Have you ever wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of your normal life? To try something new, but still, have a great time while doing it? If so, then renting a yurt might be just for you.
A yurt is a hybrid between a tent and a prefabricated house. When you go yurt camping, you’ll have more room and flexibility to make your stay as comfortable as possible. They’re larger than tents and come with additional features.
Yurts are easily available in many places around the world and can provide a perfect place for families or groups to stay during their vacation. They offer plenty of space inside with couches, tables, beds (or futons), closets – even kitchens! And they’re easy on the wallet too.
The most appealing aspect of yurt camping is that it gives you immediate access to the natural environment. Many yurt rentals provide snowshoeing, trekking, mountain biking on fat tires, snowshoeing, and other adventurous outdoor activities as part of the package.
Yurts may be found in a variety of sizes, ranging from tiny single-room yurts to huge multilevel yurts that can accommodate up to 15 people.
A yurt can take anywhere between half an hour to three hours to set up. This depends on the size of the yurt and the number of people helping. Most modern portable yurts can be erected or broken down in around an hour.
Some Key Things To Research Before Choosing A Yurt Renting Company
Weather: For cold weather conditions, bring extra layers of clothes, bedding, and potentially a portable heater if the yurt doesn’t have one. Be sure to check with the renting company if heaters are allowed, and if the provided power will be enough to operate an electric heater. In the summer or hot weather, bring a fan (battery-powered fans are recommended if electricity is not available in the yurt), a swimsuit, and towels if near a lake, river, or beach. If the forecast predicts rain, be sure to bring a raincoat, an umbrella or canopy, and maybe extra towels to dry things off as needed.
- Cooking and camping: What camping and food prep materials are provided? Some yurts have a camp stove, dishes, utensils, and other camping gear such as chairs. Make sure there’s enough for your group (even if they provide camp chairs and dishes, it may only be for two to four people).
- Activities: What activities or attractions are available nearby? Look up things to do when you’re there, so you have a good list of indoor and outdoor activities planned.
- Campfires: Are campfires allowed? With a lot of the county in drought or under wildfire watch, there may be restrictions, and you don’t want the kiddos to be excited about having s’mores over an open flame if campfires are restricted. Sometimes, you are allowed to have fires in designated campground fire rings or use portable gas stoves.
What to Pack When Staying in a Yurt?
For people considering staying in a yurt vacation rental, the packing list will depend on the level of accommodations offered by the renting company. For instance, during the colder months, some yurt rentals come with additional amenities, such as fireplaces and gas stoves.
Make sure to inquire about any equipment you may not have brought along to your rental before agreeing to anything. If not readily available on their website or rental listing, we encourage you to contact them for a recommended list of items to bring so your stay is more enjoyable!
This is how a general yurt packing List looks likes;
- Sleeping bags, blankets, linens, pillows, or other bedding
- Food and water (some yurt rentals have drinking water)
- Wipes and other hygiene materials
- Sunscreen
- Clothes (pack appropriately for the weather)
- Cots, mattress pads for camping, camping chairs, folding table, and other furniture if not provided
- Fuel, gas, or firewood
- Headlamp, flashlights, or camping lantern
- Board games, puzzles, playing cards
- Fitted sheets for the bunk beds (twin size for the top bunks, queen for the bottom for the yurt we stayed in)
- A little over-the-door hook. This is the type of hook that fits over the top of an interior door that you would usually use on a bathroom door to hang a towel or a bathrobe. These almost always fit perfectly over the rails of a bunk bed and are great for hanging jackets or towels.
- Download movies onto an iPad so you can have a yurt movie night. We found we were pretty exhausted from all of our hiking and dune-climbing so we had a pretty fun little yurt movie night one night. Not exactly what you think of doing when you’re camping, but a fun thing to do on a chilly night!
- An umbrella for the deck. If you’re renting a yurt in the summer and your yurt has a nice big deck as ours did, bring along an umbrella so you can take full advantage of it! Most of the yurts that we’ve seen aren’t built in really heavily-treed areas so they can be really exposed to the sun on hot days.
Have you ever stayed in a yurt before? What do you bring/do differently than with a tent?
How Much Does It Cost To Rent A Yurt?
The cost of renting out a basic yurt in the UK per night is £8-£13.
A single yurt of this kind sleeps 8 people with 2 double beds and 1 bunk bed.
The other type is more along the lines of traditional Mongolian yurts with a wooden lattice of curved poles radiating from the centre of the yurt, and two layers of fabric. That type is more expensive at £15-£20 per night.
The price may vary depending on the time of year and proximity of the site to large cities.
Yurts are usually hired out by the night, but occasionally you will find somewhere that rents them out by the week. The price for this will vary from £30-£100 per person per night depending on location and time of year.
The price of renting out a yurt per night in the US is between $80 to $500. The price is based on size, season, type, location, comfort level.
Where To Rent a Yurt
Yurts are available for rent in various locations globally. To find your yurt, search Airbnb, websites for State and National Parks, and use the search terms ‘yurt’ and the state you’re looking for in Google. Be aware that many yurts book up well in advance so planning ahead is key.
A good place to start looking for yurts near you is http://www.yurtstay.com/where.html.
In the UK there is even an event called ‘Yurts-In-A-Field’, where they set up yurts at a festival!
Yurts are a great way to get out of your house, explore new adventures with friends or family, and have an all-around good time without having to spend too much money. Whether you don’t want to camp in a tent and prefer the great outdoors, or whether the weather is just too chilly, yurt camping could be the answer!