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? 🙂

Immerse Yourself In Asian Glamping

Four Seasons Glamping

Glamping is seeing rapid and exciting expansion as an industry. The method of vacationing might not be new to places like Africa and Australia, but this travel phenomena is becoming more and more popular. Now Asia is taking part as well.

In Africa the luxury tent has been around ever since travelers have taken to hunting exotic game. For decades lavish canvas tents catered to wealthy Europeans and Americans on Safari. Prize catches were taxidermied and hung on posts or made into fur rugs. The wealthy traveler relaxed with a glass of the finest imported whiskey while being served the best of local cuisine. In Australia, an outback Safari-like mode travel gained popularity. Now the United States has their own version of rugged western camps fine-tuned to please the pickiest traveler.

In Asia it’s a thrill to see the trend catching on. Asia is a serene region that emphasizes a reliance on peace and nature. While yoga might be part of every luxury outdoor resort, few places suit the practice as well as the countries of it’s origins. Imagine glamping in Thailand, Indonesia, India and Myanmar!

In Thailand, Four Seasons has brought glamping to two locations. Along with the expected canvas accommodations and top-notch spa packages, their glamping offers elephant trekking and other excursions. The iconic elephant makes Thailand truly unique. In the morning an elephant excursion takes visitors atop Camp Peak as the sun rises over the Laos Mountains to fill the Burmese Plains. After a leisurely coffee you can splash around with the gentle giants.

India is rich with glamping opportunities. If you choose to stay in Jaisalmer, especially near the Sam Sand Dunes, you’ll be greeted by a landscape that can’t be beat. Riding a camel into the sunset on the sand dunes will make you feel like you’ve been transported to those old arabian nights. Accommodations are very much modern and comfortable. If budget allows, try visiting India’s first five-star jungle camp. Oberoi Vanyavilas. You’ll find it in Rajasthan along with plenty of local tigers, deer, birds, crocs, bears and leo­pards. There is no roughing it here. Everything is exquisite.

For those seeking a ‘one with nature’ experience, try Tiger Tops in Nepal. Their sustainable jungle tours get as close to nature as safety permits. The entire camp runs mainly on solar power and every effort is made to make it’s carbon footprint as light as possible. Plus, within the Chitwan and Bardia national parks the touring methods have the taste of authenticity. Boat tours are done in hand crafted vessels that silently carry through Nepal’s impressive wilderness. Elephant tours are also an option. Sightings of tigers, rhinos, elephants, crocodiles, leopards and deer (oh my!) are common. This is a bird watchers heaven with all sorts of undisturbed feathery species.

Wherever you choose to spend your glamping hiatus, trying the local cuisine is a must! Approach everything with an open mind – the crazier the better. When the atmosphere, immersion of sounds, sights and tastes combine together it’s sure to create an unforgettable experience.

Asia Sees Expansion of Glamping Choices

What kind of Asia glamping adventure do you want to have? The choices are as wide and varied as the continent itself, from island paradise retreats to mountains, plains and jungle. You are limited only by your imagination- and possibly not by that, either.

ISLANDS: MALDIVES AND THAILAND

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Many Asian properties are taking advantage of their stunning white sand beaches to create glamping island retreats, and it should come as no surprise that island properties command the highest prices. At the top of the list is the archipelago of Maldives, already one of the most exquisite vacation spots in the world. Soneva Fushi Resort and Taj Exotica Resort and Spa are top tier glamping resorts that offer unmatched dramatic views combined with world-class sophistication in harmony with nature.

Still offering plenty of drama and sophistication are Vivanta Coral Reef by Taj and Baros which may be considered somewhat more affordable ($700 and $580 per night, respectively) than their Maldives neighbors, yet still offer the discerning glamper all they might expect.

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Thailand island hideaways such as Soneva Kiri  and Moon Shadow (Winner of Best Villa Architectural Design Award 2013) offer the best in luxury matched with breathtaking seaside views.

RIVER GLAMPING, ASIAN STYLE

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Inland vacation spots may cost less, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less exotic. Take for instance Four Rivers Floating Lodge in Cambodia on the Tatai River, highway to the Southeast Asia’s largest coastal mangrove.

Muang La Resort in Laos sits next to a tranquil river with a hot spring, and offers luxury in a secluded setting.

Bagan Lodge near the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar is on the edge of on of the world’s greatest “archaeological marvels.” According to Wikipedia, “10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were constructed in the Bagan plains alone, of which the remains of over 2200 temples and pagodas still survive to the present day.”

YURT CAMPING

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Adventure seekers will be happy to know that Asia has more than relaxing beach resorts and sleepy secluded river retreats, and will choose to venture to the interior of the continent.

After visiting the Flaming Cliffs or riding a Bactrian camel in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, you can return to a luxurious yurt at the Three Camel Lodge.

For a more down to earth experience, stay with an authentic local nomadic family at At-Bashi Yurt Camp in Kyrgystan near the China border, experiencing river valleys, mountains and glaciers.

HIGH UP PERCHES

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You may stay in the trees if that’s what you please, and Japamala Resort in Malaysia may just be your thing. Stay in a chalet or jungle canopy tree house at this “eco-luxe resort” and enjoy this “fashionably rustic boutique resort known for intimacy between man and nature.”

Perched among dramatic rock formations in view of a mountain range and beach are the Hill Top Pool Villas of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay of South Central Vietnam. The villas are set back in the mountainside accessible by wooden private walkways each with a private plunge pool.

0 Karnali Lodge

For the ultimate wildlife adventure at a moderate price ($250/night) you can travel to Nepal’s Karnali Lodge, one of two lodges owned by Tiger Tops, which sits right on the edge of Bardia National Park, Nepal’s largest wilderness area, where you are promised “the exhilaration of a raw encounter with jungle wildlife. Observe tigers, rhinos, elephants, crocodiles, leopards and deer all in their natural habitat on a Tiger Tops guided jungle safari.”