Forget Camping, Come Glamping!

If you’ve read about how you shouldn’t wait to undertake the Salkantay Trek — but the thought of losing your way among streams of tents after a midnight mission to the bathroom, or struggling to stuff your sleeping bag into its pack in the frozen morning air are fast putting you off the whole idea — then let Peru Ecocamp be your dome away from home in the Andes.

Without losing sight of the traditions of camping, it’s undeniable that Peru Ecocamp has modified them in the name of comfort and convenience. The essence of glamping is the geodesic dome — the very embodiment of the modern fusion between glamour and camping. With their substantial 300-square-foot size and simple-yet-classic interior, the domes are both incredibly sleek and futuristic while comfortably blending into the surrounding environment.

Harkening back to old days of camping, there is an outdoor fire pit at the top of the camp to socialize with other campers and take in the wonders of the Andean sky by night. Yet each dome also features its own wood-burning stove to keep you toasty all night long.

The domes also include modern conveniences like electric plugs. So if you’re on a five-day trek, then worry no more about packing ludicrously heavy portable chargers which weigh significantly into your luggage allowance. Furthermore, the camp electricity is solar-powered, meaning you can charge your camera battery while resting easy about your impact on the local environment.

Peru Ecocamp makes every decision with the environment as its priority. Along with solar-powered energy, all bathroom and cleaning products used in the camp are organic non-detergents, which means that waste water can go back into the ground and organic waste is passed through a bio-digester to be used as compost. They also use natural water sources, which are filtered and purified to ensure the Andean liquid is safe to drink. This also reduces the need of plastic bottles and ultimately cuts down camp waste.

In a bid to become ever more self-sustainable, the camps are constantly adding to their flourishing, organic vegetable gardens. This includes several variety of potato — which means they can serve you delicious potato chips dug from the ground only an hour before. Although considering that Peru has some 4,000 different types of potato, they still have some planting to do.

The food prepared by Peru Ecocamp is another example of the balance between classic and contemporary. Locally sourced meals range from traditional and wholesome quinoa soup to an elegant twist on causa — the Peruvian potato-based dish. The excellent camp chefs strive to satisfy each hungry adventurer with striking and delicious dishes.

And unlike in the cold nights of other camping trips, you need not worry about the preparation, serving or clearing, as it’s all taken care of by the helpful staff. Likewise, the previously unbearable early morning wake-ups are a thing of the past. In true modern glamping style, you can wake-up to a hot shower and stroll across luscious grass to the dining dome to be greeted with a variety of teas and local coffee.

Breakfast caters for everyone, with local fruits, cereal and yogurt, as well as a choice of fresh juice, bread with home-made jams and eggs cooked whichever way you like them.