Expert Africa names the best African treehouses

Sept. 4, 2012 - PRLog -- Here are safari specialist Expert Africa’s favourite African treehouses:

Bush Night, Beho Beho, Tanzania
Just opened, Beho Beho’s new fly-camping experience – what they now call their bush-night stays – sees guests overnighting up in the trees. After a two-hour bush walk through the Selous Game Reserve (Africa’s largest), the experience promises a hot shower, cocktails, a campfire dinner and a proper bedroom with en-suite bathroom and flush loo.

Chole Mjini, Tanzania
The six eco-friendly treehouses at Chole Mjini on tropical Chole Island are set in huge ancient baobab trees, with waves lapping at the ground below. Open to the elements on all four sides, they offer breathtaking views of mangroves and the ocean, with soft breezes easing through. The houses were built by the skilled Chole craftsmen, using materials including mangrove wood.

Elephant Hide, Kaingo Camp, Zambia
The Elephant Hide of Kaingo Camp in the South Luangwa is a must for any adventurous traveller. This treehouse sits on a wooden platform nestled between an ebony and a sausage tree, high above a centuries-old elephant highway that crosses the Luangwa River. You can comfortably sleep two here and enjoy the simple ambience as your senses take in the thrill of the African bushlife below.

Dove’s Nest, The Hide, Zimbabwe
This multi-level treehouse offers a unique way to spend the night. As part of Zimbabwean lodge The Hide, the Dove’s Nest is positioned in a leadwood tree on a plain within Hwange National Park. It has the added perk of a middle-floor viewing platform, plus a higher-level bedroom with a double-bed, reached through a trapdoor in the floor.

Tarangire Treetops, Tanzania
All 20 rooms at Tarangire Treetops are treehouses that suit a relaxing stay. Around 8-10m off the ground, and reached by spiral staircase, each boasts one of the largest bedrooms to be found in any camp or lodge in East Africa, plus an expansive private balcony from which guests can observe the park’s dense vegetation.

The Tree House, Tongabezi Lodge, Zambia
Recently rebuilt, Tongabezi Lodge’s ‘Tree House’ is one of the most romantic canopy-level boltholes around. Constructed amid the branches of a riverine ebony tree, the secluded house has views of the Zambezi River, just upstream from Victoria Falls, while part of it is actually suspended over the water to give the sensation of floating. And, with the claw-footed bath and king-sized bed also affording river views, it’s obvious why this is a popular option for honeymooners.

Lake Manyara Tree Lodge, Tanzania
One of only two lodges inside Lake Manyara National Park, Lake Manyara Tree Lodge is set only slightly off the ground, rather than really high up in the trees – ideal for anyone afraid of heights.  The spacious rooms come with a lounge area, en-suite bathroom and vast outside deck. The lodge’s location, inside a forest of mahogany, wild mango and fig trees, is also pleasingly far away from the main park gate, meaning solitude and space.

Onguma Tree Top Camp, Namibia
Onguma Tree Top Camp offers tranquillity for visitors to Namibia’s Etosha National Park. Raised on stilts above the bush and trees which provide its name, Onguma lies just outside Etosha – a seemingly endless pan of silvery-white sand and mirages, packed with game. Only eight guests (including the guide) can be accommodated in Onguma’s four thatched rooms – perfect for groups of friends or families.

Chris McIntyre, Managing Director of Expert Africa, comments: “Some of these treehouses offer a romantic atmosphere with candlelight playing on the surrounding branches. Others feel more adventurous: a night in the African bush with rustic surrounds, and perhaps with the added adrenaline rush of dangerous animals passing below. But all, we believe – having sampled them personally – give guests a unique way of enjoying nocturnal Africa's sights and sounds.”

To book any of these treehouses, call Expert Africa on 020 8232 9777 (www.expertafrica.com)

Expert Africa also covers Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, the Seychelles and South Africa

Ends – 4 September 2012
Press: For further information or pictures, to discuss press trips or to interview Chris McIntyre, call Richard Mellor at Travel PR on 020 8891 4440 or email r.mellor@travelpr.co.uk.