Glamping Tents Compared: Bell Tent, Safari, Yurt and Dome

There are four main types of glamping tents: bell tents, safari tents, yurts and geo domes. Bell tents are the cheapest and quickest to put up. Safari tents give you a lodge feel on a deck. Yurts and geo domes are built to stay up all year, with insulation, glass windows and a door that locks. For short events, hire bell tents. For guest accommodation that earns for years, a yurt or a dome is the better buy.

Glamping tents at a glance

What type of tent is best for glamping?

It depends on how long the tent has to stay up and who's paying to sleep in it. A bell tent suits a weekend. A yurt or a dome suits years of paying guests, because both are insulated, have hard doors and glass, and hold up to wind and rain season after season.

Here's how each one stacks up.

Bell tents

A bell tent is a round canvas tent on a single centre pole, with short walls and guy ropes all the way round. They look lovely, and two people can have one up in a couple of hours. That's why event hire companies love them. If you want to test glamping on your property for one summer, a few bell tents is a low-risk way to start.

The trouble starts when the weather turns. Canvas doesn't insulate much, so a bell tent bakes in the afternoon and goes cold overnight. Pack it away damp and it goes mouldy. There's no glass window and no lockable door. Fine for a festival. A harder sell to guests paying a nightly rate in a Denmark winter.

Safari tents

Safari tents are the big square canvas tents you see at upmarket bush camps. The canvas goes over a frame, the whole thing usually sits on a raised timber deck, and plenty of them have a bathroom built in at the back.

They cost more to set up than people expect. By the time you've built the deck, frame and bathroom, the tent is often the smallest part of the bill. The walls are still canvas, and a square shape catches more wind than a round one.

Yurts

Yurts come from the nomadic families of Central Asia, and the basic design hasn't changed in a very long time: a round lattice wall, rafters running up to a central crown, and a cover over the top. The round shape spreads wind load evenly around the whole structure. It's a big part of why yurts have lasted in harsh climates.

ORON is our flagship yurt and the one we recommend for glamping. Compared with a conventional yurt, it's stronger, more comfortable and better looking:

• A timber frame that's 60% heavier, with thicker roof rafters running to a central compression ring
• Hardwood doors and windows, with a choice of door styles and a full-height opening window as standard
• Natural wool felt insulation, with a double layer or reflective air-cell option ($750 each) for cold or hot sites
• A tough matte exterior in Bushland, Sand Dune, Red Ochre, Riverstone or Deepwater, so it sits back into the landscape instead of looking like plastic
• An acrylic dome skylight in the crown, clear or tinted

Want a big view? Curved fixed glass panels (about 1600mm wide, full height) are $1,250 each and can be joined for a panoramic wall.

ORON prices (AUD ex GST, as at October 2026)

Shipping to your nearest major port is included. Final delivery to your site is extra, or you can collect from the port warehouse.

Geo domes

A geo dome is a frame of triangles that adds up to a sphere. It's one of the strongest lightweight shapes you can build, and on our domes the frame is hot-dip galvanised steel in black or white.

What sells a dome to guests is the view. A clear panoramic section lets people lie in bed and watch the stars. We made that section removable, because clear PVC can discolour after a few years and it's far cheaper to swap one panel than a whole cover.

Every Geo Dome comes with:

• A double-coated PVC outer cover, waterproof and UV resistant
• An insulated lining backed with aluminium air-cell insulation
• A double-glazed front door with frosted glass
• Two opening porthole windows with insect screens
• A solar ventilation fan that needs no mains power
• A smart keypad lock, handy for guest check-in

A full double-glazed glass front is a paid option, priced on quotation.

Geo Dome prices (AUD ex GST, as at October 2026)

Yurt or dome for glamping?

Both work well. A yurt has a warmer timber feel and lays out like a little home. A dome looks more modern, photographs beautifully at night and is often quicker to clean between guests. Most of our clients choose on looks and on how the space will be used. Leaning towards a dome? See what each Geo Dome diameter fits for a guest stay.

What about teepees and inflatable tents?

Teepees are tall cone-shaped canvas tents with great airflow, popular for group stays and events. Inflatable air tents are quick to pitch and fun for camping. Like bell tents, both suit short stays and fair weather far better than year-round paid accommodation.

How much does a glamping tent cost?

A canvas bell tent costs anywhere from a few hundred dollars for a basic one to several thousand for a premium one. Permanent glamping tents cost a lot more. Our ORON yurts run from $14,350 to $32,090 and our Geo Domes from $14,490 to $26,490, AUD ex GST as at October 2026.

The kit is only part of the budget. The platform, delivery to site, flooring, furniture, power, water and finishing all sit on top of the kit price. The deck is usually the biggest extra, and we supply decking plans for every size. Our yurt cost guide breaks it all down.

Setup cost and payback: a real example

Stu's 6m Geo Dome glamping build in Victoria cost $41,350 all in (2025 prices), including the dome, fireplace, decking and fit-out, and it lists from $300 a night. Bell and safari tents cost less up front but need replacing far sooner. Run your own numbers with our Airbnb glamping ROI guide or read Stu's build story.

How to choose the right glamping tent

How long does it need to stay up?

A weekend event calls for a bell tent. Years of bookings call for a yurt or a dome. Our yurt and dome outer covers usually last around 7 years before replacement, with replacement covers starting from around $3,000 delivered, depending on size. Frames, doors and windows last longer with proper care.

What's the weather like on your site?

Our yurts and domes have handled winds of around 120 km/h, though that's not an official rating. They aren't suited to cyclone-prone areas in cyclone season. Cold site? Add the double insulation. Hot one? The reflective air-cell layer and a tinted skylight help a lot.

What will guests remember?

Guests book what they can picture. A timber crown and a wood heater, or a bed under the stars. Pick the one that suits your land and the story you want your listing to tell.

Get the platform right

Every yurt and dome needs a level, solid platform the same diameter as the structure. Not a little bigger. The outer cover hangs over the edge of the circle, and that's what sheds water away from the floor.

Want a deck around the yurt for guests to sit out on? Then the yurt circle has to be separate from it or raised above it. On a big square deck, build a raised circle on top. Otherwise build the yurt circle first and leave a 10 to 20mm gap to the surrounding deck, or step it down. Our yurt platform guide walks through it.

Before you buy

Rules for glamping structures vary, so check with your local council before you order. Our FAQ covers the questions we get asked most.