A treehouse in the urban jungle

Holidaymakers and locals alike keen to get away from it all can now enjoy a safari experience, in the heart of London.

Virgin Holidays has created a 35-foot high luxury South African treehouse on London's Southbank, complete with a private balcony, sweeping views of the Thames and St Paul's and a personal chef on hand.

The week long installation has been inspired by a Virgin Holidays Wonderlist experience; the Lion Sands Game Reserve treehouse accommodation in South Africa and is offering London visitors the chance to stay the night in the treehouse.

The rustic interior of the treehouse has been designed by Hubert Zandberg and features a range of tribal prints, a four-post plush bed and several one-off pieces of African sculpture.

Zandberg said: "I love mixing really traditional pieces of South African design with a much more international, modern feel. Africa has such a rich heritage with beautiful patterns, textures and materials - they translate really well when placed in a contemporary design environment."

Consisting of two bespoke bedrooms, the treehouse comes with a six-course private degustation menu from Masterchef contestant Petrus Madutlela aimed at the bravest eaters out there.

The menu includes dishes such as tempura meal worms with induja mayo, shaved ostrich biltong, braised terrine of crocodile and smoked goat fillet with chakalaka sauce.

"Although I live in the UK, South Africa is always going to be in my heart," commented Madutlela.

"This is an incredible experience, and I wanted to offer a menu that matches.

"Although a lot of these ingredients are seen as a bit wild and eccentric, they are actually exceptionally tasty and good for you.

- Daily Mail