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    Mara Conservancies, Kenya

    Cottar’s 1920s Camp

    A traditional family-run safari camp

    Set in the private Olderkesi Conservancy bordering the Masai Mara

    Cottar’s 1920s Camp sits in Kenya’s Maasai Mara with access to the private Olderkesi Conservancy and the Maasai Mara National Reserve. There are 11 tents, all privately positioned; expect spacious interiors, en-suite bathrooms and verandas or decks looking out towards the wilderness.

    Explore open savannah, riverine areas and mountain terrain on private guided drives. Wildlife is at the heart of the experience, so keep your eyes open for lions, elephants, leopards, cheetahs, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, hippopotamuses, crocodiles and plenty of birdlife.

    There is a really thoughtful mix of conservation and cultural experiences. Some of our favourites include an intimate walk focused on foraging and medicinal plants, where you learn about seasonal ingredients, wild foods and traditional remedies. Then the ingredients are turned into a tasting back at camp.

    You can also spend time with the Maasai Mara’s first all-female conservation team, a trailblazing group involved in wildlife protection and community work. Or join a cheetah-focused educational experience, among other incredible ways to connect with the area.

    Dining is exquisite; think garden produce, forage-to-fork flavours, bush breakfasts, meals on your private veranda and candlelit dinners in the wild. We especially love the sundowners, where the Dugu Dugu roving bar brings a brilliant touch – a vintage Rolls Royce turned travelling bar set up in handpicked spots across the conservancy.

    Highlights

    Stay in a privately positioned tent in the Maasai Mara with access to the Olderkesi Conservancy and Maasai Mara National Reserve

    Explore open savannah, riverine areas and mountain terrain on expertly guided game drives

    Look for lions, elephants, leopards, cheetahs, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, hippos, crocodiles and birdlife

    Join a guided foraging and medicinal plant walk, or learn about vital conservation work alongside the Maasai Mara’s first all-female ranger unit

    Enjoy forage-to-fork flavours, bush breakfasts, private veranda meals, candlelit dinners and sundowners from the Dugu Dugu roving bar

    Ready to plan your adventure?

    Whatever you want from your trip, our team of expert travel designers are ready to help.

    Plan your trip to Kenya

    Whatever you want from your adventure in Kenya, our team of expert travel designers are ready to help.

    Places to combine Cottar’s 1920s Camp with

    Positive Impact
    Sasaab Lodge

    Samburu

    Sasaab Lodge

    Located on the edge of the Ewaso River in a pristine wilderness within the Westgate Community Conservancy, the lodge boasts some fantastic views and is perfectly located to give you some amazing game sightings. If you want to get involved in activities, there is a huge variety of things to get involved with but otherwise, ‘Spa Saab’ will look after you in calming treatment rooms and it even offers yoga. What’s more, Sasaab is involved in many projects with the local Samburu tribe and runs many sustainability initiatives.

    Each of the nine distinctive open-walled rooms are furnished with a Moroccan flair with simple but elegant trimmings. They are extremely spacious (over 100sqm each) with west facing verandas and their own private plunge pools overlooking the Ewaso Nyiro River. You’re higher up and closer to the Sahara here, so it can get very warm, but the lodge has been built to provide respite from the heat. The open tented rooms are airy and your plunge pool is just a short stroll from your bed.

    The family unit is ideal for two couples travelling together as well as families. This luxurious suite is spacious, featuring one en-suite double room and one en-suite twin room with a communal lounge and private plunge pool.

    The main dining area is reminiscent of a souk and is great for a lazy afternoon watching the game frequent the river below.

    The lodge has a strong relationship with the hundreds of families that live on and own the conservancy and they are very proud to give guests to the lodge a special insight into their daily lives. These cultural experiences are non intrusive and if you’re lucky, they might even invite you to see a genuine traditional ceremony in the village. Trips to the local Samburu markets take place twice a week and are not to be missed.

    Loldia House

    Lake Nakuru

    Loldia House

    Loldia Farm was established by a settler who came to Kenya by ox-wagon after the Boer War and is still owned by the same family today. The house is set in lawns, which are grazed at night by hippos from the lake.

    The farm is ideally situated to visit the flamingo lakes of Nakuru, Elementaita and Bogoria, one of the great spectacles of Africa. Lake Nakuru also offers excellent viewing of the Black Rhino and the more elusive White Rhino amongst an abundance of other bird and wildlife and is one of the best places in Kenya to see leopard. Lake Bogoria is one of the few places where the rare and beautiful Greater Kudu can be seen.

    On the farm’s 6.500 acres, guests may walk with a guide through herds of dairy and beef cattle and a flock of farmed ostriches, interspersed with impala, waterbuck and other plains game. Boat trips are also arranged on Lake Naivasha for fishing and bird watching, and visits can be made to Hell’s Gate with its spectacular canyon, hot springs and abundant wildlife. Activities can be tailor-made to suit each person!

    Loldia House offers a choice of accommodation either in the old family house or in cottages in the grounds. In the main house, four en-suite double rooms are furnished in the original colonial style. Close by is an original guest cottage surrounded by lush flowers, with a further two en-suite rooms. A newly-built cottage on the lakeshore, which is ideal for honeymooners, has two independent en-suite double rooms with breathtaking views across the lake to the extinct volcano, Mount Longonot. Up on the hill is the specially built Loldia cottage, which has its own sitting room with open log fire and panoramic views across the lake, and three double rooms, making it ideal for families or groups of friends.

    Where would you like to travel?
    Ariel view of waves breaking on a forested shoreline