Treehouse holidays are a unique way to experience nature and observe its wild wonders. Lodges built in the canopies of forest trees allow guests a spectacular view of the landscape and a brilliant vantage point for bird watching. From the treetops, you are granted an eagle-eye view of the wildlife below, to watch herds of elephants or to come face-to-face with a giraffe. Open-air lodges allow you to spend a romantic night under a blanket of stars, and to wake up with the first rays of sunshine touching your skin.

Luxury Treehouse Holidays

With the growing popularity of treehouse holidays, many national parks and game reserves have now built lodges in the trees. Several luxury tree house holidays include:

• Teniqua Treetops is a tented treehouse resort along the Garden Route. The lodges have been built in the forest on the hills of the Outeniqua mountain range, and are as eco-friendly as possible. The high platforms are self-catered, with tented bedrooms, fully-equipped kitchens, and luxury bathrooms. The resort is family friendly with a range of fun activities for kids, including a jungle gym, trampoline, swimming pools, and a family games room. Go swimming in the Karatara River; have a picnic on the riverbanks; and hike through the beautiful forest.

• Jaci’s Tree Lodge is in the Madikwe Game Reserve of north-west South Africa. This is one of the premier treehouse holidays, where you can safari by day and stargaze by night! There are eight luxury treehouses, high above the ground overlooking the Marico River, and connected by wooden walkways between the trees. Each lodge has a king-sized bed; a stone bath and outdoor shower; air-conditioning and heating; and a balcony from which to watch the wild animals stop to drink from the river. With all of the Big Five – elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, and leopard – and more than sixty mammal species, Madikwe is a spectacular safari site for adventurers and relaxing getaways alike.

• Lion Sands Treehouses have a selection of singular treetop lodges. Kingston Treehouse is within the Sabi Sand Game Reserve in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga near the Kruger National Park. Designed from wood and glass with a contemporary style, the treehouse is surrounded by bush and large boulders. Neither the Kingston nor Chalkley Treehouse has electricity, and guests spending the night are secluded in this deeply romantic setting under the stars. Renowned for its frequent leopard sightings, the treehouse holidays at Sabi Sands offer an unparalleled view of the wild animals that roam the area, and at night you can hear the sounds of the bush come alive. The Lion Sands Tinyeleti Treehouse is in the Kruger National Park overlooking the Sabie River. Meaning ‘many stars,’ the night sky is a wonder to behold from the luxurious comforts of the canopy bed, but it is the cluster of hippos and other animals that stop to drink from the Sabie River that will truly transform your experience.

People who have experienced the beauty of treehouse holidays rave about the joy of being so close to nature. Children get to live out their dreams of living in the Faraway Tree, and adults get to relax in the most tranquil of all spaces. Treehouse holidays have the ability to take a great safari, and turn it into an otherworldly one.