First opened in November 1932 by Eric Sherbrooke Walker, it was built into the tops of the trees of Aberdare National Park as a treehouse, offering the guests a close view of the local wildlife.

The idea was to provide a machan (hunting platform on a tree during shikar in India) experience in relative safety and comfort.

[2] The original idea of Major Eric Sherbrooke Walker, who owned land in the Aberdare Range, was to build a treehouse for his wife Lady Bettie.

[2] This first structure was open only on Wednesday nights as a night-viewing platform for guests staying at the Outspan Hotel; although beds were provided, these were intended for resting or dozing, rather than sleeping.

The princess' stay, which coincided with the death of her father King George VI on the night of 5–6 February 1952, and consequently her succession to the throne, involved the Treetops in the worldwide publicity surrounding these events.

The same night, before the event was known, Sir Horace Hearne, then Chief Justice of Kenya, had escorted the princess and her husband, Prince Philip, to a state dinner at Treetops.

After word of George VI's death reached the new Queen the following day – when she had already left Treetops and was by this time at Sagana Lodge – she returned immediately to Britain.

This was followed in January 1954 by "Operation Hammer", led by the King's African Rifles, which however failed to encounter many guerillas as most had already left the area.

[6][7] Treetops was rebuilt in a nearby chestnut tree overlooking the same waterhole and salt lick near the elephant migration pathway to Mount Kenya.

Due to the quick change in profile of the rustic tree lodge, National Geographic ran an article A New Look at Kenya's "Treetops" in October 1956.

[8] The hotel closed in October 2021; it had been unable to host any guests for over a year due to a drop in tourism caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

[9] It reopened in August 2024 during a ceremony which was attended by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and other dignitaries, including British High Commissioner Neil Wigan.

The initiative involved the rehabilitation of 125 hectares (310 acres) of the Aberdare National Park that has been degraded by the toll the fenced-in elephant population has exerted on the ecosystem.