You can now stay the night in a Mongolian yurt near Toronto

A new camping experience at a farm near Toronto offers a getaway in a Mongolian-style yurt.

The Chanterelle Farm, located in Orangeville, about an hour drive from Toronto, started offering the yurt for short-term rentals this summer, said Philippe Leclerc who is renting the 70-acre farm and running the short-term rental business.

Leclerc told blogTO the yurt was there when he started renting the farm about a year ago — it may have been built by a previous farm renter — but he fixed it up for short-term rentals.

The yurt at The Chanterelle Farm is private and away from the main farm.

A yurt is a traditional, circular home used in Mongolia for thousands of years but has since become a popular glamping alternative.

The yurt at Chanterelle was not well-built and water was getting inside.

"I re-did the floor with wood from the farm," Leclerc said. “We changed the cover.”

The floor inside the yurt was recently re-done.

Since he put the yurt on Airbnb, it has been popular.

"Usually there are people every night," he said.

The yurt is tucked away on a patch of land, which is very private.

"People are looking for that this year."

There are nearby hiking opportunities and "stunning scenery."

There are ducks, pigs and chickens on the farm.

While it is located on a beautiful farm, those looking to stay shouldn’t expect anything too fancy. The yurt is off-grid – it is heated with a wood stove and is "pretty warm."

But perhaps more challenging is the cold water sink and lack of a shower. Visitors "can wash up at the pond."

There is a fire pit outside to cook on.

The yurt is heated with a wood stove.

If the yurt is booked, the farm also has a Sheppard Hut perched on a hill with views of the surrounding countryside.

A Sheppard Hut is also available for short-term rental.

Leclerc produces maple syrup and apple cider on the farm. He trains a horse for racing, is a farrier and blacksmith. He keeps pigs, ducks and chickens but not for meat.

If a yurt or Sheppard Hut is not for you. Leclerc said his next project is a Tipi.

“I try to build stuff that is not expensive and different,” he said.

by Karen Longwell via blogTO