The Sunland Big Baobab
Sitting at the bar in your local pub with a pleasant atmosphere around you socialising with friends is always something we enjoy doing.
However words alone cannot describe how surreal it was at that moment as we stood leaning against the bar inside a tree.
Not just any tree, this was a hollow Baobab tree which has been standing there for thousands of years.
The Sunland Big Baobab Tree – Pub Inside A Tree
The Location
Located in Modjadjiskloof The Sunland Big Baobab Tree is literally off the beaten track.
We had heard about it many years ago but never ventured to experience it first hand.
Travelling through Tzaneen to Modjadjiskloof you then turn off on an awful sand road and end up at The Sunland Big Baobab Tree.
The Sunland Big Baobab Tree – Pub Inside A Tree
The Journey
For us the journey was the best part of the trip. We were told the journey itself would take 45 minutes but boy were they wrong.
An hour and a half into the journey and we were nearing our destination.
Travelling through some smaller towns, seeing the banana trees grow and passing through Tzaneen brought back plenty of childhood memories.
The Sand Road
Prior to arrival the sand road you must take was an experience in itself.
With slow speeds and plenty of bumps we finally arrived at the destination.
Ironically we kept saying we couldn’t see a big tree so it can’t be that fantastic.
And Then We Arrived.
The Sunland Big Baobab Tree – Pub Inside A Tree
The Experience
Once we arrived we paid the cost and set out to explore. The visit does not take long at all. It is more of a “been there, done that” type of moment.
I guess the pictures we had seen online painted a much more vivid picture but that doesn’t mean we didn’t enjoy the experience.
The tree itself has an opening with a door to which you enter and inside is a bar to which drinks used to be served.
The Sunland Big Baobab Tree – Pub Inside A Tree
The Cost
The cost for the experience was R25 each which allowed you the ability to walk the grounds, take photos and enter the bar itself.
There was an opportunity to have a braai included, but after delving into a large Spaghetti Bolognese earlier that morning, we thought we had better not.
The Sunland Big Baobab Tree – Pub Inside A Tree
Timber
Sadly one thing we were not aware of before visiting was the fact that half of the tree had split and come down.
The bar itself was in tact still however it was visible from the outside, which I think affected the whole experience.
The Sunland Big Baobab Tree – Pub Inside A Tree
Overall
Overall the experience is well worth a journey to see a large Baobab, which they quote is the largest hollow Baobab in the world.
Date wise we read a variety of dates mentioned which intrigued us but its definitely been standing for thousands of years.
It is however a shame about the tree splitting, but I can only imagine the thud it made as it crashed to the floor.
Here is to our next adventure.
