Tree house hotel in Tanzania: MBILI Treehouse

Chole Mjini was never meant to be a tree house hotel, and it isn’t. It is a castaway fantasy, a jungle island retreat appealing to a specific kind of person; one who appreciates a return to simple luxuries that reawaken the senses, rather than the predictable comforts of room service and air conditioning. Chole Mjini tree house resort has six treehouses and one ground house.

Each treehouse is equipped with one or two stories, creating varying views of the ocean and bay surrounding the island, large “throne-like” beds, a hammock, relaxing area with a bench or couch, private bathing area and open-air showers. Each treehouse took from six months to a year to complete because they were built completely by hand, using traditional tools and utilizing materials sourced only from traders living on Chole. Each tree for poles and planks was cut by hand, sawn into planks by hand in a saw pit and transported to Chole by dhow, cured for at least twelve months and then ripped and planed by hand.

Built in a fabulous location, Mbili was Chole Mjini’s first treehouse and is (along with number seven) the biggest, most ambitious construct. The engineering problems it posed delayed completion for almost a year… until number 7. Mbili has two double beds on two spacious and separate floors, all under one roof. The views (especially from upstairs) are spectacular. Mbili’s baobab is the granddaddy of them all and has its own spirit and personality. It is said that even one of Chole Mjini’s former guests still writes emails to the tree. The tree has yet to answer…