Alta Sanctuary, a solar powered, 500-square-foot treehouse suspended 110 feet above the Amazon Rainforest.
Nicola Shepherd, founder of Explorations Company, has been dispatching guests to unspoiled parts of the world for decades. Lately, the desire has been to detach entirely from a resort or camp and immerse in nature. The peak demand is for an untouched landscape, blanketed with trees, where you can hide away from the world—as well as from other guests. “Somehow the jungle offers a far more immersive, intimate experience over any other,” she says. Here, Shepherd shares three of her favorite villas to book that are tucked into their own near-private jungles.
The view from Alta Sanctuary’s treehouse; could there be a more magical way to start your day?
Alta Sanctuary, Peru
Located deep in the Amazon Rainforest, Alta Sanctuary’s new solar-powered, 500-square-foot treehouse is nestled 110 feet above ground in the branches of a strangler fig tree. Though the 10-story-high, wood-clad cabin is a pared-back space with an unfussy bedroom, well-appointed bathroom, and wraparound deck (and air conditioning, of course), its simplicity offers another kind of luxury. The indulgences here focus on experiences like falling asleep to the cacophony of jungle sounds or rising to the sun streaming through the towering trees, where your only neighbors are the birds. “Alta Sanctuary is one of the few remaining places in the Amazon that can show you what a thriving and healthy rainforest really looks like,” says Shepherd. Guests have access to the main lodge (just a five-minute walk) for meals, but the best option is to ask the onsite chef to prepare dinner on the deck. Guests of the Treehouse also receive a private guide to explore the forest for the entirety of their stay.
One of the 2,200-square-foot villas located at the edge of Volcanoes National Park at Bisate Reserve.
Bisate Reserve, Rwanda
The newest addition to Wilderness’s Rwanda portfolio is the villa-only Bisate Reserve, a collection of four 2200-square-foot homes on the edge of Volcanoes National Park that’s more primed for a buyout than individual bookings— part of the new micro-camp trend across Africa. The innovative, nest-like spaces are kitted out with the finest amenities including in-room massage treatments, fireplaces, private decks with outdoor hot tubs—all set against the backdrop of the Virunga Volcanoes.
The dining area at Bisate Reserve.
Guests can access Bisate lodge for meals, but the new resort is entirely separate. Another exclusive offering: private gorilla trekking that departs directly from the villa’s front doors. “The excitement and anticipation of seeing a gorilla whilst on a trek is extraordinary,” says Shepherd, noting that there are approximately 1,000 mountain gorillas left in the wild, many in Rwanda.
Shinta Mani Wild’s riverfront tent-like villas, tucked within the Cardamom Rainforest in Tmor.
Shinta Mani Wild, Cambodia
One of Shinta Mani Wild’s biggest allures is that it’s designed by celebrated American architect and interior designer Bill Bensley, whose clients include Six Senses, Four Seasons, and The Leela, among many other luxury hotels and resorts. “Just like all the Bensley properties, it’s simply amazing,”says Shepherd. Though there’s a cluster of standalone, tent-style villas, you won’t feel cheek-by-jowl with your neighbor; the villas are dotted along a gushing river in Cambodia’s Cardamom Rainforest.
Celebrated architect and interior designer Bill Bensley, known for his use of color and texture lent his signature style to Shinta Mani Wild.
Each tent is entirely secluded, with a giant deck strewn with couches, antiques, and outdoor tubs; book one of the larger 1,500-square-foot options to max out your space. Meals can be served in your villa tent, and the all-inclusive approach extends to everything from kayaking, to yoga and meditation, and unlimited spa treatments. According to Shepherd, getting here is also half the appeal. “You arrive by a half-mile zip line, over the jungle canopy,” she says.
Visit Explorationscompany.com to book your own luxe jungle escape.
