Extreme glamping: Luxury yurts, covered wagons with air conditioning, and $3 million RVs prove there's still a market for high-end outdoorsy adventures

Katie Warren

Aug 23, 2019, 18:48 IST

Extreme glamping: Luxury yurts, covered wagons with air conditioning, and $3 million RVs prove there's still a market for high-end outdoorsy adventures

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People are paying hundreds of dollars per night to sleep in fancy tents with electricity and king-size beds.

Glamping, or "glamorous camping," is a luxurious alternative to regular camping that's become increasingly popular in the last decade.
There are many ways to glamp, from sleeping in a heated domed pod on the salt flats of Bolivia to renting out a luxurious tent with electricity and 1,500 thread-count linens on an island in New York City.
Some of the most high-end methods of glamping can cost more than staying in a luxury hotel.
A two-night minimum stay in a pod at a Bolivian dome resort will run you $1,980, while an ultra-luxury motor home can cost as much as $3 million.
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Glamping, or "glamorous camping," is a luxurious alternative to traditional camping - and it can get really over-the-top.

Instead of sleeping on the ground in a typical tent, glamping might entail sleeping in a king-size bed with 1,500-thread-count linens or in an eco-friendly pod with a shower and kitchenette.

From egg-shaped pods to tricked-out RVs, here are some of the ways people are taking glamping to the next level.

Glamping, or "glamorous camping," is an upscale alternative to traditional camping.

Glamping can take many different forms, from ultra-luxurious tents with king-size beds and en-suite bathrooms to egg-shaped pods and tricked-out RVs.

A company called Ecocapsule makes luxurious egg-shaped pods designed with solar panels and 750-watt retractable wind turbines so they can be 100% self-sufficient in a variety of environments.

The pods include a work space, kitchenette, toilet, and shower.

The bed can be folded out to sleep two people.

Each pod costs $89,000 (€79,900), and some have been sold to private owners for individual use, according to Ecocapsule.

The company is engaged in deals to sell pods to glamping and hotel companies in Europe, Australia, and the US, with expected guest costs of $200 to $277 (€180 to €250) per night, an Ecocapsule representative told Business Insider.

A luxury resort in Bolivia called Kachi Lodge is made up of several domed pods located 12,000 feet above sea level on the largest salt flat in the world.

Each pod comes with a private bathroom, a double bed with hotel-style bedding, heating, and a lounge area.

According to the Kachi Lodge website, the camp is run using sustainable energy, with the goal of leaving a minimal impact on the environment.

A two-night minimum stay in one of the resort's domes costs $1,980 per person, and additional nights start at $990 per person.

A campground in Germany offers both glamping pods and glamping lodges.

The heated pods include a kitchenette and fridge, table and chairs, a bathroom, a double bed and a pullout sofa bed.

The campground's African safari-inspired lodges can sleep up to five people and include a bathroom and shower, a sitting room with a satellite TV, and a fully equipped kitchenette and refrigerator.

The Ranch at Rock Creek, a luxury resort in Montana, has 10 "canvas cabins" that sit in a wildflower meadow on the banks of the namesake Rock Creek.

The glamping cabins range in size from 790 square feet to 1,300 square feet. Some have multiple bedrooms, gas stoves, and soaking tubs.

The cabins have their own private bathrooms.

In the Sweet Grass cabin, the only three-room glamping cabin, guests can soak in a cedar tub on the patio. The cabins start at $1,800 per night in the winter and $3,200 during the summer and peak holiday season.

At the Capitol Reef Resort in Utah, guests can glamp in covered wagons based on 19th-century designs. But beyond the exterior, these wagons are nothing like the ones pioneers slept in.

They come with air conditioning, one king-size bed, and twin bunk beds, and there are private bathrooms just a few steps away. A night's stay in one of the wagons starts at about $229 per person.

Luxe trailers are yet another way to glamp. In the United Arab Emirates, about 85 miles from Dubai, is the Sedr Trailers Resort, which calls itself a "trailer hotel."

Each air conditioned, 194-square-foot trailer includes a shaded private deck, a modern bathroom, Wifi, a TV, and the option to configure the trailer to sleep a family of two adults and two children.

A night's stay in one of the trailers starts at about $617.

In upstate New York, travelers can stay in a luxurious, 18-foot-tall tepee that sits in the woods on a 10-acre property at Bellfire Farm.

The interior has cedar floors, custom-made furniture, wool carpets, a kitchenette, and a fire pit.

The tepee can be booked for $145 a night on Airbnb.

And glamping doesn't necessarily have to be limited to secluded wilderness areas. "Urban glamping" locations have been popping up in cities like New York and Chicago. On Governors Island in New York City, people pay up to $700 a night to sleep in luxury tents with a view of the city.

Collective Retreats, which also has locations in Texas, Montana, and New York's Hudson Valley, opened its Governors Island location — just an eight-minute ferry ride from lower Manhattan — in July 2018.

In the luxurious Summit Tents, guests sleep on 1,500-thread count sheets with a down comforter and a designer-curated blanket.

Each Summit Tent has a private, en-suite bathroom with a rainfall-style shower and Turkish robes "for optimal lounging."

Even luxury hotels are cashing in on the urban glamping trend. The Gwen Hotel in Chicago lets guests stay in a luxury tent on the terrace of the hotel's top-floor Gwen Lux Suite during the summer months.

The Gwen Lex Suite costs $3,500 a night, and the glamping tent on the terrace is an additional $2,000, bringing the total cost per night up to a minimum of $5,500.

Inside the tent is a queen-size bed, lamps, and floor cushions.

With the addition of the tent on the terrace, the two-bedroom Gwen Lux Suite can sleep six guests.

If glamping in your own backyard is more your style, you can buy a translucent garden dome on Amazon.

The wind- and snow-resistant dome sits on a 107-square-foot base area and has a maximum height of seven feet and two inches, making it large enough for most people to stand up inside.

The dome was recently selling for $1,199, but it's currently unavailable.

Then there are luxury RVs, which are nicer than most people's homes and can cost between $1 million and $3 million.

Canada-based manufacturer Prevost makes swanky RVs with luxe kitchens, slide-out all-around windows, and expansive floor space.

Some luxury RVs, like those from Oklahoma-based company Newell Coaches, even come with in-unit washer and dryers and multiple LED televisions. Newell Coaches' RVs cost about $2 million.

But for the ultimate RV glamping experience, there's the EleMMent Palazzo Superior from Marchi Mobile. At $3 million, it's the most expensive motor home in the world. It includes a king-size bed, a huge kitchen, a rainfall shower, a 40-inch TV, and an expandable rooftop deck.

Glamping has also made its way to music festivals. The Coachella music festival in California has added glamping as an amenity for wealthy attendees.

Safari Campground is the festival's priciest on-location campsite, with luxury tent rates starting around $10,000 for a four-night stay.

The fully furnished tents come with a small refrigerator and air conditioner.

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