You’ve found yourself here at this moment, as many have, saying goodbye to the retreat of your dreams — rested and awestruck — as you walk back up the stairs to your luxury tent with a morning cup of coffee in hand. As you leave, you notice something lying atop the desk in the corner: a journal, leather-bound and jade-bejeweled, the edges frayed with the words “Dunya Camp” embossed at the top, and as you open it, the ink begins to take on the lives of the people who’ve written on its pages, expressing their gratitude for the transformative experience they’ve had there.
From a Huntsville, Ala. writer looking for that next bit of inspiration: “I will never forget the cool morning breeze as the birds sang and the cows moo’d in the valley or the misty mountains after a summer storm…you’ve cured my writer’s block,” to a Santa Monica, Calif. couple seeking peace on their adventure: “we have a great appreciation for the vision, dedication, and perseverance to dream [this place] into a reality to share with others. We rested well in the peace here and can now carry on,” it’s clear that many lives have been shaped by Dunya Camp’s exceptional, world-class glamping escape — one that feels as though it belongs in a foreign country but is delightfully nestled in the Northwest Georgia mountains and located within just a couple of hours of Atlanta, Nashville, and Huntsville in Summerville, Ga.
The proximity yet absence to convenience is most certainly oxymoronic, but it’s also kind of Dunya’s thing: togetherness in isolation and solitude in connectedness. With its sweeping, panoramic views and resort-quality amenities, this nature-centric luxury getaway enables you to worry for nothing while dreaming of everything.
Safari Style and Royal Serenity
As you arrive at Dunya Camp and open the sliding glass doors of your safari-style tent, you quickly realize why it commonly ranks as one of Georgia’s most romantic retreats, especially during this time of year. “Winter is the best time to come to Dunya Camp,” says Sangeetha Ramkumar, co-owner and founder of Dunya Camp, and you can see why.
A wood-burning fireplace warms the space, while a velvet couch and four-poster king-sized bed with butter-smooth linens beckon you. An outdoor fire-pit is ready for you to roast marshmallows and sit by to enjoy a steaming hot cup of cocoa or a glass of red wine. Turkish waffle robes hang from their prospective posts, and an en-suite shower and soaking tub look out to the North Georgia mountains. Because that’s what makes Dunya so special: the ability to open it up, allowing patrons to experience 360° views both outside and inside the tent.
The inspiration for a glamping retreat came to Ramkumar on a camping trip during the pandemic. With her background in the luxury hotel industry, camping “has never really been my thing,” she laughs, but her husband, an avid camper, was in his element. “I think that was kind of the genesis of the idea: a combination of both worlds.”
The Ramkumars created Dunya Camp as a result, whose architectural foundation pays homage to their culture’s history of elaborate royal tents, spanning thousands of years. “War tents, hunting tents … the king wasn’t just going to camp it on the ground, right?” So, in staying here, guests can feel like they’re far removed from the trenches, like a little piece of Persian royalty, but, says Ramkumar, still very much rooted in the everyday. “We didn’t want it to be so over the top that it was ostentatious.”
From the exterior to the interior – the linens, tapestries, rugs, and textiles – the cultural intentionality is palpable. Persian, Indian, British, and South African elements can be gleaned here. Very much intentional, reflects Ramkumur, without trying to get into too much of a history lesson. “A lot of the design elements that you see, like these patterns,” she says, pointing to the fanning textile gracing the draped ceiling above, “you’re going to find variations of them everywhere.”
“It’s a traditional Persian pattern,” she informs, “but I know it as an Indian pattern, and I’m sure if you went to a textile shop in England, you’re going to think it’s a British pattern.”
As she fawns over the nuances in the fabric, you can see it’s not just the pattern she’s talking about. It’s part of what they aim to do at Dunya Camp: reminding everyone of their unique place in the world. That people from all walks of life and with completely different perspectives have the opportunity to become unified through the tranquil experience Dunya camp offers.
“It’s all connected, you see? It’s everyone’s now,” smiles Ramkumar.
Back to Nature
Dunya Camp offers what many resorts do not: a true escape. With no televisions, minimal cell service, and the nearest town a nearly 20-minute drive away, guests are encouraged to decompress and detach from what they’re used to.
“It presents itself as a challenge to many,” says Ramkumar. To rest in boredom, embrace the silence, deny ourselves access to constant cortisol-inducing stimulation, and give in to that crazy-confusing “what now?” feeling when there’s little expected of you and no one to please. It reminds you to be human.
“That’s what this place forces you to do,” Ramkumar says. “To let go.”
Dunya Camp is a true oasis, one with plenty of uniquely curated experiences offered on-site so that you never feel like you have to leave, providing guests with that genuine resort experience. With add-ons ranging from a three- to four-course meals provided by a personal chef, and an in-tent massage offered by a professional masseuse, to private yoga sessions and sauna aromatherapy, “everything comes to you,” says Ramkumar, “which really does offer people the escape they’re looking for.”
What makes Dunya Camp stand out from the rest is guests’ ability to fully immerse themselves in nature. Taking a dip in the hot tub surrounded by flowers, swinging on the hammock atop the patio that expands towards the treetops, and relaxing in the outdoor shower – truly as magical of an experience as you’d expect it to be – as you hear only the hum of frogs and the chirps of crickets, the cicadas and the katydids; the only light to guide you the stardust from above and the warm glow of twinkling lanterns nearby.
“I think nature and beauty can be so transforming,” says Ramkumar. And that’s what she hopes people take away from their experience here. “When they go back, I want them to feel like everything’s going to be okay, like there’s no such thing as an unsolvable problem. I hope their time here … whether they’re here with another or by themselves, is a healing time.”
“Dunya,” says Ramkumar, “means ‘the world.’” The double entendre here is exceptionally poetic, as, quite literally, “dunya” translates to “world” in Arabic, but it really does mean the world: to her, her husband, and people from all over seeking revitalization and freedom. The world is who they’ve opened Dunya Camp for, and it’s what Dunya Camp offers its guests. That’s been made abundantly clear by the impact that it’s had on the people whose words of thanks and stories of gratitude grace the pages of Sunset Tent #5’s journal.
And you leave a note in the journal now, too, as a once-tired mom, teacher, and writer celebrating her 8th anniversary, coming to write an article but leaving with so much more – a rejuvenated spirit and refreshed soul: “As my husband and I go home now to our 19-month old, back to our everyday responsibilities and busy schedules, we will look back at our time here fondly — grateful for the time to just…be. Our own. Ourselves. Together.”
Learn more about how to reserve your magical stay at Dunya Camp by visiting dunyacamp.com/booking
