Want to experience your vacation from a completely new perspective? Treehouse hotels allow you to sleep high in the treetops while offering an adventurous nature experience. Right in the middle of our most important resource, the forest. We would like to introduce you to four tree house hotels – not only in the European forest, but in the rainforest as well! What makes these hotels unique is that they are not only located in a forest, but are actively involved in its preservation.
Journey into the forest – it doesn’t get any greener than this!
The forest is most beautiful when it is untouched. Does this mean that it is best not to enter it at all? Certainly not! On the contrary, a trip to the forest is a way to show your appreciation for it. After all, the many forest national parks were created precisely because they are important recreational areas for us. And since nature tourism also brings in money, it is an important incentive for forest owners to preserve trees and species.
By the way: If there were no more forests, there would be no more people. Forests produce the oxygen we need to survive – while filtering out climate-changing carbon dioxide, making them important climate protectors.
You can read more about this in our forest blog post:
Our Forest – unique, relaxing, endangered
A more sustainable vacation in the forest – 5 Green Rules
- Attitude: Enter the forest with respect and appreciation.
- Preserve nature: Do not disturb wildlife with loud noise or by littering (especially cigarette butts, which release toxins into the soil and water).
- Wildfire Awareness: Be especially aware of wildfire regulations and current warning levels!
- Do not feed: You should never feed wild animals with your own food (bread crumbs, etc.). The only exceptions are special feeding stations, such as those sometimes set up in wildlife parks, etc.
- Stay in sustainable oriented accommodations: Most forests prohibit wild camping, and for good reason. Instead, choose a sustainable accommodation that is built with minimal environmental impact and meets all legal requirements for sewage, sanitation, recycling, and more.
What is a treehouse hotel?
Because “treehouse hotel” is not a protected term, there are many definitions. What’s important is that it’s in the forest and that you can experience it firsthand. Typically, it’s built high in the treetops – but unlike a simple treehouse built for children in a backyard, a treehouse hotel includes all the luxuries of a hotel. This includes comfortable beds, private bathrooms, meals, and often even spa facilities.
My Arbor – Tree house hotel on 34 meters high stilts
Our new Green PearlsⓇ partner My Arbor near Brixen in South Tyrol is not just a tree house. It is a very special tree hotel in a spruce forest. With its 34 meters high stilts it looks as if it’s standing on a tree trunk and the combination with its wooden facade makes it blend in naturally with its surroundings. At the same time, it offers a magnificent view of the forest panorama and the Plose Alps, a year-round recreational area for hiking and winter sports.
The treehouse hotel My Arbor (arbor is the Latin word for tree) consists of several suites ranging from 38 to 100 square meters, where you can stay with the whole family. In addition, there’s a wellness area with five forest saunas, an infinity pool and a panoramic whirlpool.
Signature treatment by tree type: My Arbor also allows you to take a questionnaire to find out what “tree type” you are. Depending on whether you’re a larch, pine, mountain pine, or spruce, you’ll get a treatment tailored to your needs.
La Subida – The Forest Hotel with Michelin Star
Another hotel where you can look forward to luxury is the La Subida Country Resort, located on the border between Italy and Slovenia. The resort consists of several accommodations in a forest of oaks and hornbeam. In the “Nest” or “House in the Forest” you’re completely surrounded by the forest, and the large windows give you the feeling that you’re really sleeping in it. However, you are at ground level.
La Subida also includes a Michelin-starred trattoria and an osteria. The food is a fusion of Italian, Friulian, and Slovenian cuisine. The ingredients often come directly from the forest.
Tree house hotels in the jungle
If you ask a child from Northern Europe to draw a forest, he will draw either pine trees or deciduous trees. For a child from Brazil or Peru, a forest looks entirely different!
Tropical rainforests are among the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. According to Greenpeace, rainforests are home to 60 percent of the world’s plants, 90 percent of the world’s primates, 80 percent of all known insects, and 40 percent of the world’s birds! There are no seasons in the rainforest, and the climate is always warm and humid.
What you may not know (or maybe you already know from Indiana Jones) – it’s not easy to walk on the jungle floor. There’s very little light reaching the ground, it’s foggy (because there is more rain than evaporation), and there are lots of plants (or biomass) and animals. The best way to explore the rainforest is on rope bridges in the treetops, called canopy walks.
Canopy Tree House in the Amazon Rainforest
At Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica in Peru’s Amazon Rainforest, there are 35 accommodations from which to explore the rainforest. Including the Canopy Tree House – an actual tree house that you can sleep in! Inside, you’ll find a double bed (with mosquito netting, of course), a bathroom, and two hammocks. Travelers say the experience is simply breathtaking – imagine sleeping in the middle of the rainforest treetops, with parrots flying overhead and the majestic river stretching out before you.
Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica is committed to environmental, species and cultural conservation, and operates its own research station and orchid nursery. Expert guides will explain you the dynamics of the rainforest.
Experience the rainforest in Thailand
Thailand also has rainforest and that combined with white sandy beaches and the sea! An island like Phuket is therefore a popular vacation destination worldwide and for many even the epitome of what a “paradise on earth” should be.
Our Green PearlsⓇ partner Keemala has a special bond with the forest. They believe there is a real magic that comes from it. Without destroying the forest, a “Mansion Wonderland” has been created in the treetops. In the “nests” you can see the landscape from the air like a bird and even swim in your own private pool!
To better understand the forest, there is yoga and meditation in the forest, as well as guided forest bathing. “All guests must be barefoot during forest activities,” says the Keemala team. This is the only way to “touch the real nature,” they say.
You can try walking barefoot in the forest right outside your door!
Save this article as an inspiration for your next sustainable journey!
