Camp Monk

A marketplace of campsites in India

For those who love the great outdoors, camping under the stars is the best experience. While it is easy finding good and safe camping grounds in many developed travel markets, in India the story is very different. Camping is still an emerging concept in India and few land owners are open to the idea of opening up their properties to campers. Bangalore-based travel startup Camp Monk is attempting to rectify this by offering a one-stop online destination that allows wannabe campers to identify and book safe and reliable camping sites.

The site covers a wide range of campsites, from private estates and farms to vineyards and nature reserves apart from public sites.

Look out for the campsites that fall under Camp Select. These are campsites handpicked by the company and offering high quality infrastructure and facilities. At such sites, travellers will get tents, sleeping bags, a camping mat and even pillows. There will be a designated camp fire area (better safety), a complimentary BBQ grill to use, clean restrooms with running water, a shared/common kitchen to cook in and a designated space with electricity and water connection for campervans or camper-SUVs. Additionally, such campsites offer planned experiences like hiking, sporting activities, live music or cultural experiences.

Even the campsites that do not fall in the ‘Select’ category offer a mix of experiences like boating, safaris, kayaking and farming. The site also showcases event or theme based packages like photography tour packages that are organised in partnership with specif campsites.

What’s more, Camp Monk focuses on preservation of land and a zero impact model.

Price: Rs 3,000 (average nightly rate)

Read more: https://campmonk.com/

Slow Travel

Camp Monk empowers landowners to host campers and provide them with local food, culture and nature experience. Through enabling people to get access to private lands, the outfit is creating a community of nature conscious campers and at the same time enabling rural entrepreneurs to create a sustainable income. As a part of its community efforts, Camp Monk actively executed over 50 cleanup (plogging) drives and seed planting initiatives in the South of India. A core belief at Camp Monk is the protection of nature, wildlife and rural development. Camp Monk, in its own way, is helping reduce stress and anxiety of modern life in cities by connecting city folk to the beauty of nature and camping. City kids, especially, hardly ever have a chance to explore nature and to help rectify this Camp Monk has a free policy for children under 6.