‘Glamping’ is back and more high-end than ever – with tents that cost US$5,000 a night

At one point in the mid-2010s, “glamping” became a four-letter word.

A sudden boom in upscale tented accommodation – which ultimately felt neither glamorous nor like camping – saw the trend go from boom to bust as quickly as spaghetti doughnuts and ramen burgers.

But now glamping is back, and the glamour factor is through the canvas roof.

Everywhere from Luang Prabang to New South Wales, Tulum to Costa Rica – and even in the heart of New York City – hoteliers are ditching bricks and mortar walls and ceilings for safari-style tents, many with free-standing bath tubs, fireplaces, wood floors and outdoor dual-head rain showers. The concept has become so high-end, “glamping” no longer does it justice.

For travellers, the experience offers novelty, digital disconnection, and access to experiences that are at once authentic and Instagrammable (when you get back on Wi-fi). Think interacting with rescued elephants in northern Thailand at Four Seasons’ Golden Triangle tented camp or hot air ballooning over the Rocky Mountains from the Resort at Paws Up, in Montana.

“Kids love it – it’s great for multigenerational trips,” said Jack Ezon, president of Ovation holidays. “It’s a completely different experience.” He says clients come to him with tented properties on their bucket lists – or simply looking for something “different” and outdoorsy.

Just don’t expect these trips to come cheap.

“We’ve seen some of our tents going for US$5,000 a night,” said Luca Franco, founder and chief executive of Luxury Frontiers, a soup-to-nuts design firm and consultancy that specialises in ultra-high-end tented camps such as Abu Camp and Eagle Island Lodge, two iconic properties in Botswana.