Off The Rock

Many of us are used to spending a night or two under canvas whether it’s as a child at Rue Mainguy, a twentysomething at Glastonbury or as a family in Herm but this month’s Off The Rock looks at a trio of ‘camping’ options that are a little more out of the ordinary. All three are a lot more comfortable than a sleeping bag even if it is on the obligatory semi-inflated Li-Lo!

  
Longitude 131°,
Ayers Rock, Australia

Longitude 131° provides a luxury experience in the Australian Outback with the added bonus that its 15 luxury tents with their floor to ceiling windows all provide an uninterrupted view of the country’s star attraction, Uluru (the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock), that is simply without parallel.

Each elevated tent is unique and pays homage to an early Australian explorer but unlike these early pioneers, guests will revel in sublime comfort. Even the flick of a bedside switch raises the blinds and reveals your very own picture postcard and the spectacular moods of Uluru at sunrise.

With every mod-con they could wish for, guests may want to spend all day in their tent, but an inclusive programme of experiences and tours is laid on to tempt them out. In the day, guests will venture out in small groups to get up close and personal to Uluru and Kata Tjuta and also spend time learning the ancient cultures of the locals. The evening also offers experiences to last a lifetime. Dinner under a glittering canopy of stars is the perfect way to end a day of discovery.

All-inclusive two-night stays at Longitude 131° are not cheap but are worth every penny and would certainly provide the stand-out highlight to any Oz itinerary.

www.longitude131.com.au		 Governors’ Camps,
Masai Mara, Kenya

There are two Governors’ Camps by the Mara River in the Masai Mara. The main camp has 37 tents that face the riverbank and enjoys magnificent views of the winding river and the sweeping African plains. Little Governors’ Camp, near a large watering hole, has 17 tents.

Created in 1972 on a site once reserved for Kenya’s colonial Governors, the camps set new standards in luxury for a tented camp. Today it is still arguably Africa’s best. The tents are large and all have en-suite bathrooms with hot and cold water and flushing toilets.

Propelled into the spotlight when it was the location for the BBC’s Big Cat Diaries, the Masai Mara Governors’ Camps provide natural drama all year
round. But July until October is the best time to visit when the savannah teems with animals during the Great Wildebeest Migration. More than one million wildebeest take part!

Twice-daily 4WD game drives, walking safaris and animal-spotting from hot-air balloon rides are all ways to see the animals but it is also possible from the comfort of the camp itself as animals congregate in the river and waterhole.

Visits to Masai villages and schools are also on offer to guests.

www.governorscamp.com		 Banyan Tree,
Madivaru, Maldives

Banyan Tree Madivaru is an exclusive cluster of tented villas. Exclusive? There are only six of them! Each villa comprises three interlinked tents that are distinctively equipped for living, sleeping and bathing. Interior furnishings exude a warm and tropical, desert island ambience, replete with timber flooring, rattan and teak furniture, handcrafted wooden and canvas accents, and luxurious ceiling canopies.

‘Island Hosts’ attend to your every whim around the clock. Guests want for nothing. Meals are served in your villa, on a sandbank, on board a boat or, if you prefer, in the restaurant.

So what is there to do? Each villa boasts its own pool and each villa’s spacious bath tent features a pair of spa beds for the ultimate indulgence of side-by-side, in-villa treatments that include signature Banyan Tree Spa massages and facials. Away from your tented villa, you can lounge on the pristine white, sandy beaches; snorkel in the warm, shallow lagoon, dive with a guide; take a boat game fishing or to swim alongside the dolphins and rays.

Set upon the North Ari Atoll, Banyan Tree Madivaru’s all-inclusive offering is just 30 minutes by seaplane from Malé International Airport but a world away from any other holiday you would have ever enjoyed under canvas. Luxury does come at a price and if you do need to ask the cost, you probably cannot afford it.

www.banyantree.com


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