In the foothills of the Outeniqua mountain range sits a small farm of 100 acres holding the Teniqua Treetops lodge. Committed to giving guests a pure nature experience, you won’t find anything too sanitized here. If you love the sounds of nature, a star-studded night sky, and pure rainforests, but you don’t mind a couple bugs, then Teniqua is the lodge for you.
Stay in cozy treehouses beautifully crafted out of local wood. The guest cabins sit in the treetops, offering guests an amazing immersive experience of the forest. Purposefully rustic, Teniqua is perfect for the non-fussy nature lover who wants to experience some of the last remaining pristine rainforests in South Africa.
This partially off-the-grid lodge is 65 kilometers from George Airport. Off the beaten path and charmingly rustic, this lodge gives guests the permission to enjoy nature with all its benefits and all its quirks.
Their story
Teniqua Treetops was created over 18 years ago as an eco-lodge making use of wood, tents, and glass. The wood comes from sustainable farming and is produced locally. The Treetop suites are built on stilts above the forest floor minimizing their footprint. The staff employed are all local and assisted with the building of the resort.
Teniqua harvests rainwater and produces their own water drawn from the Karatara river via an eco-friendly chemical-free water plant. All toilets flush with the byproduct from the water plant and make use of septic tanks which then flow into soakaway pits which feed the forest. All amenities are certified eco-friendly.
Teniqua makes use of solar power for 10% of their energy consumption, and plans are in progress to increase this in the next year to 90%. Teniqua is a custodian of the Knysna forest and takes it seriously: alien vegetation is removed regularly and replaced with indigenous trees grown in their own orchard.
This rustic lodge is 25 kilometers from the town of Sedgefield. With clean air, swaying forests, and sunset views within the treetops, Teniqua Treetops is the perfect forest retreat. Read more about them here.
Sustainability actions
Lowest impact construction and operation
- Pine and gum tree, which is farmed and harvested locally, is used for building. Guest cabins were built on stilts above the forest floor to minimize the impact on the environment.
- Teniqua uses septic tanks and soakaway pits, which do not damage the root bed on the forest floor. The bio-degradable detergents are filtered through these soakaways and swales, nourishing the forest roots in the process.
Highest level of energy efficiency
- Teniqua currently generates 10 kilowatts of solar power, with plans to increase to 35 kilowatts. Once they reach 35 kilowatts, the lodge will be 95% independent of the grid.
- Only LED lights are used.
- Outside lights are solar-powered with motion sensors.
- Rainwater is harvested and used for many operations on the property.
- Bamboo structures are used to dry clothes.
Pioneer in waste management
- Guest toiletries are in glass rather than plastic. When there is no other option, multi-use, recycled plastic is used sparingly.
- Byproduct water from water filtration and laundry is placed in separate tanks and pumped into guest toilets and irrigation.
- All recycling waste is taken to the local plant in Knysna.
- Food waste is turned into compost.
Fully organic and chemical-free operation
- Teniqua is deep in the forest, but there is no effort to reduce the presence of nature. No fumigation or pesticides are used to kill bugs.
- Household detergents are biodegradable and eco-friendly.
- No chemicals are used for cleaning or washing.
- Water from the Karatara River is filtered through a 10-stage filtration system that does not use chemicals.
Actively protects nature and community
- Teniqua clears alien invasive plants from the Knysna forest. They also cultivate the indigenous Yellow Wood tree.
- Only locals are employed at the lodge. Teniqua takes pride in fostering skill development among their employees.
Most Popular Activities near Teniqua Treetops
- Visit local attractions
- Jungle gym for kids
- Hiking in the forest
- Bird watching
- Petting farm animals
Best time to visit Teniqua Treetops
- The weather is pleasent all year around, but the best time to visit is between February and April.
Features
Pricing
per person per night starts from
-
Couple Suite
$ 45 -
Family Suite
$ 65 -
Honeymoon Cottage
$ 66 -
Deluxe Suite
$ 76 -
Two-Bedroom Cottage
$ 92