Cottar's Safaris

My wife and I were on a safari-oriented tour of Africa, which included four nights in the Masai Mara at Cottars. We were overwhelmed by how magnificent it was. Cottars is, I believe, the oldest active Safari camp in Kenya and they have preserved the seemingly authentic sense of continuity with 1920s Africa. The accommodations spectacular and completely in keeping with the terrain and “context“ of the wild places that we were visiting. We were fortunate enough to stay in the “honeymoon tent“ and it was a dream, overlooking the African bush. Our main guides, Douglas and Letura, were phenomenally knowledgeable about the African bush and led us on magnificent drives twice a day. They were extremely accommodating, willing to adjust the drives to seek out the things we were most interested in. However, wildlife is, of course, unpredictable and they were able to take advantage of any local circumstances to give us the best possible experience regardless of which animals appeared at which times. They shared with us their extensive knowledge of local cultures, tribes, and African history in addition to being literal fonts of knowledge about the wildlife we were seeing. We had a chance to visit a local Masai village, and that was a riveting and illuminating experience. One of the amazing things about Cottars is how integrated they are with local communities and how committed they are to sustainable practices. The entire camp is run with solar power, and they have an extensive garden (which we were able to tour with the head gardener) that supplies a significant part of the food that they serve. The food is exquisite (sometimes we felt like we had dropped into a “food tour“)! They provide resources for the local communities and due to their policies they have been able to preserve vast tracts of land for sustainable practice and wild animal populations coexisting with local villagers. The rest of the staff, to a person, were also phenomenal. Every aspect of our stay was unparalleled. I cannot recommend them highly enough!

We went to Cottar’s for our honeymoon and truly had the most incredible time. We stayed for 5 days and every day was fantastic. From the impeccable decor of the tents to the food to our incredible guide, our stay could not have been better. The staff was like family by the end of the trip and they all went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and accommodated. I also have a number of dietary restrictions that they were so respectful of and accommodating for. The game viewing was also great - our guide, Neebo, was fantastic. We saw 4 of the big 5 including leopards (just missed a rhino which is hard in the Mara!) we cannot wait to visit again

This camp is so grossly overpriced. It's old and lazy , just like the guide Dennis, who could care more about sleeping than our safari. My husband first noticed how he just seemed to keep driving circles, up and down the same roads. He never explained in depth about the animals, just "it's an eagle", or "it's an impala". Then when we were watching some buffalo, Dennis fell ASLEEP!!! WHO DOES THAT?? We were so disgusted and disappointed in everything at this camp. Will not return and definitely will not recommend it to all of our friends who frequent Kenya.

Our guide, Enock, and our tracker, Salash, were very professional and we had great game drives. Richard, our room steward keep our room neat & tidy and got our laundry washed. Peris was the camp manager and made sure everything was running smoothly. The food was amazing. The entire staff was very friendly and helpful. I have stayed in several different properties in the Mara and found the tent could use some updating. Also, I was sharing this room with a friend and there were two beds. However, one was a double and the other a single. If the furniture was rearranged differently, two double beds would be able to fit into the tent. For the amount of money being charged for this property, the bed situation was unacceptable. That is the reason I did not give this camp an excellent rating.

This was our last, third, safari camp of our ten-day travel, and what a fantastic place to finish. The staff was extremely welcoming and attentive to all details. The accommodations were very spacious and comforting. All of the meals were delicious and very accommodating to our schedule. Our guide was very informative on all of our rides. The whole staff was exceptional. I truly cannot say enough great things about our experience at the camp. We really like that they own their own property, so you are not always competing with all of the other safaris in the area.

What an amazing experience! Our family can't say enough great things about Cottar's and the excellent service provided to us. From early morning safari drives to watch lions, cheetahs and leopards to a memorable visit to a Masai village, we were blessed!