Teniqua treetops, in the famous Outeniqua Forest, is the perfect getaway for the woodland elf in all of us. Its magical setting along the Garden Route is complemented by comfortable amenities which can please families, groups of friends and even couples on their honeymoon.
A love of nature and indigenous foliage influenced the designers of the resort. Every treetop hut is built in, under, over, and around the existing trees and no plants were unnecessarily damaged during construction.
Built on stilts, with beautifully carved benches and doorways, the huts comprise of tented structures with steps and wooden platforms here and there. Every hut has its own shape, design and character, which is why it is fitting for each to have its own quirky name like Greenbeard and The Forest Elders.
Winter visits can be chilly, but wonderfully hot electric blankets are on all the beds, as well as luxurious fleecy blankets. In summer you will have many guests with more legs than you, but as the owners say: if you don’t like bugs and creepy crawlies, this isn’t for you. So come unarmed with doom or swatters.
Some huts have open-air bathrooms, meaning that nothing but a wooden balustrade separates you from the nature whose call you are there to answer. It’s a delight to brush your teeth while admiring the trees around you, and perhaps being admired by some woodland creatures yourself.
The toilet provides for some entertainment as it is not the standard flushing variety more familiar to most of us. Its ingenious ‘dry’ design ensures that no unnatural chemicals are released into the sensitive forest – and hence the Karatara catchment area – and no elaborate plumbing is needed. Handfuls of leaves are tossed down into the loo, and the environmentally friendly process is no bother at all.
The units have showers and baths unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Discreetly tucked away, the glass shower doors and open areas allow for spectacular views over the valley. And because each hut is so well concealed within the natural forest, the only ones getting a view of you in your naked soapy glory are the birds and spiders in the trees.
All four of the honeymoon units have decadent sunken baths built into the wooden decks. Those not on honeymoon, and therefore requiring outdoor entertainment, can happily walk down to the Karatara river, visit a hundred-year-old Milkwood forest and pat some ponies stabled at the treetops. The breathtaking surroundings will provide more than enough food for the senses.
A short drive from Knysna, the Teniqua Treetops is designed to provide that great escape, but energetic day trippers can venture to the Knysna Heads, visit the rich Goukamma Nature and Marine Reserve, and go for some shopping at the Sedgefield market on Saturday mornings.
However, being tucked away in the middle of a forest is the resort’s real charm, as night time brings a peace and tranquillity city dwellers can only dream of. Find out how to experience this for yourself here.
Photo from here.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
