Relax above it all in treehouse hotels

By Charu Suri

For The New York Times

Sleeping in the treetops is a childhood fantasy of many travelers and adventure seekers. For some, it looks like the Adventureland Treehouse at Disneyland, an attraction inspired by the 1960 film “Swiss Family Robinson.” For others, the dream is the tree house at Pitchford Hall in rural Shropshire in England, which claims to be the world’s oldest, dating to 1692 (tours available).

The hospitality industry has made tree houses a reality for vacationers and upgraded the accommodations from rustic shelters to glamorous affairs: Think soaking tubs, open-air living rooms and quirky, opulent interiors. Indeed, Airbnb lists 270,000 tree houses around the world, most of them in North America. An industry analysis by Grand View Research valued the global tree house glamping market at $332.4 million in 2024 and projected it to reach $473.2 million by 2030.

Here are six tree houses around the world that retain their rustic vibe without compromising creature comforts and spectacular views.

Panama: Nayara Bocas del Toro

On Frangipani, a private island in Panama, sits the Nayara Bocas del Toro resort, with four solar-powered tree house accommodations designed by Ibuku, a Bali-based design studio led by Elora Hardy, the Canadian designer. The tree houses are made from locally grown bamboo and several varieties of reclaimed hardwoods.

Meandering resort paths covered in greenery lead to the tree houses and curving stairs that lead to a pivoting glass door. The one-bedroom tree houses feature Balinese furniture, open-air living rooms overlooking 80 acres of mangrove forests, 21-foot-tall ceilings, outdoor jungle showers and copper soaking tubs. In the tree house, a pulley brings picnic-style meals to guests. A stand-alone “spa tree house” is undergoing a soft opening and will make its formal debut in early 2026.

Tree house rates start at $1,400 per night, all-inclusive; nayarabocasdeltoro.com.

Botswana: Baobab Treehouse, Xigera Safari Lodge

The tree house at the Xigera Safari Lodge in the Okavango Delta is built on a camouflaged steel-and-mesh structure, and its branches are modeled after a painting of a baobab tree by J.H. Pierneef, a South African cubist. Massive branch elements were individually designed and manufactured in Cape Town, 1,400 miles away, by Anton de Kock, a South African architect. Part of the steel was left untreated, so it will oxidize over time to create a patina that blends seamlessly with the landscape.

Saligna wood, a robust hardwood commonly grown in South Africa and Zimbabwe, was used for the floors. The tree house, which is a little over half a mile from the main lodge, has an open-sky platform bedroom with a four-poster bed and an enclosed bathroom. Meals are served in an elegant picnic style, and the place boasts a generous stash of wine.

There is no Wi-Fi or electricity: Lanterns light the rooms, which can comfortably sleep a family of four with children. There is an emergency radio for communication with the main lodge.

Guests can use the tree house as a base to access walking safaris, drives in the Moremi Game Reserve, and mokoro safaris in fiberglass canoes (they used to be traditional dugout canoes made from wood) — or just to listen to the Okavango Delta soundscape.

Access to the tree house is reserved for guests who booked suites at the main lodge. Rates start from $2,500 per night per person, all inclusive; redsavannah.com/africa/botswana/hotels/xigera-safari-lodge.

Gatlinburg, Tenn.: Treehouse Grove

When Joseph Ayres, a developer, saw lodging designed by Pete Nelson on the television show “Treehouse Masters” on Animal Planet about eight years ago, he knew he wanted that experience for guests on the more than 400 acres of land he owns next to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, Tenn.

“Our mission is to get people into nature and fall in love with nature,” said Nelson, who initially designed 16 tree houses for Treehouse Grove. Ayres said more are planned.

Nelson said the tree houses, built from sturdy Douglas fir and western red cedar, are anchored to the trees using specialized bolts that he designed. He takes special care to not damage the roots, and to accommodate the growth of the trees, including fatter girths, since mature trees grow outward, not upward.

Each dwelling sleeps two to 10 people, and most have living rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, decks as well as air conditioning, heating and Wi-Fi. Guests share community pizza ovens, hot tubs and firepits (there is no on-site restaurant). Some of the tree houses look out at Mount Le Conte, the third-highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Rates start from $200 to $300 per night, depending on the season; treehouse-grove.com.

Sweden: Treehotel

Known for its designs inspired by biophilia — the idea that humans have an innate connection with nature — the Treehotel in Harads, Sweden, features nine unique places to rest above the trees. It lies deep in a pine forest 37 miles south of the Arctic Circle, in a village near the Lule River in Swedish Lapland.

The tree houses, 15 to 20 feet off the ground, were designed by some of Sweden’s foremost architects — Bertil Harström, Thomas Sandell, Mårten Cyrén and the Norwegian architectural firm, Snöhetta, among others. They strove for minimal ecological footprints, sustainable architecture and energy solutions and immersion with the surroundings.

Guests can stay in the Mirrorcube, an aluminum frame with reflective walls and a plywood interior built around a tree trunk. It is reached by a 39-foot-long bridge and features a rooftop terrace. It accommodates two people. The Bird’s Nest tree house highlights the contrast between its public exterior, which is designed to resemble a giant bird’s nest, and its private interior, with a retractable staircase and discreet windows. It has a queen bed and two double beds for a family of four. The 111-square-foot Biosphere tree house is decorated with 350 birdhouses, and it features a clear glass roof.

Starting rates range from $800 to $2,200 a night, depending on the season; treehotel.se.

Italy: La Piantata Viterbo

When Renzo Stucchi retired in 1999 as managing director of Cacharel, a French fashion company, he wanted to recreate the feeling of Provence in Italy. Then he found an 800-year-old oak tree isolated between two hills where he planted 12 hectares of lavender in the rolling countryside of Arlena di Castro, about 50 miles north of Rome. He convinced the five families who owned the former residence of a Polish royal to sell their property, which was built in 1822, and in 2005 he turned it into a bed-and-breakfast, La Piantata.

La Piantata has two tree houses on stilts 26 feet off the ground, as well as two glamping suites on stilts above the olive grove. Each tree house features a four-poster bed, bathroom and a fridge stocked with Champagne and local wines and beverages.

Guests who book these tree houses climb a winding staircase for a scenic view of the olive grove and lavender hills. Stuff your suitcase with edible souvenirs, including olive oil, jams and lavender honey. Breakfast is homemade, typically croissants, fruit and a signature special dessert made by Renzo: a creamy zabaione, an Italian custard.

The tree house rates are $373 to $490 per night including breakfast; lapiantata.it/en.

Bloomington Springs, Tenn.: Hideout Hotels Treehouse

Just an hour from Nashville, Tenn., in Bloomington Springs, Tenn., is this charming tree house set 15 feet off the ground, one of the most requested in North America on Airbnb.

In 2023, Jake Pence, the owner, purchased the property — which had been built four years earlier by a local couple and a group of Amish craftsmen — and rebranded the business as Hideout Hotels. He added three cabins and shared amenity spaces, as well as an eight-person barrel sauna, cold plunge, pickleball, putting green and outdoor communal kitchen with a pizza oven. “We believe there’s something special and rewarding about taking the time to cook your own pizza — whether with your partner or on your own,” he said.

The front door of the tree house dates back to 1848; a stained-glass window in the bathroom is 100 years old. The furniture is sourced from local shops in the Upper Cumberland region, often referred to as the waterfall capital of the state. Cummins, Burgess and Fall Creek Falls are all within a 30-minute drive from the property, as is Caney Fork River, known for its excellent trout fishing.

Guests can purchase extras, including a house wine, custom-made candles and $100 pizza kits. Rates start from about $400 per night depending on the season, with a two-night minimum; bit.ly/HideoutHotelsTreehouse.