The idea of camping in the wilderness, setting up your own tents, struggling to build a bonfire does not pass muster with the luxury camper of today. In the high-end arena, camping is being replaced with glamping. This is luxury camping with a generous dose of glamour. You need not go without electricity and running water on a camping (or rather, glamping) trip anymore. Glamping accommodation includes all the conveniences of a luxury hotel with the joy of living in the great outdoors.
A case in point is the Wildman Wilderness Lodge in Australia’s Northern Terriotory. Staying here is like putting up at some boutique resort. This safari lodge organizes wildlife tours and offers plenty of opportunity for hiking, biking and more. But you do not have to rough it out. The nightly rates of between $285 and $375 per person have got to count for something. So guests live in free-standing cabins made from recycled materials. You get air-conditioning, luxurious beds and an attached bathroom. For a slightly more camping feel, try the safari tents that offer fan cooling, wooden floors and attached baths at $215 to $375 per person per night.
Then there are the designer canopies in Argentina’s Valle de Uco. Four-poster beds, luxurious baths and fire pits make the rooms in this Mendoza resort ideal for a glamping trip. This luxury resort is still a work in progress, but it should be ready for business by year-end. Per night rates will begin from $300.
Finally, take a look at Rasa Resorts in India. Guests here would be forgiven for forgetting their hiking and bird-watching plans, because each of the forty 500-square-foot tents here is a study in luxury. Built from concrete, wood and red stone, the tents come with curtains, a high roof and even bay windows. Camping will never be the same again.
