Cottars 1920s Camp, Maasai Mara

Cottars 1920s Camp has been in the same family for generations and is the oldest safari camp in Africa. The proud heritage shapes the experience of hospitality in this luxury outpost.

There are many for whom landing in a chartered small plane in the middle of an African Savannah would be adventurous enough, but at Cottars 1920s Camp, this is only the beginning.

Having been greeted by a welcome party with drinks and smiles—but only briefly meeting the current heir of the family business, Calvin Cottars, who nevertheless managed to infect us with his enthusiasm for the Cottars’ way of life—we were taken on a vintage safari car ride to the camp.

Like in a Hemingway novel

Actress Keira Knightley, who was photographed in a safari-themed fashion shoot at Cottars wrote that the camp is “like something out of a fairytale”.

It’s hard not to agree. The 1920s has been designed to recall the colonial past and give its guests a real sense of what it must have been like to safari a hundred or so years ago. Everything is reminiscent of the bygone era of romance, adventure, and elegance.

The camp

The public areas are filled with memorabilia from the very earliest days of safari. The lounge, strewn with faded antique rugs, is decorated with all kinds of colonial trinkets: old gramophones, telescopes, binoculars, ancient typewriters, vintage photos and prints, polished butlers’ trays, hurricane lamps, and other whatnots.

The tents are furnished in the same fashion. Four-poster beds take a central stage and are accompanied by billowing drapes, North African rugs, wooden rocking chairs (with a carafe of brandy right by) and other period pieces (a claw-foot tub!). In any other place, the interior decoration might feel overdone, but here it just adds to the magic of Cottars 1920s Camp, creating a homey, original safari ambiance.

The romance and heritage

Full of passion and integrity, the Cottars family maintains a place of true authenticity and unbroken connection with the golden era of safari and adventure.

History and romance come alive at night when the camp is lit up with lanterns and candles, in the danger-in-the-wilds safari tales told around the dinner table or by the campfire. But fear no dark: a Masaai warrior will accompany each guest to the tent—and he will guard it throughout the night.

The wildlife experience

The Cottars 1920s Camp is pitched on the eastern border of the Masai Mara reserve, not directly on the national park territory. Thus the game viewing is very private, and Cottars is able to offer unique activities, such as bush picnics, guided walking and night game drives. Cottars’ game vehicles are also allowed off-road, which means more freedom to follow animals.

This is done in the most professional manner, though: of the 15 gold level certified ‘professional Safari Guides’ in Kenya, 3 of them work at the camp. The game viewing here is simply superb.

in our opinion

Drawing on eighty+ years of continuous experience in luxury service and guiding safaris, the Cottars family and their team keep the romance of safari alive, evoking the atmosphere of colonial Africa.

Going on safari at Cottars 1920s Camp is an unforgettable wildlife experience and a romantic trip back in time.

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What we love

• The appreciation for quality and detail and the great atmosphere of being invited for a family trip, rather than to a hotel stay;
• Fun ride in the authentic old wooden safari car, from the Cottars airstrip;
• The adventure of a genuine safari in tented accommodation;
• Cottars is in the right spot for following the migrating wildebeest. Fantastic game viewing is almost guaranteed and the guests are accompanied by some of the best guides in Kenya. It’s the ultimate in personalised service and game guiding;
• Whilst some areas of the Masai Mara have the bad reputation for a “more tour buses than lions” kind of tourism, the Cottar's seem to have kept “their” area top secret. The experience is private and very exclusive;
• The atmosphere of a friends’ gathering at dinner (everybody dine by one long table) and the fantastic food. The service is discreet and gracious;
• Sundowners at the campfire—a long established tradition at Cottars;
• A personal butler attends each tent, and a Maasai warrior guards it throughout the night;
• It’s the real thing: the authentic safari camp experience, and Calvin Cottars is the “genuine article”, having lived in the bush most of his life. Mr Cottars can be hired as a personal game guide too.

What you should know

• The cost of stay is higher than in other camps, though on the other hand everything is included in the cost: activities, food, dry cleaning;
• Book well in advance, for Cottar’s 1920s Camp is very much in-demand. And it’s the celebrities' choice too: in addition to Ms Knightley, Uma Thurman, Don Cheadle and Ed Norton have also stayed at Cottar's—and Brad and Angelina reserved the entire camp, as they do.