Here in the Drakensberg, we have always had a fascination with trees from the days of youth when they afforded an endless source of pleasure, meandering among the branches and a ready escape from angry parents or irritating siblings. This love for trees culminated in the building of Bahati Tree Lodge a number of years ago, which is now a popular self-catering establishment in the Central Drakensberg region of Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa.
Along with the fascination with trees, there has always been a sense of wonder as to why trees grow into the shape they do. How do they decide to put out branches where they do and determine what shape or length these branches become? The human race put astronauts on the moon but cannot explain that – well no one has successfully managed to give me a plausible explanation anyway.
The natural follow on from this fondness of trees has brought on a love for driftwood and the unique shape each piece lends itself to become, rather than simply ending up as firewood.
Here at Treks Trips & Trails, a scattering of driftwood can be found throughout the property, either as lights, room dividers, ‘hide aways’, or just interesting shapes. Join us as we share our love of trees in this way:
A heavy basin needs a King Kong sized piece of driftwood, while hiding ugly modernity 
The perfect shape functions admirably to become the spare toilet
roll holder
Driftwood lights provide some warmth to the office 
Nature is a wonderful sculptor especially when it comes to intricate
wooden designs
The unbelievable power of termites who have created such amazing patterns in this log
Bergvlei Cottage’s kitchen driftwood light 
A piece of driftwood provides a unique touch to a light feature 
This ‘guy’ makes a great oven glove holder 
Rather than using a conventional room divider this interesting log separates the dining room