Camp without pitching your own tent

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GLAMPING
Camp without pitching your own tent
TEXT MICHELE KOH
IT’S NOT SOMETHING COMMONLY DONE in
Singapore, but in many parts of Europe and the United
States, camping is often top on the agenda for family
vacations and weekend-long escapes from the city.
Camping is the perfect way to get far from the madding
crowd and drink up all of nature’s majestic beauty. Stunning
landscapes, lush greenery, fresh air, wildlife, and plenty
of privacy and calm? What’s not to like? Unfortunately,
barebones camping also involves setting up your own tent,
cooking your own meals, and not showering for days. And
roughing it out like that is not everyone’s idea of a holiday.
If you want the camping experience without the
hardship, then try glamping – a new travel phenomenon
of boutique camping. Instead of pitching your own rickety
store bought tent, you can stay in luxury tents, jungle huts,
tree houses, Native American tepees, Mongolian yurts,
modern geodesic domes or other innovative structures
built in the midst of the most breathtaking natural
surroundings. Many of these campsites are eco-friendly
and also offer guided adventure activities and hikes. Some
even have spa treatments!
Here are some top spots so luxurious they just might
convert even the most hardened urbanite.
CLAYOQUOT WILDERNESS RESORT, BRITISH
COLUMBIA
Opened from mid-May to the end of September, this
eco-safari destination offers three, four or seven nights
in the pristine Canadian Wilderness. Inspired by the
Great Camps of the late 19th century, this campsite with
20 massive white canvas tents evokes the romance of
the age of exploration in the American frontier. There
is a dining tent, a timber cookhouse nestled discreetly
behind thick shrubbery, and massage and treatment
tents too. All this in the middle of a nine-mile-long fjord
and untamed wilderness.
Built on raised wooden platforms, each guest tent is
modelled after trading post style prospector quarters.
Cedar boardwalks connect the tents that are sheltered by
a rainforest canopy along the edge of the water. The tents
come with rustic Adirondack-style beds with lush down
duvets. Furnished with antique dressers and tea tables,
intricate rugs, oil lamps, thermostat controlled propane
wood stoves, heirloom china and silver, and plenty of
candles, this campsite certainly takes you back to the past.
The activities here are customised to suit the comfort
level of each guest. In the evenings, Activity Directors will
sit with guests and help them design a day of adventure
that may include learning to surf in a secluded beach, a
day-long hike with a Native American guide, kayaking
on a rushing mountainous river or a more subdued
kayaking cruise around hidden coves. Wildlife viewing and
horseback riding are also part of the experience.
The campsite is situated at the mouth of the Bedwell
River in Clayoquot Sound, about a 30-minute boat ride
from the village of Tofino. But really, all you need to do is
take a plane to Vancouver, British Columbia and the team
from Clayoquot will take care of the rest.
Visit www.wildretreat.com
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GREYSTOKE MAHALE,TANZANIA
At the foot of the Mahale Mountains, on the edge of Lake
Tanganyika in western Tanzania is a spot that can best be
described paradise; at least that’s what the chimps think.
This tropical forest is home to the largest chimpanzee
colony in the world and Greystoke Mahale gives you access
to them through daily walks.
The campsite consists of six double-bandas that are
set on the edge of the forest and overlook a wide beach
across the waters of the lake. The main structure is the
towering two-storey mess and bar area that is modelled
after traditional African Tongwe architecture. Old
seasoned dhow timber and soft stylish fabrics add to the
rich exotic flavour of the camps. Each banda comes with
its own en suite bathroom that is accessible via a wooden
boardwalk behind the camp. There is also an upper level
‘chill-out’ deck where guests can stay up all night to gaze
at the stars.
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Here, most days are spent relaxing on the beach, or
hiking a short distance to observe the chimps grooming,
wrestling, eating or nursing their young. Fishing, kayaking
and leisurely walks are also the order of the day. Guest can
also observe leopard, bushbuck, bushpig, and a multitude
of birds and butterflies that reside in this magical forest.
The remote Lake Tanganyika sits on the western edge
of Tanzania and is only accessible by shared charter flights
operated by Greystoke, which depart on Mondays and
Thursdays only from Arusha. The flight to Greystoke
Mahale takes about three to four hours. From the airstrip
it is an approximately 90-minute dhow trip down the lake
to reach the camp. Greystoke Mahale is open year round
except from 17 March to 29 May when the camp is closed
for maintenance.
Visit www.greystoke-mahale.com
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ECOCAMP, CHILE
Patagonia, located in the southernmost part of South
America in Argentina and Chile, is a region rich in wildlife
and stunning geographical features. This is where
EcoCamp operates its campsites using portable tents that
are disassembled in winter in order to allow the terrain to
recover. The operators only take 56 guests at a time, so a
feeling of intimacy and serenity is preserved.
The camps are modelled after the traditional Kawesqar
huts of Patagonia that resemble igloos and domes. The
Kawesqar people built the skeleton of their huts in a
geodesic shape by bending branches, then covered the
structure with guanaco and sea lion skins. Of course, today,
Patagonia EcoCamp does not use animal pelt, but high
quality, wind resistant canvas.
Accommodation options include the spacious Suite
Domes – tented igloo-style double domes located in a
beech forest. These come with en suite bathrooms, lowemission wood stoves, and double or twin beds. Each
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Suite Dome comes with its own composting device and
has electricity that is generated with solar panels and hydro
turbines. The Standard Domes have vitrified wooded
floors and ceiling windows that allow guests to stare up at
the stars before falling asleep on beds covered in fleece
sheets, feather quilts and warm blankets. A raised wooded
walkway connects two giant dining domes and a resting
dome to the Suite and Standard domes. The resting dome
is equipped with a library, and the dining domes come with
a bar, a shop and resting areas.
EcoCamp Chile is located in the Torres del Paine
National Park, a World Heritage Site with glaciers, lakes,
mountains and plenty of wild plant and animal life. Trekking
and horseback riding, walking tours, river kayaking, glacier
expeditions and birdwatching are some of the activities
guests can enjoy.
Visit www.ecocamp.travel; www.cascada.travel
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TREEHOTEL, SWEDEN
Here in the beautiful village of Harads, approximately 60
kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, in Northern Sweden,
a group of well-known architects and designers have
built highly unusual outdoor guest rooms that abide by
ecological values. The inspiration for Treehouse came from
a Swedish documentary called Treelover, which is about
three urbanites who get back to their roots by building
a tree house together. The end result is an incredibly
modern, cutting-edge, green hotel that is the ultimate
fantasy for lovers of design and nature.
There are seven distinctive rooms available: The Bird’s
Nest, The Blue Cone, The Cabin, The Mirrorcube, The
UFO, A Room With A View, and The Tree Sauna. Each
is a truly bold statement in architecture and design. The
exterior of The Bird’s Nest looks like a giant nest with
discreet windows hidden by a network of branches. The
interior of the nest is accessed via a retractable staircase
and inside, the interior walls are covered in coachwork
panels and there is enough room for a family of four. The
Cabin, designed by Marten and Gustav Cyren, is located
on a steep slope with beautiful views of the Lule river
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valley. This tree house is suspended from a deck that is
supported by trees on the slope. The Cabin is surrounded
by decks and footbridges which guests can lounge on
while enjoying their natural surrounds.
For the Mirrorcube, architects Bolle Tham and Martin
Videgård created a light aluminium structure around a tree
trunk and clad it in mirrored glass so it reflects the natural
environment. The interior was built out of plywood with
windows that offer 360-degree views of the surroundings.
The Mirrorcube comes with a double bed, living room and
roof terrace, and can be accessed by a rope bridge. Bertil
Harström’s The UFO is a sci-fi fan’s dream come true. It’s a
tree house shaped like a spaceship (what else!) with round
porthole windows and appears to be floating in the middle
of the forest.
The Village of Harad, with a population of 600 people, is
surrounded by forest, water and uninterrupted wilderness.
It is approximately an hour’s drive from Luleå, which has the
largest airport in northern Sweden.
Visit www.treehotel.se
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