Mara Conservancies, Kenya

Cottar's 1920s Safari Camp

Vintage safari camp on the private Olderkesi Conservancy

Safari in style on the border of the Maasia Mara

Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp is located within a beautiful community-owned concession close to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve and the Kenyan border, a timeless setting with incredible views over the game covered plains that surround it. Adding an extra layer to this camp is the fact that is closely involved with local community and conservation efforts, meaning that your stay is benefitting many.

The camp itself, colonial in style with dark woods, swathes of canvas and antique pieces, is made up of ten tents, spaced out to ensure privacy. Of the ten, four are family suites with their own living rooms and fireplaces and there also a unique honeymoon suite. All have en-suite showers and safari baths and showers can be set up in the savannah for unforgettable ablutions.

Two main mess tents sit at the heart of Cottar’s with areas for fine dining, drinking, reading and relaxing. There’s also a swimming pool and spa.

The Cottar family have decades of experience here and they count the highest number of Gold (the highest professional level) Safari Guides within one camp in Kenya, each chosen for their unique skillset and personalities, meaning a safari here, whether on foot or game drives, is always a fantastic.

Cultural interaction with the local Maasai community, with whom the Cottars have worked in partnership with for years, is authentic and not at all touristy. The award-winning camp also has some of the highest ecotourism ratings going.

Highlights

Four luxury double safari tents, all en-suite

Two unique honeymoon tents

Three family safari tents

Swimming pool and spa

4x4 day and night game drives

Guided bush walks

Cultural excursions

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Places to combine Cottar's 1920s Safari Camp with

Positive Impact
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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.

Borana Conservancy

Arijiju
Arijiju is, simply put, one of the most beautiful houses in Africa. An incredible piece of modern architecture, the private-use retreat sits in the rolling Kenyan hills of the Borana Conservancy as if it’s always been there, borrowing elements from Swahili and Ethiopian vernaculars. Arijiju works very closely with other nearby properties and communities to protect the wildlife and migration corridors. Besides those efforts, the lodge itself is also constructed of local materials and makes use of solar power. Vast wooden doors lead down cloisters and through sun-trapping garden courtyards to a waterhole-overlooking infinity pool and the main house with its expansive living space with a library (which can also function as an office), kitchen, games room and cinema, as well as the grand double-height lounge and dining. Gourmet meals are health focussed, farm to fork affairs enjoyed here, on a sunny terrace, by the pool or perhaps on a rustic picnic or decadent safari dinner. There’s also a charming spa, hammam steam room, gym, yoga studio and hot tub. Arijiju can sleep up to 10 people in its five beautiful suites. Three are located in the main house while two others are in more private buildings a short walk away. Each is unique but all are bathed in light through vast archways of glass, with grand furniture, fireplaces, copper roll-top baths and outdoor showers. There is no schedule for guests at Arijiju and there are a plethora of adventures on offer. From private game drives and walking safaris in the game-rich Borana Conservancy. You can also mountain bike or go trail running accompanied by a support vehicle, ride horses, take quad bikes out to fly camp for the night, explore verdant Ngare Ndare Forest, or take a helicopter flight to see the summits of Mount Kenya. Behind the scenes, 14 staff keep everything running smoothly, the team including butlers, talented chefs, private game rangers, grounds and housekeepers, security and your manageress host Karina along with her two dogs, Lula and Digby.

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.
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Chyulu Hills

Ol Donyo Lodge
This remarkably special lodge sits in the heart of the 275,000 acre Mbirikani Group Ranch on the slopes of Chyulu Hills National Park. No two suites are the same, but each offers beautiful views of Mount Kilimanjaro and the waterhole. All six suites plus one two-bedroom family unit have their own plunge pool and enjoy roof terraces where intimate “star beds” can be set up, allowing guests the thrill of sleeping in style under a canopy of endless stars. Earthy tones characterise the interiors, with flashes of colour, wildlife photography and local craftwork adding style and personality. En-suite bathrooms feature flush loos, indoor and outdoor showers, a deep stone tub and double basins. The main lodge has a lounge with a large stone fireplace, a small library, extensive verandah and dining room. There’s also an infinity pool, perfect for sinking into at the end of the day or to cool off in the midday heat. The lodge has a strong and healthy relationship with the local Maasai population with whom they share the land. The ranch is owned by 4,000 Maasai and is leased from them, with the lease fee and the conservancy fee being fed back into the community. Due to its location, the possibilities to explore the land are endless. Guided bush walks are very popular and offer insight to the fine details of the African bush. It is also possible to venture farther afield on horseback or bike. An open-air hide enables guests to get close to the game in the area and game drives are available early morning and late afternoon.