Speaking of camping, you must have heard of it. Well, what about Glamping?
I am ashamed, with years of Camping experience, it is not until this year that I've found out about glamping! I learned about it when my friend Helen invited me to hike the Bruce Trail on the beautiful Bruce Peninsula for 3 days. She told me: This time we are glamping!
Glamping? Was it an mis-spelling? I searched it up, and it turned out to be "Glamorous Camping," a more luxurious version of tent camping, which originated in Scotland. Compared to ordinary tent camping, not only are you saving the labour of setting up and dismantling tents, you get a more spacious and comfortable living space. Almost a complete short-term home facility!
We stayed at Yurt Camp in Bruce Peninsula National Park. Yurts are round tents made of felt or fur on foldable frames by nomads of Mongolia, Siberia and Turkey. Our camp was located by Cyprus Lake. Although the hiking schedule was very tight, I was able to trance at the beautiful lake in the little spare time I had.
Yurts are generally built on a deck. Since it does not directly touch the ground, it is not very damp. On the top is a transparent skylight that can be opened and closed. On a moonlit night, you can sort of see the stars through the skylight.
Yurts generally have front and rear doors. Our Yurt's front door faced the lake with a wider deck in front of the door. It was accompanied by a BBQ grill, a food workbench, a dining table, and a campfire!
Coming back from hikes every day, everyone would occasionally look up at the lake while preparing food, feeling relaxed and less tired.
The interior and materials of Yurts in different parks may be different. But the Yurt we stayed in this time had a total of three beds, two double beds and one single bed. The mattress is very comfortable, but you need to bring your own sleeping bags and pillows. We were all very careful to bring our own clean and comfortable sheets. In addition to the bed, Yurts have some practical furniture: cabinets, dining table and chairs, and even an iron stove for burning wood. There is no electricity in the Bruce Peninsula National Park camp, otherwise, I'm sure there would be a refrigerator too!
Our hiking activity was 4 days and 3 nights long. Because it was the rainy season in late autumn, it rained almost every day. When we return to the yurts exhausted, the flaming stove is raised, and the friends drink, chat and eat sunflower seeds with great enthusiasm. It was really warm inside the yurt. It seemed like the cold was very far away.
In such a comfortable environment, with exhausting long walks during the day, I thought I would get a good night's sleep. However, the sleep disorder still exists every time I camp. Maybe the sparse raindrops are too loud, maybe my brain is too excited to calm down, or maybe I'm reluctant to fall asleep on such a night...
This Glamping experience was perfect, especially when going out in the middle of the night. Stepping outside, the Milky Way suddenly comes into view like a fairyland! This is the second time I can remember seeing the Milky Way so clearly. The first time was at Namtso Lake in Tibet many years ago.
You must be asking: How to book a Glamping trip? How's the price? For more detailed information, please visit the official website of National Parks of Canada.
Just like booking other camps, they are all ordered on the park's official website, but if you want to book, you must plan ahead and you also have to be lucky. There is more demand than supply!
So... are you looking forward to trying?
Start planning now!
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