What is the difference between a yurt and a safari tent?

Here’s our lowdown on what’s what…

Yurts
Once the shelter of choice for Nomads and historically built to withstand the long winters of Mongolia, traditional yurts are sweet circular canvas structures including wood/bamboo latticework and rafters and a delightful dome skylight (perfect for stargazing!). All are, of course, unique inside depending on the owner’s preferences and style, but ours include a wood-burner to ensure cosiness, a proper comfy bed and en suite facilities (housed in a super-cute adjoining ‘baby’ yurt). For something totally distant from their original roots, take a look at our cedar yurts.

Safari tents
Stemming from accommodation used on African safaris, safari tents are the kings of luxury camping, constructed with a framework of poles and canvas walls and roof (designed for the UK’s elements including insulation). Think super-sized camping tent but with all the facilities you could need inside – including a fully equipped kitchen, dining table, seating-area, proper beds (and bedrooms!), en suite facilities and not forgetting a wood-fired range, to keep you cosy in the cooler months and help you rustle up scrumptious suppers. 

Shepherd’s huts
As the name suggests, shepherd’s huts were originally simply used by shepherds whilst watching over their flocks of sheep and would typically have iron wheels and corrugated iron walls/roof. Nowadays, they couldn’t be further from the basic accommodation they used to be. Modern shepherd’s huts have it all – proper comfy beds, kitchens, en suite shower-rooms, heating, wood-burners – the list goes on and on! However, they still embrace their heritage with traditional features and charm, albeit to a larger scale (they really are surprisingly spacious!).

Cabins
Cabins are exactly what they say on the tin and come in all shapes and sizes – usually a wooden structure of some kind with everything you could need under one roof, not too dissimilar to what you would find in a shepherd’s hut. Each has its own unique charm and character. 

Airstreams
Dating back to the 1930s, the iconic and super-cool Airstream is a type of ‘caravan’ or ‘trailer’ easily recognised by the distinctive shape of its rounded and polished aluminium exterior. They are sleek, chic and retro with their classic mid-century style yet modern with their up-to-date comforts.

Pods
The sweeties pies of the glamping world, pods are circular structures that come in all sorts of sizes and configurations. Pods are ideal for those who fancy giving camping a go but without letting go of life’s luxuries – i.e. a kitchen, proper bed and bathroom facilities. 

Wagons
There are numerous different types of wagon – ranging from the traditional gypsy wagons, showman’s wagons and steam engine driver’s wagons to the more modern barrel-top wagons – all have the same concept, to provide comfortable accommodation on wheels, albeit in one permanent location, rather than travelling around as they did in yesteryears. 

Containers
Somewhere to go on holiday wouldn’t usually come to mind when you think of a shipping container, right? Well think again! Converted shipping containers make great glamping accommodation and, as they are a blank canvas to begin with, can be configurated in lots of different ways.