The baobab treehouse at Xigera Safari Lodge.
Photo: Courtesy of Xigera Safari Lodge
Go Inside Botswana’s Most Jaw-Dropping Hotel Suite
Building on its gallery-worthy collection of African art, Xigera Safari Lodge adds a wildly unique triplex to its offerings
Notable for its bungalows with sweeping views of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, Xigera Safari Lodge also features a major collection of African art. Amassed in collaboration with South African gallery Southern Guild, it includes pieces by Porky Hefer, Atang Tshikare, and Andile Dyalvane, among others.
The main bedroom inside the Baobab Treehouse at Xigera Safari Lodge. Photo: Courtesy of Xigera Safari Lodge
Now the hotel’s latest installation raises the bar with an exceptional work of experiential art. A towering 33-foot-tall sculpture, inspired by an iconic 1946 artwork of a lone baobab tree by South African landscape painter Jacobus Hendrik Pierneef, houses a one-of-a-kind suite. “The Tollman family specifically wanted a tree house as a special destination experience for guests during their stay at Xigera,” says architect Anton De Kock of the founder, Beatrice Tollman, and her daughters, Victoria and Toni, who oversee the property.
Look out over the Okavango Delta or sleep under the stars on the Baobab Treehouse roofdeck. Photo: Courtesy of Xigera Safari Lodge
The three-level accommodation—which can be accessed by glass-bottom boat through a floodplain and entered via a spiral staircase in the trunk—is filled with furnishings by Cape Town craftspeople, including John Vogel, Chuma Maweni, and Adam Birch. Canvas walls can completely open to the environment, offering 360-degree vistas of the UNESCO World Heritage site. A roof-deck provides a stunning perch to dine alfresco or fall asleep under the stars listening to the nightly symphony of lions, hyenas, and owls.
See more images below.
The baobab treehouse at Xigera Safari Lodge. Photo: Courtesy of Xigera Safari Lodge
The main bath. Photo: Courtesy of Xigera Safari Lodge
Photo: Courtesy of Xigera Safari Lodge
Photo: Courtesy of Xigera Safari Lodge
Photo: Courtesy of Xigera Safari Lodge
Photo: Courtesy of Xigera Safari Lodge
Photo: Courtesy of Xigera Safari Lodge
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2022 Summer Issue under the headline “New Heights.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Cover: The baobab treehouse at Xigera Safari Lodge.
Photo: Courtesy of Xigera Safari Lodge
