Best Outdoor Stays for Nature Lovers in 2025
If you love waking up to birdsong, stargazing without city lights, and experiencing the beauty of untouched landscapes, 2025 is a golden year for outdoor adventures. Around the world, innovative retreats are blending sustainability, comfort, and immersion in nature to create unforgettable stays. From glamping domes in deserts to treetop hideaways and eco-luxury lodges, there is something for every nature enthusiast seeking balance between adventure and relaxation.
Glamping & Eco-Luxury Retreats
Glamping continues to evolve in 2025, offering travelers the perfect middle ground between camping and luxury. In Namibia, Camp Sossus redefines desert living with open-air star beds, yoga decks, and bush pools that provide refreshing comfort against the heat. The property has been built with recycled materials, making it as eco-conscious as it is beautiful.
In Rwanda, Wilderness Bisate Reserve sits against the backdrop of six dormant volcanoes, combining luxury with conservation. The villas are crafted with volcanic stone and thatch, ensuring that every stay contributes to local reforestation and wildlife protection efforts. In Colombia, La Manigua Lodge offers a stilted eco-retreat deep in the jungle, where the biodiversity is as striking as the lodge’s architectural design. Guests here enjoy guided treks, riverside adventures, and an authentic connection to the Amazon.
Treehouse & Elevated Experiences
For those who dream of living among the treetops, 2025 offers some of the most unique stays yet. Sweden’s iconic Treehotel in Lapland suspends its futuristic mirrored cubes and UFO-shaped pods among tall pines, making the Northern Lights your nightly entertainment. Similarly, the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel in Finland offers panoramic windows for viewing the winter skies in warmth and comfort.
In South Africa, Lion Sands Game Reserve brings the thrill of open-air treehouses to safari enthusiasts, where wildlife roams beneath your feet. For couples seeking romance, Tsala Treetop Lodge provides private villas with infinity pools set within dense forests, creating the perfect hideaway.
Safari & Wildlife Lodges
No list of outdoor stays would be complete without safari lodges, and 2025 has some incredible highlights. Botswana’s Xigera Safari Lodge offers an artistic take on wilderness stays, with villas overlooking the Okavango Delta and a dramatic baobab-inspired treehouse for stargazers.
South Africa continues to lead in wildlife lodges with properties such as Londolozi Private Game Reserve, where luxury meets conservation in the heart of Sabi Sands. Chitwa Chitwa and Jamala Madikwe also stand out for their refined design, private plunge pools, and extraordinary game viewing. These lodges are ideal for travelers who want to balance relaxation with the excitement of seeing Africa’s Big Five in their natural habitat.
Global Nature Escapes
Beyond Africa, unique eco-retreats are flourishing across the globe. In India, Chandys Windy Woods in Munnar offers wooden cottages surrounded by misty tea plantations, where guests can take cooking classes and plantation tours while absorbing stunning views. Canada’s Fogo Island Inn is a striking piece of modern architecture set against the Atlantic wilderness, where icebergs drift past your window and local artisans share cultural experiences.
For lovers of waterways and birdlife, Shinde in Botswana’s Okavango Delta provides tented suites that emphasize conservation while offering immersive Delta adventures. Each property highlights how travel can enhance rather than diminish the environment.
Emerging New Stays in 2025
Some of the most exciting outdoor experiences this year come from new, unconventional retreats. In Texas, The Summit at Big Bend transforms desert caves and geodesic domes into glamping havens, where stargazing and mountain views transport visitors into another world.
In the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, Elk & Embers Mountain Hideaway sprawls across 108 acres, featuring luxury cabins, treehouses, and glamping tents. The property offers private hiking trails, soaking tubs, and even dining delivered to your cabin door. Across the Atlantic in the Cotswolds, TreeDwellers introduces eco-luxury treehouses built from timber and glass, designed for both rejuvenation and sustainability.
Conclusion
From rainforest lodges and desert domes to treetop villas and safari retreats, 2025 is full of opportunities for nature lovers to reconnect with the outdoors. These stays go beyond comfort—they embody sustainable travel, cultural connection, and a deep respect for the natural world. Whether your dream is to fall asleep under African skies, wake up in a Scandinavian treetop, or watch the sun rise over misty mountains, the perfect outdoor escape awaits you this year.
