Timber! 10 of the best treehouses around the world

From the Arctic forests of Sweden to the rainforest of Peru, these treetop cabins around the globe offer a unique (often luxury), among wild animals, jungles and national parks...

5 mins

1. Treehotel, Sweden

UFO Treehouse (Treehotel)

UFO Treehouse (Treehotel)

Mirror cube (Treehotel)

Mirror cube (Treehotel)

Deep in the heart of a forest in Swedish Lapland, Treehotel offers not just one treehouse experience, but seven. Each is completely different. From an almost invisible 'Mirrorcube' that reflects the extraordinary beauty surrounding it, to a room made from 350 birdhouses, these are treehouses unlike any other.

The treehouses were designed by some of Scandinavia’s leading architects. They hang four to six metres above the ground and offer spectacular views across the forests of the Lule River Valley and the the river below. Other distinctive treehouses include the Bird’s Nest, a gigantic treetop bird’s nest, and The Cabin, a time capsule of 60s chic, hanging above the canopy floor. 

Booking information: Treehotel

2. Costa Verde 727 Fuselage Treehouse, Costa Rica

Stay a plane in the canopy (Costa Verde)

Stay a plane in the canopy (Costa Verde)

Here’s a treehouse with a difference: the fuselage of a Boeing 727, wedged into a rainforest canopy just outside Quepos in Costa Rica.

The plane once flew for South African Air and Avianca Airlines, and was lowered into place quite deliberately. The interior has been decked out in Indonesian teakwood, offering two bedrooms and a terrace offering an ocean view..

Nestled on a coastal rainforest bluff between Manuel Antonio National Park and the Pacific Ocean, the hotel boasts that there are still more monkeys in the vicinity than people. Sign us up.

Booking information: Costa Verde 727 Fuselage Treehouse

3. Pedra Salgadas Spa & Nature Park, Portugal

Treehouse at Pedra Salgadas (Pedras Salgadas Park)

Treehouse at Pedra Salgadas (Pedras Salgadas Park)

Pedra Salgadas Spa & Nature Park has been a health spa for over 100 years. Just an hour away from Porto, the waters here are famous for their restorative properties, attracting visitors from all around the world - even royalty.

Treehouses, admittedly, are a relatively new addition to the complex. They're set deep in heart of forested parkland, bringing a contemporary edge to this venerable resort.

The treehouses are made from raw materials like slate and wood and designed to blend harmoniously into their surroundings. Offering peace and solitude, they are the perfect accompaniment to the variety of relaxing and restorative treatments on offer.

Booking information: Pedra Salgadas Treehouses

4. Hudnalls Hideout, Wales

Sunset at Hudnalls Hideout (Hudnalls Hideout)

Sunset at Hudnalls Hideout (Hudnalls Hideout)

The name says it all. The luxury treehouses of Hudnalls Hideout are the perfect places to lock yourself away from the world. Set in a two-acre private wood, bordering The Hudnalls ancient woodland, they are truly secluded, with no other guests in sight.

Expect zero modern day distractions like tech devices and TV. You'll be completely cocooned in nature, including exclusive access to a flower meadow for picnics.

Your neighbours will include fallow deer, badgers, squirrels and foxes, as well as wild birds such as tawny owls and woodpeckers. Be sure to give them a friendly wave from your elevated deck. 

Booking information: Hudnalls Hideout

5. Treehouse Lodge, Peru

A treehouse, high in the rainforest canopy (Treehouse Lodge)

A treehouse, high in the rainforest canopy (Treehouse Lodge)

The only all-inclusive treehouse experience in the Amazon, the Treehouse Lodge sits at the confluence of the serene Yarapa and Cumaceba rivers in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.

Offering a choice of 12 luxuriously appointed treehouses, a Lodge offers visitors the chance to sleep above the rainforest canopy, waking each morning to monkeys and birds at eye level.

Surrounded by the beautiful Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, guests will also have the opportunity to go on guided jungle walks, swim in the Amazon, fish for piranhas and encounter the jungle’s less hostile residents, such as pink river dolphins and lovable sloths.

Booking information: Treehouse Lodge

6. &Beyond Lake Manyara Tree Lodge, Tanzania

The interior of a treehouse at Lake Manyara Tee Lodge (&Beyond)

The interior of a treehouse at Lake Manyara Tee Lodge (&Beyond)

Cradled in the boughs of an ancient mahogany forest, the &Beyond Lake Manyara Tree Lodge in Tanzania offers a choice of nine stilted treehouses, each unique in their own way, but all offering the highest levels of luxury.

Crafted from local timber and makuti palm fronds, and designed to exert minimal impact on the environment, the treehouses truly blend in with their extraordinary natural surroundings: a Rift Valley soda lake, dense woodlands and steep mountainsides.

The owner jokes that, contrary to popular belief, the famous tree-climbing lions at Lake Manyara didn’t developed their climbing habit to get away from annoying insects. Rather, they were jealous of treehouse suites at &Beyond Lake Manyara Tree Lodge. You be the judge.

Booking information: &Beyond Lake Manyara Tree Lodge

7. The Fish Hotel, Cotswolds, UK

The curved lines of the treehouse at Fish Hotel (The Fish Hotel)

The curved lines of the treehouse at Fish Hotel (The Fish Hotel)

Pitched as a back-to-nature bolthole with an added dash of luxury, the treehouses of the Fish Hotel in the beautiful Cotswolds are some of the most extraordinary in the world.

Wrapped around ancient oak trees and fashioned into extraordinary modern shapes, these magical treetop hideaways are everything you imagine a treehouse to be, but with all the modern luxuries you hoped for, too. With two heated baths on deck, you can relax as you gaze across the woodlands and soak up the woodland views. Literally.

Booking information: The Fish Hotel

8. Nothofagus Hotel, Chile

Rising out of the middle of the Patagonian jungle, the Nothofagus Hotel is quite a sight. Made from wood and other natural materials, it has been designed to complement and mimic the trees that swarm it, and reach towards the sky. 

The Hotel and its treehouses sit in the heart of the Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve in Chilean Patagonia, 100,000 acres of privately protected wilderness that is home to surprisingly diverse flora and fauna.

Through conservation, community integration and sustainable tourism, the Nothofagus Hotel hopes to protect this temperate wet forest for further generations, while providing one of the most unique treehouse experiences on the planet right now.

Booking information: Nothofagus Hotel

9. Chateaux dans les Arbres, France

A 'Castle in the Trees' (Chateaux dans les Arbres)

A 'Castle in the Trees' (Chateaux dans les Arbres)

The six treehouses at Chateaux dans les Arbres in Aquitaine fit for a king, or at the very least, French nobility.

Inspired by the castles of Dordogne nearby, these elegant French treehouses boasts spires and turrets, and to add to the sheer decadence: a couple of outdoor jacuzzis.

Set in the Puybeton Estate in Perigord, the treehouses reflect the history of the area as a feudal stronghold.

These ‘Castles in the Trees’ are the perfect way to survey the natural surroundings of meadows and woods while enjoying individuality and refinement of the facilities.

Booking information: Chateaux dans les Arbres

10. Post Ranch Inn, USA

Treehouse nestled amongst the mighty redwoods (Post Ranch Inn)

Treehouse nestled amongst the mighty redwoods (Post Ranch Inn)

Is there a place more suitable for treehouses on the planet that the dramatic cliffs of California’s Big Sur? The Post Ranch Inn doesn’t think so.

Their collection of free-standing tree houses seem to grow out of the ground of the surrounding redwoods, offering breathtaking views to the mountains and across the glittering ocean.

Triangular in shape, each tree house features a king-sized bed, window seat, desk, fireplace, and skylight to watch the stars from your bed each evening.

You get to enjoy all the facilities of the rest of the hotel – regarded as amongst the best clifftop hotels in the world – as well as the charms of Monterey and Carmel, a short drive away.

Booking information: Post Ranch Inn

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