Five Stars Under the Stars: Top Destinations for Luxury Camping

Ahh, the great outdoors. Camping conjures up some wonderful images: gathering round the campfire, roasting marshmallows and telling stories, wishing upon a starry sky. On the flip side, all too often you wake up scratching fresh mosquito bites to take a cold shower in a grimy campground bathroom and find there’s no café latte in sight. A new trend in travel aims to change all of that. Luxury camping is a great way to combine your love of nature with your desire for comfy beds and hot showers.

Often called “glamping,” short for “glamour camping,” luxury tent getaways are finding fans in adventure travelers of all kinds. These are folks who want to break out of the traditional hotel, but still experience 5-star service and amenities. Traditional resorts can sometimes isolate you from your surroundings, providing an attractive view without any of the real flavor of the landscape. Luxury camping puts you right in the middle of it, with an open-air feel coupled with amazing accommodations. Grab your marshmallows and head to one of these 5-stars under the stars locales.

4 Rivers Floating Lodge, Cambodia
Let your lodgings gently rock you to sleep at Four Rivers Floating Lodge, a luxury tented resort on the mighty Tatai river near Koh Kong, only a few kilometers from the Cambodia/Thai border. Surrounded by virgin forest, rare orchids and fragrant frangipani, at 4 Rivers Lodge you can enjoy a lazy day on the water, watching dolphins play in the river. The more adventurous can explore the Cardamom mountains, join local fishermen and enjoy their fresh catch, trek to the magnificent Tatai waterfall, and explore the mangroves in a kayak. At night you’ll return to your floating tent to enjoy high-pressure showers, cooling fans, a wide-screen TV and a fridge to keep the champagne chilling, which you’ll sip as you recline on your own floating veranda. 4 Rivers Floating Lodge, +855 (0) 35 6900 650

EcoCamp, Chile
EcoCamp, located in Patagonia, Chile, was designed in the spirit of the Kawesqar, an ancient nomadic people who once moved along the coast seeking food and shelter. These people lived in harmony with nature and built their huts in a geodesic shape, bending branches and covering the structure with animal skins. In its modern incarnation at EcoCamp Patagonia, the tented dome shape also offers protection against the wind, which often surpasses 160-180km per hour. Stay in one of EcoCamp’s suite domes, which blend comfort with ecological sustainability. You’ll find each suite has a private bathroom, comfortable beds, and is heated by a modern low-emission wood stove. Every dome has its own composting device to process waste, and electricity is generated with a micro hydro turbine and solar panels. As for the sights, Patagonia is home to the world heritage site Torres del Paine, a national park filled with glaciers, lakes, mountains, wildflowers and birds, hiking and horseback riding. The accommodations and activities make EcoCamp perfect for the environmentally conscious adventure traveler. EcoCamp Patagonia, info @ ecocamp.travel

Four Seasons Tented Camp, Thailand
Built on a hillside trail near the Ruak River, Burma, the 15 free-standing tents at the Four Seasons Tented Camp, Golden Triangle, Thailand offer views of the river, the jungle, and the mountains of Laos. Each tent houses custom-made furniture styled after 19th-century adventure expeditions, and opens onto a large outdoor deck. Your stay at the Four Seasons Tented Camp includes meals, house wines and spirits, a spa treatment, Mahout training and elephant trekking. Photo op: Schedule your stay to include Loy Krathong, a festival of lights held on the night of the full moon in October or November, where you’ll see hundreds of candles on small, handcrafted floats made from banana leaves float down the river. Four Seasons Tented Camp, Golden Triangle, Thailand, +66 (0) 53 910-200

Aman-i-Khás, Rajasthan, India
Amidst undulating desert, Aman-i-Khás, is an exclusive wilderness camp set in the rugged hills of Rajasthan within view of Ranthambhore National Park. The name Aman-i-Khás derives from the words aman, meaning peace in Sanskrit and khás, meaning special or privileged in Urdu and Hindi. Once the hunting grounds of the Maharajah of Jaipur, Ranthambhore Park was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1955. Its bold landscape consists of razor sharp ridges, deep gorges, lakes and jungle, and is home to tigers, leopards, antelope, hyena, marsh crocodile and more. To beat the heat, the camp itself is set up for only seven months of the year. Each of its 10 air-conditioned tents has a screened entry with an armchair and dining area. Centered in the tent lies an oversized daybed and three additional sections for sleeping, bathing and dressing. Bedrooms have a king-size beds flanked by twin writing desks. Re-fuel at the dining tent, which serves Indian cuisine and Western dishes with ingredients from the camp’s organic garden. Aman-i-Khás, (91) 7462 252 052

Voyages Longitude 131°, Australia
Voyages Longitude 131° is a leader in luxury ecotourism. Situated on a sand dune in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia, a World Heritage site, the entire property was designed so that it could be dismantled and relocated, allowing the ground it is situated on to return to the exact state it was in before development. The resort aims to leave a small footprint, blending with the surroundings and making a minimal impact on the environment. Enjoy a sunrise walk along the base of the sacred Uluru, a large sandstone rock monolith, or take private tours of the park with a personal guide via 4-wheel drive. Dining at Voyages Longitude 131° offers contemporary Australian cuisine, with dishes like twice-cooked duck terrine, ham encroute Hungarian salami and Emu Prosciutto, and gourmet salads like roasted duck with baby spinach and macadamia dressing. You’ll find the full flavor of Australia’s outback at Voyages Longitude 131°, +61 2 8296 8010

Paws Up, Montana
Just launched this July are the six new tented suites that make up Creekside Camp at The Resort at Paws Up in Montana. Head there to enjoy 37,000 acres of untamed Montana wilderness. Situated along Elk Creek, the safari-style accommodations have electricity, feather beds, western chic furniture, en suite bathrooms and private decks. Dine at the camp pavilion, complete with massive stone fireplace, and enjoy your own personal “camping butler.” When you’re not roasting s’mores at the fire pit, choose from a selection of wilderness activities like horseback riding, mountain biking, rappelling, sporting clays and ATV adventures. The Resort at Paws Up, Montana, 800-473-0601

Sanctuary Swala, Tanzania

Escape to Sanctuary Swala, Tanzania, located in the secluded Tarangire National Park. Set in an acacia forest at the edge of the savannah, Sanctuary Swala features twelve tents around a main dining area, deck and library lifted on stilts around an enormous and ancient baobab tree. Enjoy comfortable king or twin beds, campaign chairs and plush sofas, as well as an en suite bathroom with both indoor and outdoor shower. Your tent comes with its own personal attendant who attends to your every need. Elephant watching is the order of the day, as the savannah is famous for some of the largest herds of elephants in Africa. Take a game drive in a customized safari vehicle with an expert guide, or simply cool off in the infinity pool overlooking the main watering hole, which regularly draws lions, leopards and resident bull elephants. Sanctuary Swala, Tanzania, +255 (0)27 250 9817

Pentre Mawr Country House, North Wales
Now here is an unusual combination—an 18th-century country house where you can stay in luxury South African-style canvas lodges. Three lodges stand on 190 acres of lush parkland in the Vale of Clwyd in North Wales. The estate is also home to a charming country-style guest house where you can take in hot tea and cakes. Tents feature full bathrooms with under-floor heating, super-sized leather beds, and a private terrace with a hot tub. Instead of elephants and giraffes, you’ll be seeing castles, cathedrals and the coast on day trips to the surrounding area. Pentre Mawr Country House, 01824 790 732