Roughing it in comfort

The Geladan prairie's fixed-glamping site opened in May 2013. [Photos by Huang Jianguo/For China Daily]

'Glamping' is catching on among well-heeled Chinese travelers.

It's rustic but not rugged. And that's the way they like it. A growing number of wealthy Chinese are "roughing it" the cushiest way imaginable, discovering wild places in exotic locations on luxury camping trips.

And they're willing to pay top dollar to go "glamping" - a portmanteau of "glamour" and "camping" - to relish the best of nature while avoiding its worst.

Lan Jun, 33, and his wife Deng Qiaoting, 28, spent more than 7,000 yuan ($1,119) a night on a luxury campsite during their trip to the Geladan prairie outside Yunnan's Lijiang city in August 2013. They stayed two nights.

The couple from Guangdong province's Foshan city enjoyed the excursion so much that it inspired them to also glamp in Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve last Spring Festival.

Geladan prairie's "tent hotel" is 3,600 meters above sea level. Visitors stay in tents ranging from 50 to 80 square meters. Each contains a table, beds and washrooms.

"My wife and I wanted to immerse ourselves in the mountain landscapes, breathe the fresh air and see how local people live, such as herding sheep as their livelihood," Lan says.

"We relished the alpine scenery. And my skin felt smooth after I bathed in the mountain spring."

The couple stayed in the largest tent.

"It was heated so we were warm during the cold nights."

Yet not everything about the trip is comfortable.

The glampsite is far from the beaten path - literally. There aren't real roads leading to the mountaintop. It can only be reached by SUV.

It takes three and a half hours to drive from Lijiang Sanyi Airport to the foot of the mountain and another hour and a half to reach the apex.