You absolutely must…
Must Explore:
Because the camp is not officially pitched on national park territory both guided walking and night drives are allowed for some exceptional wildlife viewing.
Must See:
The annual wildebeest migration from around July to October is something to be seen at least once in a lifetime.
Must Shop:
For Cottars, you do the shopping before you get there. Recommended items include a long lens for your camera, a sturdy hat and a sketchpad and watercolours.
• The romance and elegance of a bygone era.
• The annual wildebeest migration is the largest terrestrial wildlife population on earth!
• The adventure of a genuine safari in tented accommodation closer to the great outdoors.
• Ninety years of uninterrupted experience in luxury service & guiding safaris.
The Whole Story
This is the real thing; the authentic safari camp experience. Not only has the Cottar family provided guests with the highest standard of safari service for ninety years, they also have the distinct advantage of operating a vast private concession located between the Maasai Mara, Serengeti and Loliondo Reserve in an area untouched by tourism or development.
First registered in East Africa by Chas Cottar in 1919 as a safari expedition, the camp was operated by his sons Bud, Mike and Ted during the Twenties, Thirties and Forties, by Mike’s son Glen and his wife in the fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties, and now by Glen’s son Calvin and his wife Louise. The family’s motto “We are not in the safari business. This is and has been, for almost a century, simply our way of life.” Cottars Camp runs contrary to the over-itinerised development of safaris and returns to the flexibility that was the essence of the original safari.
Dinner is served in the camp and thankfully there is no restaurant. Just a tent designated for dinner – a rustic but nonetheless elegant affair that strikes a delicate balance between linen, silver and crystal glassware and the great outdoors. And with a cheeky wink towards a bygone era, there are butlers on hand to cater to your every need. The bar is the bush, and vice-versa. Drinks following long established tradition are at sundown, and directors chairs are set up wherever guests fancy, in a manner that hasn’t changed since Roosevelt and Hemingway. A splendid panorama is how the Cottar family describe the view from the tents. And unlike other safari camps, you are not pressured to participate if your idea of ultimate adventure is to sit in the library tent with a good book, occasionally gazing out at the timeless beauty of the African bush.
The Rooms
Twelve guests can be accommodated at any one time in authentic white canvas tents decorated with original safari antiques from the 1920s. Despite the rugged authenticity of the tents they nonetheless have en-suite dressing rooms and old fashioned bathrooms complete with showers and flushing porcelain toilets. Spacious main bedrooms have four poster beds and open onto an outdoor veranda.
There are also four tented suites designed for families, each consisting of two en suite bedrooms, with a private seating / dining area and fireplace.