The Most Scenic Campsites in the World
A handful of campsites are destinations in themselves — the landscape does so much of the work that pitching a tent feels like the price of admission to a view most people only see in photographs. These are the ones worth planning a trip around.
Campamento Italiano, Torres del Paine, Chile
A free backcountry camp deep in the French Valley, ringed by hanging glaciers that calve through the night with the sound of distant thunder. The W trek brings you here, and the silence between the avalanches is the loudest thing about it.
Jumbo Rocks, Joshua Tree, USA
A campground set inside a maze of monzogranite boulders the size of houses, under one of the darkest skies in southern California. Sunset turns the rocks orange; the Milky Way is visible without effort.
Skogar Campground, Iceland
A flat green field at the foot of Skógafoss waterfall, with the South Coast glaciers behind you and the Atlantic in front. You fall asleep to the sound of 60 metres of falling water.
Gokyo, Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal
A teahouse and tented camp at 4,750 m beside a string of turquoise glacial lakes, with Cho Oyu rising at the head of the valley. Acclimatise properly; the view is the reward for the altitude.
Lysebotn, Norway
A small site at the head of the Lysefjord, walls rising a kilometre on either side, Kjeragbolten and Preikestolen both within a day's hike. The ferry in is part of the experience.
Wadi Rum, Jordan
Bedouin camps among the red sandstone monoliths Lawrence of Arabia made famous. The sky after dark is the point — no light pollution for hundreds of kilometres in any direction.
Lake Wakatipu freedom camps, New Zealand
The Kiwi DOC and freedom-camping sites along the Wakatipu and Glenorchy roads put you on a beach looking at the Remarkables. Cold, quiet, and as close to the Southern Alps as a vehicle will take you.
Sahale Glacier Camp, North Cascades, USA
Six tent platforms on a glacial moraine at 2,400 m, looking out over an endless ridge of unnamed peaks. A hard hike in, a permit lottery to get a spot, and one of the most earned views in the Lower 48.
Lofoten beach camps, Norway
Free or low-cost pitches on white-sand Arctic beaches at Uttakleiv, Haukland, and Kvalvika, with granite peaks dropping straight into the sea. In summer the sun never sets; in autumn the aurora replaces it.
Plitvice and Krka surrounds, Croatia
Sites around the Plitvice Lakes and Krka national parks put you within walking distance of turquoise terraced waterfalls that look retouched. Camp outside the park boundary; sleep cheaply, enter early, beat the buses.
What "scenic" actually costs
The best views usually mean one of three things: a long drive, a long walk, or a competitive permit. The truly iconic sites — Sahale, Italiano, popular Lofoten beaches in peak season — require planning weeks or months ahead and a willingness to carry your kit. Pay the price; the photographs do not lie.
See them on the map
Most of these are on the interactive map. Use it to anchor a trip around one anchor site rather than chasing several — these places reward staying two or three nights, not driving through.