protect this island coral reef sanctuary, visitors will stay in eco-bungalows with waterfront views. Each bungalow has it’s own sleeping area, living room, hammock, self-contained bathrooms to ease the body and mind between adventures. Everything is included when staying at this glamping spot, including guided snorkeling in the reef sanctuary.

Australia’s Wildman Wilderness Lodge is rebuilt from the same materials as the former Wrotham Park Lodge which was shut down 1,740 miles away. While the materials may have been recycled, nothing about this resort feels second hand. Being settled in the scenic land of Mary River National Park Wetlands gives visitors front row seats to the rivers, billabongs and wallaby wildlife. Safari tents are well equipped with all the luxuries of comfy beds, en suite bathrooms, running water and electricity, while the camp land is kept clear of unwelcomed guests such as crocodiles.

For an unforgettable and unparalleled experience you might try the Human Nest at Treebones Resort. While the stay might not be particularly luxurious – you’ll have to bring your own sleeping bag and pillow to lug up to the nest – it will make an impression. The view from your perch will take in the Los Padres National Forest and the Pacific Ocean. Ah, California you don’t disappoint!

So… do you still have room on your glamping bucket-list? 🙂

Skinny Cow “Girls Gone Glamping” Contest

Skinny cow glamping

We know you’ve been waiting for a chance to get away, and now the Skinny Cow “Girls Gone Glamping” prize might just be that chance! This is for the girlfriends, a chance to leave it all behind and join us in Montana for some serious pampering – I mean camping – I mean… well, you know, glamping!

Alright, what’s the scoop?

Skinny Cow, known for their light (yet indulgent!) desserts, is offering a vacation to The Resort At Paws Up as their grand prize during a series of contest drawings. It’s going on now, so it’s time to get in the game if you haven’t already! Enter as many times as you want. The winner and two friends will get to enjoy a weekend of all-expenses-free indulgence. Not a bad way to reward yourself for your smart sweet tooth! The glamping vacation is the big giveaway, but there are plenty more gift cards and treat freebies waiting all who join the sweepstakes.

Check out this fun infographic for more Skinny Cow glamping excitement! Find out what more than half the women surveyed agreed on when it comes to reasons to get out of town. Turns out that East Coast women tend (more than other regions) to prioritize plush bedding and pillows when selecting their glamping spot. And when choosing (hypothetically, of course) between the perks of clean bathrooms/showers or being bug free, which wins in your book? The Resort at Paws Up is the premier luxury glamping resort in Montana. When it comes to comfort, no one takes better care of you and yours than at Paws Up in Greenough. This is roughing it like royalty.

And, with 37,000 acres to enjoy, you and your besties will have plenty to explore after the sweepstakes are over. Imagine enjoying a Skinny Cow ice cream by the campfire beneath Montana’s “Big Sky” with luxury beds prepared to perfection by the camp butler. The days are so fresh it’ll quickly put you in touch with your inner cowgirl. You’ll return home rested, empowered, and ready to face the wilderness of the concrete jungles once more!

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Rules of the game:

1 Grab your favorite SKINNY COW® Candy or Ice Cream.* (This first step is the best!) Don’t have any SKINNY COW? See below for a free way to enter.

2 Enter the 12-digit bar code on your box of candy or ice cream. Or use the 6-digit code from inside your candy wrapper to receive one entry into the sweepstakes.

3 Click to see if you’re an instant winner.

4 Play every day! Each entry gives you another chance to win our grand Girls Gone Glamping prize!

5 There is a new grand prize drawing every two weeks for a chance to win one of nine trips. All glamping trips are October 2-5, 2014. So keep coming back to throw your cowboy hat in the ring for another chance to win!

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May the best glamper win!

Family-friendly Glamping

Family-friendly Glamping

Summer breaks are here. The school year has led up to these few weeks of dusk-till-dawn excitement. Among the BBQs and water gun fights the kids demand some adventure. They want to play explorers out in the wilderness, and while kids might be happy pitching a tent and spending nights in a thinly-comfortable sleeping bag… well, let’s bring in the glamping to keep both adults and kids happy!

This summer you might not be able to travel international and adjust to a different time zone for a weekend, so let’s check out the glamping spots easily accessible from every state in the U-S-of-A.

Midwest.

First stop would have to be The Resort at Paws Up. This glamping haven has been featured by nearly every glamping enthusiast – and for good reason. Located in Greenough Montana, Paws Up is within easy distance of just about anyone in the states. Your kids will feel like Lewis and Clark did when they ventured into these regions all those years ago. It’s a luxury experience and adults will appreciate having their own camp butler and chef. The kids will be enthusiastic after they see the activities options – including go-karting, archery, river rafting and more.

Looking further south on the glamping map brings you to Yellowstone National Park. Here there’s the Under Canvas safari-like experience. Yellowstone Under Canvas is just 10 minutes from the national park entrance, so your family can spend the day exploring the riches in one the most well known national parks. Get up close and personal (guided by park rangers) to the Bears, Moose, Bald Eagles, Buffalo and other wildlife who know this area as home.

For a unique midwest experience, try the Conestoga wagons by the Rock Ranch in Georgia. Your kids may have studied about the pioneers in schools, now bring the history lesson to life by camping in pioneer styled wagons. For some extra fun you can hire a storyteller or astronomer to join in the evening and add intrigue to the history of these pioneer trails and the starry sky. Perhaps it’s not midwest… but since the pioneers were journeying west I had to include this one-of-a-kind glamping experience.

Utah has some magnificent red rock, making it a midwest destination for filmmakers and tourists alike. In Moab, Under Canvas has introduced a luxury glamping camp sure to please everyone. The site is near to both Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, set against red and orange platea backdrops. You’ll feel transported back to the times of cowboys and indians. Be careful of the clothes you choose to bring – this red dirt does tend to get on everything.

If you find yourself near Chicago, try staying at the Kinnikinnick Feather Down Farm. The experience guarantees to be a fun one so you won’t grow tired of hearing the kids chanting “kinnikinnick” in the back seat. You’ll be staying in wood-floored tents and the kids will be able to put on their farmer hats while feeding animals and helping around the organic family owned farm. There’s no electricity in the tent, but you will have a flushing toilet, cold running water in the kitchen, and a wood-burning stove.

Still looking for options? Check out these Yurt locations throughout the Midwest – including Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Oregon and other states/countries. Yurts are round, off the ground cloth huts. Every location has its own character with different amenities and they almost always include electricity.

*Photo credit: MoabUnderCanvas.com