Nature is often the inspiration for architecture and design. We've even seen our fair share of fully functional tree houses, but in South Africa there is an entirely unique, hollowed out tree called Sunland Big Baobab that has actually been converted into a bar. According to the pub's website, the venue is the widest documented baobab (a type of tree normally found in the hot, dry savannas of sub-Saharan Africa) and carbon dated to be around 6,000 years old.

The site goes on to explain, “When baobabs become a thousand years old, they begin to hollow inside. In the Big Baobab this has resulted in wonderful caverns and caves, where the world famous Baobab Tree Bar now amazes visitors.” The aptly dubbed Tree Bar, which sits on a farm owned by Doug and Heather van Heerden, offers an indoor space boasting 13-foot-high ceilings and the ability to comfortably accommodate fifteen people at a time.

















Photo credits: Pieter Gertenbach, South African Tourism, and Neil McCartney

Sunland Big Baobab website

via [Amusing Planet]