Luxury desert camps

6 INDEPENDENT TRAVELLER
SATURDAY 22 JANUARY 2011 THE INDEPENDENT
The big six
Luxury
desert
camps
BY RHIANNON BATTEN
Desert Nights
Camp Oman
Though it’s only a two-hour drive
from Muscat, Desert Nights Camp
feels like a completely different
world to the Omani capital. Set
in an oasis in the Wahiba Sands,
the 30 Bedouin-style tents here
are as comfortable as they are
remote, with double and familysized tented suites that come
complete with bathrooms,
electricity and minibars. In a nice
nod to the location, guests are
given fresh dates and Arabic
coffee on arrival.
Desert Nights Camp, Al Wasil,
Oman (00 968 92 81 83 88;
desertnightscamp.com). Double tents
start at 93 rials (£156), half board.
Kerdan Camp
Egypt
Three Camel Lodge
Mongolia
Kerdan is the latest opening
from Desert in Style, which specialises in remote but luxurious
fixed camps in the Egyptian
Sahara. It is set within the
“White Desert” national park,
close to spectacular rock formations and “white mushrooms”,
huge fungi-shaped geological
formations carved by wind and
sand. Named after the traditional necklaces worn by
Bedouin women, the camp’s
12 tents each come with a small
terrace and guests also have use
of private bathroom facilities.
Kerdan Camp, between Baharia and
Farafra, Egypt (00 20 2 2419 3451;
desertinstyle-egypt.com). Doubles
start at US$100 (£65), half board.
Guests at this stylish Gobi Desert
lodge stay in one of 20 ger tents,
each with a wood stove, handpainted beds, artisan-made furnishings and a private bathroom
(freebies include locally
produced toiletries and camelmilk moisturiser).
Three Camel Lodge, South Gobi,
Mongolia (00 976 11 313 396; threecamellodge.com). Doubles start at
US$160 (£103), full board.
Wilderness Camp
India
Wadi Rum Private
Camp Jordan
This camp is designed for travellers who seek more solitude
than is usually found in the
campsites around Wadi Rum –
and who can afford to pay for
the privilege. It is a moveable
camp, set up to suit the day’s
conditions within the
sandstone valley. Guests
arrive in time for sunset over
the red sand and rocks, and an
authentic Bedouin dinner is
eaten under the stars.
The tailor-made travel specialist
Scott Dunn (020-8682 5075;
scottdunn.com) sells one-week
packages to Jordan, including one
night at the Wadi Rum Private
Camp. Prices start at £2,175 per
person, including flights, transport
and half-board accommodation.
An offshoot of Rajasthan’s lovely
Rohet Garh hotel, this desert
camp is equally magical. Guests
can expect six richly decorated
tents overlooking the desertscape and star-gazing at night.
Wilderness Camp, Rohet, Rajasthan,
India (00 91 29 36 268 231; rohetgarh.com/wilderness.htm). Tents for
two start at Rs11,000 (£157), including
all meals and standard transfers.
Sahara Safari
Camp Morocco
Specialist Morocco offers this new
luxurious safari-style camp, seven
hours’ drive from Marrakech, or
five from Ouazazarte. It has eight
private sleeping tents and shower/
bio-loo tents, solar-powered
lanterns and a large salon.
Sahara Safari Camp, Mhamid, Morocco
(020-7193 2461; saharasafaricamp.
com). Tents sleeping two start at
£120, full-board, including guided
walks and a half-day camel trek.