Wimberley By BONNIE EISSLER
T
he most unusual luxury camping experience in Texas, or possibly in the world, may be a stay at Yurtopia Wimberley. Six hilltop remote and three river bluff yurts are spread out over 26 acres of cedar and oak trees, hills and bluffs with limestone outcroppings, and the Blanco River, otherwise known as the natural beauty of the Texas Hill Country. Each of the hilltop yurts has a private deck area and amenities including a fire pit, stove, hot tub/plunge pool. These yurts offer total privacy, a sanctuary, an escape from the cares of the world. The river bluff section can be more of a group experience, with shared amenities like hot tubs and fire pits, and the opportunity to experience “river sitting,” basically just relaxing in the river. “You can’t be unhappy in the middle of a big beautiful river,” says American poet and novelist Jim Harrison, who may have had something like river sitting in mind when he wrote those words. Tracing the history of Yurtopia to find out why in the world there are Mongolian yurts on the Blanco takes us back in time more than a quarter century to Brian and Ann-Tyler Konradi’s honeymoon trip to Russia in 1994.
See YURTOPIA, Page 26
24 Welcome to Wimberley Fall/Winter 2021
