Sunland Baobab, Millenary baobab tree in Greater Letaba, South Africa.
Sunland Baobab is a thousand-year-old baobab tree in the Greater Letaba region of South Africa, standing about 22 meters tall with a trunk diameter of roughly 10 meters, placing it among the largest specimens in Africa. The hollow interior extends across several chambers that were once used as unusual spaces and remain partly accessible today.
Carbon dating points to an origin around the year 950, with traces of fires from 1650, 1750, 1900, and 1955 found in the hollow trunk. In 2016 and 2017, parts of the structure collapsed, affecting the bar area while the tree as a whole continues to live.
The trunk once held a small bar and a wine cellar inside, installed by the local landowners and drawing visitors for decades. This unusual use as a meeting point turned the tree into a social space where people gathered inside a natural hollow.
Access to the interior is managed by the owners of the private land on which the tree stands and may be limited depending on condition. It is best to ask locally about current visiting options.
Tools and objects from earlier inhabitants were found in the hollow, including traces left by Bushmen and the first European settlers. These finds suggest the natural cavity served as shelter or storage for centuries.
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