It’s been a week full of bad news so we thought we’d lighten things up a bit by reminiscing about a couple of our favorite camping destinations.
We love camping and we love the beach, but it hasn’t been often that we’ve had the opportunity to camp right on the beach. There’s nothing better than having a campfire going right on a sandy beach and listening to the sound of waves as you fall asleep.
We camped on the beach on Ellis Beach in Australia, up along the Queensland Coast. The beach was gorgeous, quiet, and only a few feet from our tent! There were only a couple of other people camping at the time. Camping here was about $20 per night.
We also camped on a beach in Tayrona National Park, near Santa Marta in northern Colombia. This beach was a lot more crowded than the one we camped at in Australia, but still equally beautiful. For those willing to splurge, you could spend the night in a gazebo on this small peninsula, but we opted for a simple tent instead.
We stayed in a stylish camouflage tent near the beach. We were surrounded by other campers, including a few who apparently didn’t want to splurge for the $18 tent rental and slept on the open ground!
For more info
Check out the Tayrona National Park WikiTravel page and the Ellis Beach Wikipedia page for more information.
***
Enjoy this post? Follow Downtown Traveler on Twitter and Facebook.
![Great- now other passengers roll their eyes at YOU! I was the person who always groaned when a couple with a baby approached my row on an airplane. Sitting next […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Sleeping-baby-on-a-plane-36x36.jpg "How to take a baby on a plane: Tips for seat assignments, feeding and diaper change"){kind=small}
![Germs, crazy people and tons of stairs are just a few reasons I hesitated to take my newborn baby on the New York City subway. I’ve been more adventurous than […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Baby-on-NYC-Subway-1-36x36.jpg "How to take a baby on the New York City subway – tips for new moms"){kind=small}
![This review is written by Downtown Traveler contributor Claudia Oddo, a first-time visitor to Blackout Haunted House. In 2014, Blackout plays by new rules. Do not speak unless instructed to […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Claudia-blackout-36x36.jpg "Review: What to expect at Blackout Haunted House in New York City (Halloween 2014)"){kind=small}
![New Yorkers, get ready to face your fears. Now in its 11th season, Nightmare haunted house stays fresh by embracing a new theme each year. The 2014 haunt, New York, pays […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/nightmare-haunted-house-2-36x36.jpg "Experience NYC’s scary past at Nightmare haunted house (2014 review)"){kind=small}
![Got scythes? If you’ve always dreamed of wielding a massive sword, scythe, hammer or gun, then you need to get yourself to NY Comic Con. It’s a safe place to […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NY-COMIC-CON-WEAPON-LINX-36x36.jpg "22 Badass Cosplay Weapons from NY Comic Con 2014 (PHOTOS)"){kind=small}
![What kid doesn’t like dressing up for Halloween? The only thing better is dressing up on a random day, meeting up with tens of thousands of like-minded peers, and receiving […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NY-Comic-Con-Baby-Batman-36x36.jpg "23 Creative Kids Costumes from NY Comic Con 2014 (PHOTOS)"){kind=small}
![Think all the attendees of NY Comic Con look like “Comic Book Guy” from The Simpsons? Get with the program… this is 2014! The annual pop-culture convention at the Javits […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NY-Comic-Con-Womens-Costume-36x36.jpg "Top 10 Trends in Womens Costumes at NY Comic Con 2014 (PHOTOS)"){kind=small}
![Today’s post is written by Claudia Oddo, a New York City-based writer and editor of NewYorkerAbroad.com. This was her first time visiting a New York City haunted house. You haven’t […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/10608518_10203403847080894_3987049205411782236_o-36x36.jpg "Celebrating 10 Years of Terror: 5 Reasons to Visit NYC’s Blood Manor Haunted House"){kind=small}
![Our brush with a 12-foot gator in the Louisiana bayou There’s a reason swamp tours are a top attraction in Louisiana’s Cajun Country: alligators are dangerous, sexy and cool. Who […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Screen-Shot-2013-06-22-at-7.16.47-PM-36x36.png "PHOTOS: Alligator sighting! A kayak tour of the Lousiana bayou"){kind=small}
![Would you like a craft beer with your jambalaya? Cajun Country is not traditionally known for its craft beer, but locals clearly appreciate a fine brew. Karlos Knott, owner of […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Louisiana-Getaway-Cajun-Country-2-15-36x36.jpg "PHOTOS: Cajun Country brewery pairs craft beers with traditional Louisiana dishes"){kind=small}
![Really? A World War II museum? I was skeptical when a coworker told me I absolutely had to visit the National World War II Museum during my vacation in New […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_1443-36x36.jpg "PHOTOS: Art and History at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans"){kind=small}
![I never thought frog’s legs would be the highlight of my vacation. Cajun Country is well-known for its unique cuisine, from gumbo to crawfish etouffee. This fall I had the […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Cajun-Cuisine_Grilled-Alligator-36x36.jpg "Top 10 traditional Cajun Country foods- from alligator to cracklins"){kind=small}
![Local food is all the rage and one farm in Cajun Country has taken it to a new level. At family-run Belle Ecorce Farms, you can sample artisanal goat cheeses […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Louisiana-Getaway-Cajun-Country-6-3-36x36.jpg "Meet the goat behind your cheese at Belle Ecorce Farms – Cajun Country road trip"){kind=small}
![New York may host the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but New Orleans has something better: the Bayou Classic. This New Orleans Thanksgiving parade features lively bands, dancers and a seemingly […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/IMG_1226-36x36.jpg "PHOTOS: Beads and bands at the New Orleans Thanksgiving Parade"){kind=small}
![Jazz, fine dining and public drinking: the perfect getaway? Seven years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city, New Orleans is once again a bustling weekend getaway and bachelor(ette) party destination. […]](http://downtowntraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/IMG_0277-36x36.jpg "First Impressions of New Orleans: Bourbon Street (Photos)"){kind=small}
Camping on the beach is something I could totally handle! The waves, the warmth are no problem. If it gets ridiculously cold at night, I’ll look for the nearest hotel though…
I can handle camping in a cold night, but rain is a dealbreaker for me! It’s hard to camp when all of your gear is soaking wet 😉
LOVE the stylish camouflage tent near the beach.. very you;) !!!
Haha, thanks! It was a very cool tent. When we got married last year, we put camping supplies on our registry and now have a blue tent. In retrospect, we should have gone camo! lol
I have camped many times on sandbars on a river, but I have not camped along the ocean much. We camped on Cape Sable in Florida, which is the southern most tip of mainland Florida in the Everglades and that was awesome except for the sand flies. These look like some great locations.
Yeah the bugs can be a little annoying in the Everglades I bet! That was one of the nice things about these places, pretty bug free because of the breeze off the water.
I was just thinking about how I want to go camping on the beach this summer! We’ve camped a lot of places – even up on the mountainside on the coast of Spain, but never right on the beach. BTW I think I have the same bathing suit you’ve got on in the first pic, Leslie.
Hehe, we have the same taste in fashion 🙂 The outfit I’m wearing in this photo is almost 100% H+M… they basically outfitted my RTW trip! Their clothes are light-weight and inexpensive… perfect for the beach.
Camping. The Beach. Two good things. Why not put them together and make it even better. Staying in Tayrona Nat’l Park was one of the highlights of Colombia for me. Good memories. Would someday like to check out Ellis Beach.
Glad to bring back the memories! We spent two months road-tripping in Australia and camped throughout the Outback and Queensland coast. I’d highly recommend it! Our tent cost $30 at Kmart in Australia and it saved us a ton of money on hostels. Plus, there were many campsites close to the beach or in equally stunning locals (like right by crocodile-infested rivers). You’d love it!
Looks like a lot of fun! I’ve camped at the beach in Tahoe and Santa Cruz but I’ve never camped on the beach. Australia looks like a great place for doing this! However, I would love to find a beach that is quiet and empty to be able to do this!
I did have a private beach house right on the water in Hawaii in which the entire wall was a window looking out on the beach. That was really nice!
Wow that sounds nice in Hawaii…unfortunately most of the beaches we encountered didn’t allow camping right on them so we took advantage of the few opportunities we had.
Saw an article about camping along the East African coast recently. Can think of a couple of other places where this would really be a nice alternative. Will noodle on this….
Hi Tran, thanks for the comment! We’d highly recommend beach camping. It’s an amazing experience 🙂
I actually liked all of your lodging digs. Camping and the beach go hand in hand in my book. We camped a lot but have gotten away from it for some reason. I think it may be time to bring it back!
Thanks Debbie! We have some brand new camping gear that we have yet to use. Hope the warm weather comes soon so we can have a camping getaway 🙂
What great photo. Looks like paradise and Leslie sure looks relaxed! The one time we tried to camp on the beach we found ticks all over the blanket and slept in our funky VW van- what can I say? it was a long time ago. That kind of cured me.
Yikes! Try it again– camping on the beach is awesome. Just remember to check for ticks first, hehe 😉
I love camping on the beach except for the excessive amount of sand that makes it into the tent somehow. This is usually exasperated by my dogs who roll in the dunes first though. 😛
That’s the one drawback! We don’t have dogs, but a bit of sand makes it in the tent. A small price to pay for camping in paradise 😉
We camped on a beach in Hawaii once. Very memorable experience to be able to listen to the sound of the crashing waves.
Didn’t know that you could rent a tent and camp at Tayrona. Hmm…(note to self: look into this)
Yeah its either that or sleep on a hammock elbow to elbow in a crowded lean-to…i’ll take the tent!
Viva la Beach Camping! I imagine myself an old man stepping out onto the sand from my massive beach pavilion, cup of tea in my hand with the sun rising over the palms… ah, one can dream! My wife and I spent 45 days straight on the beach in Costa Rica and it was some of the best times of my life.
wow that sounds like a dream vacation in Costa Rica! where was it exactly? thats a place I’ve always wanted to go to.
Would you look at that! How fancy 🙂 One of my favourite thing is go to sleep while listning wave and wake up by sunshine and breeze. Camping on a beach, cool!
I might have to get a tent just like yours to be stylish!!
Hehe, you won’t need a wave soundtrack to get to sleep when you are camping next to the ocean! This tent cost $30 at an Australia Kmart. And isn’t it stylish? 😉
I’m not a big camper (seem to be allergic to the outdoors in general), but I’d love to try a night on the beach once!
I can’t believe there is camping so close to us- I will definitely check out the santa moncia place! FUn!
I love the sound of the water while camping on the beach. Such a peaceful way to go to sleep.
such a beautiful place! i shall visit it some days… =)