Kingsford Yurt Camp - a “Shangri-la” in South Frontenac

Aug 23, 2012

Photo:  Raphael Kerem inside one of the yurts

Raphael and Tanya Kerem are the owners of Radiance of the Ordinary in Burridge, a century-old cheese factory they have transformed into their showroom, workshop and home, and where they create one of kind handmade books, brooms, furniture and other unique items.

Recently they expanded their business by offering nature lovers a unique way to camp in South Frontenac. Over the last few years the couple have created Kingsford Yurt Camp on a 12-acre property they own that borders Frontenac Provincial Park. On it they have set up two Mongolian yurts - one made and shipped directly from Mongolia and the second, built in the Mongolian style but designed and built by Raphael, who spent time in Mongolia specifically to learn how to construct these unique dwellings. Yurts are the nomadic homes of over 1.25 million Mongolians today.

Visitors have described the Kingsford Yurt Camp as a kind of Shangri-la paradise, and for good reason. The camp offers visitors a uniquely peaceful and serene natural sanctuary. Located in a picturesque riverfront forest setting and surrounded by towering white pines, the camp offers visitors a chance to experience nature with the added comfort, serenity and exotic magic intrinsic in these unique Mongolian dwellings - something Raphael was hoping to achieve when he initially decided to set up the camp. “This style of camping is not of the rough and ready sort. It's much more comfortable and cozy, somewhere between camping and being at home - the difference being that you still feel that the outdoors is very close at hand. You can hear the rain on the roof and babbling of the brook while enjoying the comfort and peace that a yurt has to offer,” he said.

The yurt is a circular structure with a 19-foot diameter, which typically houses a family of five in Mongolia. It is comprised of five latticed walls connected above by 81 rafters that fan out from a central circular roof, which opens to the sky, letting in light and fresh air. In the winter months the yurt houses a central wood stove which is used to heat it. A small, beautifully painted wooden door provides the entrance way. Inside, three large authentic Mongolian sofas that double as beds, each beautifully painted in the colors and decorative motifs unique to Mongolia, can sleep four to five people comfortably. The yurt sits on an insulated wooden platform; the walls are also insulated and are made of felt and canvas, which give the interior space a certain quality of peace and repose unique to these nomadic dwellings.

Also located on site are two small cedar buildings, both designed and built by Raphael. One is for storage and is topped with a gold painted finial; the second, located up a gravel pathway and nestled in the trees is an outdoor privy. Other features of the camp include a hand-hewn white pine bench that sits by the creek's edge and a circular stone campfire ring where visitors can prepare food. Campers are also provided with all the drinking water and firewood they need for the extent of their stay.

Kerem shared comments from the yurt's guest book, in which many visitors have written that their stay at Kingsford Yurts was a memorable camping experience. From the outset Raphael said he was keen to provide a unique camping experience free of all our modern conveniences. So there is no electricity and campers are encouraged to come and experience nature and the beautiful structure of the yurt in an ideal natural setting devoid of all of the everyday distractions. He noted the effect the camp on those who visit. “Quite often campers will arrive here quite wound up. Later, when I see them when they leave, they are noticeably more calm, at ease and at peace and they say that that is something they take away with them.”

For those wishing to have a yurt of their very own Raphael also sells the yurts under a company business called Groovey Yurts. They cost roughly $10,000, which includes the yurt and its insulated platform. For more information contact Raphael or Tanya at 613-273-5693. Radiance of the Ordinary is located at 326 Burridge Road, north off of the Westport Road between Godfrey and Westport.