Domes, yurts, luxury tented camps - eco glamping goes mainstream
Our pick of the leading examples in this new macro trend in the hospitality industry for 2024 - and we're talking about much more than indoor and outdoor showers!
Habitas Caravan Resort, Morocco
Habitas, Morocco
At Habitas’s Caravan Resort in Morocco’s Agafay Desert, guests can experience Bedouin culture through glamping. This tented resort aims to bring guests closer to the local culture, allowing them to participate in unique experiences like learning Arabic calligraphy and drawing Arabic art.
Guests feeling adventurous can take an e-bike around the desert, horseback riding, camel trekking, or stargazing while exploring some of the amazing places located nearby. It may not be about abundant wildlife here but this area is quickly becoming one of the more popular regions for genre-bending hospitality concepts such as this one.
There's nothing like some on-property animal residents to bring a smile to the face of nature-starved guests, here the offering includes Arab stallions, peacocks, and donkeys. Their goats and chickens, meanwhile, aren't going anywhere soon as they provide guests with regular fresh eggs and milk.
The resort’s fusion restaurant locally sources ingredients and makes use of the on-site herb and vegetable garden.
Habitas Morocco
Wellness at Habitas
A wellness center offers locally inspired spa treatments and experiential wellness approaches such as desert walks and rock discovery meditation, adding an innovative twist to this glamping experience's creature comforts offer.
Caravan resort tents give guests a feeling of entering a luxurious nomadic retreat. Accommodations consist of tents with outdoor Berber lounge areas that look over the Atlas Mountains, with wooden features, an eco-bathroom, a private stone terrace, and sliding glass doors that open onto a private outdoor deck.
The resort is solar-powered, without powering any TVs- their no TVs rule allows guests to fully immerse themselves in the natural surroundings. When breathtaking views are all around in such popular locations, the message is to stay mindful and grounded.
Sustainability at Habitas
Habitas Morocco
Sustainability is a top priority at Habitas which was awarded the Oceanic Champion Badge for adopting The Oceanic Standard (recently rebranded as The Blue Standard) and eliminating single-use plastics.
They also have a waste classification system to responsibly handle any trash they do generate. Their resorts are built through modular construction with light-impact building materials, many of which have been upcycled or sourced locally.
https://www.ourhabitas.com/caravan-agafay/
WeCamp, Spain - an accessible luxury tented camp concept
WeCamp, Spain
WeCamp in Spain is a tented camp with various locations near the Mediterranean Sea, offering comfort and sustainability.
WeCamp has various resort features, including a sports area, restaurant, kids club, swimming pool, coworking zones, supermarket, and shared bathroom.
The camp also offers a range of outdoor activities, including a tennis and volleyball court, a calisthenics park, table tennis, a running track, and mountain and e-bikes.
But what sets WeCamp apart is their extensive line of sustainable and comfortable lodging options for a short weekend getaway or a longer holiday format.
WeCamp offers a variety of tents, including family lodges and lodge duplexes for a range of glamping experience options.
These rooms have families in mind, with designated safe areas for children, baby showers, and prams. WeCamp also provides a fully stocked kitchen for a more comfortable and convenient camping experience.
This tent and the others have adaptable designs with moveable furniture to suit guests' needs. The glamping tents for two offer a romantic and peaceful escape into nature, for example.
Another unique lodging option at WeCamp is the Domo, a transparent dome that offers stunning views of the stars. Their other tents include classic A-frame tents, the Bell Tent, and their take on the Canadian tent.
Sustainability at WeCamp
All tents at WeCamp are designed with sustainability in mind, reducing their carbon footprint through energy-efficient features and eco-friendly materials. The campsite carries the BREEAM and Biosphere certifications, which attest to its sustainable design and operation. Sustainability at WeCamp also extends to the human body.
Accommodations at WeCamp have theAdSalutem certification, which guarantees that the spaces are designed for rest. This means providing extra-wide beds and premium mattresses and having carefully selected shades and materials to ensure a good night's sleep.
Nature connection at WeCamp
WeCamp, Spain
WeCamp's philosophy is one of minimal intervention to blend with nature. One way is by holding the Bed&Bike label, which provides assurance that the establishment offers suitable services designed explicitly for cycle tourists.
These services include single-night stays, areas for storing and renting bicycles and equipment, repair kits, appropriate menus for cyclists, and useful information for cycle tourists.
Wild Coast Tented Lodge, Sri Lanka
Wild Coast Tented Lodge (Sri Lanka)
Wild Coast Tented Lodge in Sri Lanka is a stunning resort that combines luxury and sustainability in a unique and unforgettable experience. Designed by Nomadic Resorts and featuring interior design by Bo Reudler Studio, this resort has won the UNESCO design award for its beautiful and eco-friendly architecture.
The tented accommodations are both luxurious and sustainable, with unusual dome-like cocoon tents made from French canvas and featuring teak floors, vaulted ceilings, and leather furnishings. The tents offer panoramic jungle views from the double-height glass and canvas facades.
Some tents even have Sonos streaming audio and private plunge pools included. A unique design choice made to honor the surrounding biodiversity was to have each cluster of tents form the shape of a leopard paw, facing a water hole to hopefully catch a glimpse of the native animals.
From the library to the restaurant and bar, spa, and private beach, the lodge has everything you need for a luxurious stay. But Wild Coast Tented Lodge is more than just a beautiful resort - it's also committed to sustainability.
Sustainability at Wild Coast Tented Camp
The lodge has won awards for its eco-friendly practices, including an on-site desalination plant and reverse osmosis system that ensures water is pumped into on-site ponds, providing wild animals with respite during the dry seasons.
The lodge also has a sewage treatment plant that recycles wastewater and a digester that converts food waste into biogas that fuels the staff kitchen. A rooftop solar unit offsets one-third of the electricity, and solar panels on the roofs of some back-of-house buildings produce around 40% of the lodge's energy.
One of the key sustainability projects at Wild Coast Tented Lodge is the Leopard Research and Climate Change Centre, which brings together researchers, environmentalists, and local communities to study the impact of climate change on leopards and their habitats.
Wild Coast Tented Lodge (Sri Lanka)
Responsible tourism efforts
The resort is also committed to responsible tourism. The game drives are owned and driven by members of the local community, ensuring they benefit from the tourism. The lodge hosts lectures on irresponsible wildlife viewing to the jeep drivers, emphasizing the importance of not chasing down the animals or harassing wildlife.
Prefab construction
The construction process of Wild Coast Tented Lodge was inclusive, with collaboration between local and international craftsmen. The buildings were prefabricated off-site to minimize the impact during construction and raised on stilts to reduce the impact on the landscape. They are designed so they can be disassembled and leave only a minimal impact on the site.
The lodge also uses sustainable and recycled materials wherever possible. Excavated stone and locally quarried quartz are used extensively throughout, while reclaimed recycled teak shingles and sustainable bamboo also feature in the design.
Residue clay from the gravel-sifting process was mixed with elephant dung to create the restaurant and welcome-area mud-brick seating.
Wild Coast Tented Lodge offers a luxurious and sustainable holiday experience in the heart of Sri Lanka. With its beautiful and eco-friendly architecture, sustainable and recycled materials, and commitment to responsible tourism, this resort is the perfect place to unwind and connect with nature.
Three Camel Lodge, Gobi Desert
Three Camel Lodge (Mongolia)
The Three Camel Lodge is a luxurious ger, or yurt, camp in the heart of the Gobi Desert, offering 40 ger rooms. These unique rooms are created by local artisans using natural stone and materials. They are designed with inspiration from traditional Mongolian architecture.
Each ger features hand-carved and painted furniture, wool carpets, and thick camel-hair blankets, creating a well-rounded cultural experience. The lodge offers both king and twin bed options, as well as private en-suite bathrooms. Each ger is also heated by a wood stove, ensuring guests' comfort during the cold desert nights.
In addition to the comfortable accommodations, the lodge offers a range of resort features. Guests can indulge in Eastern and Western treatments at the spa, browse the boutique that showcases local artistry, customs, and fashion, or enjoy a unique experience such as learning how to build a ger, attending a lecture on the Gobi Desert, or taking a Mongolian cooking class. The lodge also features a horse stable and an archery range.
Sustainability at Three Camel Lodge
The Three Camel Lodge is dedicated to environmental stewardship, cultural and natural preservation, and community empowerment. They have implemented an extensive waste management system that includes recycling paper, bottles, and cans, as well as composting organic matter in their onsite greenhouse. T
he lodge is also powered entirely by solar panels, and they source more than half of their supplies, services, and ingredients within a 50-mile radius. They even grow organic produce in their greenhouse.
The lodge's commitment to sustainability extends beyond environmental practices such as providing water and animal feed for nomadic herders' animals in the region and sponsoring English classes and sports at a nearby school.
Efforts to incorporate local people goes even deeper by employing 100% local Mongolian staff year-round, focusing on training and empowering women. And finally, their purchasing policies favor local families, artisans, and small businesses in the Gobi region.
https://www.threecamellodge.com/
Singita Sabora, Tanzania
Singita Sabora, Tanzania
Singita is a conservation and ecotourism brand with a luxurious tented camp in Tanzania called Sabora. It is set in 350,000 acres of protected wilderness and designed by Cécile & Boyd and GAPP Architects.
The highlight of this resort is their safari-style tents. Safari lodges in Africa are designed to immerse travelers in the wilderness from the comfort and safety of their tents, with Sabora situating itself on the Great Wildebeest Migration route to do just that.
Though the tents are luxurious, they are designed to echo the earthy color palette of the bush to keep in harmony with the Serengeti bush. These tents come equipped with a private meditation deck, outdoor sala (living space) with daybeds, private fitness area, lifestyle unit, in-room pantry, and dining space.
The tents' hand-stitched leather finishes, durable canvas, explorer-style campaign furniture, and Zanzibari trunks give guests a touch of the local culture.
One of the unique resort features is their 'Guest Deli', where guests can pick from a collection of leather and woven baskets and select gourmet delights to enjoy in the privacy of their suites or picnic spots around the campfire. The resort also includes a pool area, two intimate dining rooms, and an open-plan bar and lounge.
Sustainability at Singita Sabora
Singita Sabora, Tanzania
Singita Sabora is committed to sustainability, biodiversity conservation, wildlife management, and meaningful community partnerships. The resort follows the One Planet Living framework, which aims to reduce waste, save water, limit energy usage, and grow closer to carbon-neutrality.
Singita Sabora partners with the non-profit conservation team at Grumeti Fund to implement various projects that make a meaningful impact. These include introducing anti-poaching canine units, delivering training, promoting job placement through the Singita Community Culinary Schools, and implementing the largest relocation and reintroduction of critically endangered Eastern Black Rhino into the Serengeti ecosystem.
Singita Sabora also features an onsite Environmental Education Center that hosts field trips for local community schools and trains budding conservationists.
Through the Singita Conservation Foundation, the resort works towards a sustainable future for Africa's precious species, their fragile habitats, and vulnerable communities through long-term conservation projects.
They aim to protect unique ecosystems, recover critically endangered species, ensure no further extinction, benefit neighboring communities under their care, and contribute positively to reducing GHG emissions through their climate commitments.
https://singita.com/lodge/singita-sabora-tented-camp/
Whitepod, Switzerland
Whitepod Switzerland
Whitepod in Switzerland is a unique luxury resort featuring geodesic domes as their rooms. Geodesic domes are spherical structures of interconnected triangles, which distribute weight evenly and make them extremely sturdy.
These domes are becoming increasingly popular in the hospitality industry, offering visitors a unique and unforgettable experience.
The resort's domes' (or pods as they call it) unique shape allows guests to have a 180-degree view of their environment, even being able to look straight up into the night sky without ever leaving their warm room.
The pods are heated by pellet stoves and feature organic bedding, making it a cozy retreat while offering stunning views of the Swiss landscape. Some rooms even provide an iPad Pro to add to the luxurious experience.
Whitepod has gone above and beyond to create themed experiences in the pods. The Zen suite has a Japanese-inspired ambiance with a private Japanese bath inside the pod.
In contrast, the Forest suite, designed by Yasmine Nicoucar, has a birch-designed interior, complete with a hammock hanging between birch trees. The Swiss suite offers a traditional chalet ambiance, and the Timeless suite features a private outdoor Nordic bath and a private sauna.
Lifestyle amenities at Whitepod
The resort offers a variety of amenities to guests, from a Social Cabin with a run room, fight room, and yoga room to a wellness trail around the grounds. And what resort isn't complete without a spa, with Whitepod offering Scandinavian treatments along with a sauna and an ice room.
Whitepod Switzerland
Sustainability at Whitepod
Whitepod is dedicated to sustainability and has received several certifications for its eco-friendly initiatives, including the Swiss Solar Prize and the Green Globe certification.
The domes are in and of themselves eco-friendly, designed with a high volume-to-surface area ratio, meaning that the materials used on each pod are minimal.
The resort sources locally-produced, organic food for its restaurant, along with ensuring that its fish is Marine Stewardship Council certified to be sustainable.
The lack of corners in the domes leads to ambient airflow, which means 30% less energy usage when it comes to heating and cooling. Low-flow showers and timers on water boilers are other energy-efficient protocols Whitepod has made.
Whitepod in Switzerland offers visitors an unforgettable experience with stunning views, luxurious amenities, and a commitment to sustainability that sets it apart from other resorts.