PAN's Treetop Cabins, located less than two hours from Oslo airport in the vast Finnskogen forest near the Swedish border, offer a unique escape into nature. Three futuristic prism-shaped cabins sit eight metres up on metal frames, level with the treetops, providing a discreet and otherworldly experience. The cabins blend into the pines, appearing suddenly before merging back into the forest.
Sleeping in the Sky
Each lodge is a perfectly designed tiny house: a compact kitchen and living area at the front, a central bathroom with a spacious shower, and pine-clad walls throughout. The upper platform features a double bed overlooking a triangular view of the forest and lake. The design embodies Scandinavian sleekness, offering everything needed without excess.
Guests can spend entire afternoons curled up on the sofa, watching birds flit between branches and the sun move over the lake. The view is captivating in all weather, from blue skies and sunsets to storms rolling in like slate sheets. Octavia Lillywhite, acting beauty and wellness editor, described putting down her phone, opening the floor-to-ceiling window, listening to the forest's hush, and reading an entire book in one sitting.
Embracing the Cabin Life
Meals can be tailored to preference. Cabins are stocked with essentials, and PAN offers breakfast hampers and catering from local producers. Lillywhite woke to a basket of fresh bread, pancakes, local cheeses, and honey. In the evening, she prepared elk stew with juniper berries using a neatly measured recipe provided by the hosts.
Cooking and eating together felt celebratory, with the forest and lake panorama below. After dinner, guests can linger by the window, watching the light change on the water. At ground level, a table with tall candles in glass lanterns lights up al fresco suppers. Off-season, barbecues are permitted (not in summer to prevent wildfires), and year-round, guests can lie on fur-clad seats with blankets and watch stars overhead.
Exploring Norway's Ancient Forest
The Finnskogen forest is steeped in history, with Finnish refugees drawn there centuries ago, bringing myths and folklore. The silence is immense, with green dust puffing from lichen underfoot and strange mists that seem like forest spirits. Wildlife includes wolves, bears, lynx, moose, foxes, and arctic hares. Lillywhite spotted foxes and arctic hares but not the larger animals; their host explained, 'They know how to disappear when they hear you coming.'
The highlight for Lillywhite was the 'Room with Three Walls'—an outdoor, wood-fired hot tub. The fourth wall is the forest, the ceiling the sky. Sitting in steaming water as the forest turned gold at sunset, with a glass of sparkling wine (purchased duty-free due to Norway's high alcohol prices), was described as 'holiday perfection.'
A River Safari Through the Wilderness
Lillywhite signed up for an evening canoe trip down the Fløgåa River with guide Amund. They floated quietly downstream, observing signs of beavers everywhere—dams of muddled twigs and neatly felled tree trunks. Though elusive, a fat beaver eventually trundled down a slipway and submerged into the current with barely a ripple.
The silent stillness of the Finnskogen felt even closer on the river, with the gentle lap of the oar and forested banks reflected in the depths.
On the Journey Home: Buns and Emeralds
Driving back to the airport along the shores of Norway's largest lake, Mjosa, two stops are recommended. First, the service station at Espa houses Norway's most famous bakery, Bolleland, known for its chocolate and caramel buns. The bakery is filled with neon merchandise, lending a crazed vibe.
Second, Ole Jørgen Bjørnstad Smaragdgruvene, Europe's only emerald mine where visitors can keep any gems they find. Lillywhite suggests eating the buns on the stony lakeshore while sifting for small, genuine emeralds—a viridescent souvenir of the forestlands.
How to Book
PAN's Cabins are available from £480 per night. Breakfast and meals are available at an extra cost. River kayak and other nature experiences can be booked through PAN.
