SteppesTravel
Menu
Popular Destinations
See our full list of destinations
Tailor-made & Group Tour Holidays
See all of our Holiday Ideas
About
Travelling Safely
Our Content
When to Go
Best time to visit
Our People
  • Amy Waters snow biking Our Team

    Steppes Travel is made by the people who work here. Incredible holidays are made possible because of their vast travel experience and the great enthusiasm they bring to their work.

  • William Dalrymple Our Tour Experts

    We carefully select our experts based on their knowledge, companionship and influence, ensuring that you can travel with the most knowledgeable leaders in the field.

  • Liz Bonnin Heroes and Heroines

    The people who lead the way when it comes to those things which matter to us: exploration, the environment, women’s empowerment and education.

Tent Interior, Cottar's Camp, Masai Mara, Kenya
Home Hotels Cottar's 1920s Camp

Cottar’s 1920s Camp

Add to wishlist Contact us

Cottar’s 1920s Camp harks back to the original safari spirit – antique furnishings, marquee tents and cut glass service. In keeping with the original idea when Chas Cottar and sons first launched adventure safaris in 1919, today Calvin Cottar is the fourth generation to continue this family tradition offering a distilled “Out Of Africa” experience.

Why we like Cottar's 1920s Camp

This camp is all about the family and the history behind it. Over the years, the Cottar’s have guided royalty, tycoons and politicians. They remain the first family of the safari business and still know East African adventure better than anyone else.

Sustainability

The Cottar’s Wildlife Conservancy Trust (CWCT) has pioneered an innovative model to conserve land in partnership with landowners. The CWCT has long-term lease agreements in place with more than 6,000 individual landowners. This not only ensures that the land can be re-wilded but also spreads the economic benefits across the wider community, rather than limiting it to a few community leaders.

Besides this, the conservancy employs people from the same community to then manage and protect this land, as well as investing in schools, clinics and boreholes in the surrounding areas. Cottar’s aim is to be successful and sustainable for the next 100 years. And, thanks to this innovative approach, the camp is well on the way to ensuring this.

Facilities

The 10 spacious canvas tents are furnished with four-poster beds, fine linen, feather duvets, and claw foot baths. At night, the camp takes on an even more evocative feel with hurricane lanterns dotted all around. Dinner, like everything else in camp, is a lavish affair – fine-dining by candlelight and always silver service, maintaining a family tradition that has lasted for over 80 years.

The nearby private house is an even more decadent affair, suitable for family gatherings. Booked on an exclusive basis, it comes complete with its own 25-metre pool. The five en-suite bedrooms all offer spectacular views of the savannah and there is a dedicated staff of eight to look after you.

Activities

Cottar’s offers a range of a similar range of activities to many safari camps in the region, but it is renowned for the quality of its guiding. It currently employs three gold-standard guides – the most of any camp in Kenya. Activities include:

  • Day and night game drives
  • Guided bush walks
  • Cultural visits to local Maasai village
  • Massage and spa treatments
  • Running with a Maasai warrior
  • Canvas bush bath
Read more

Nearby experiences

  • Safari
  • Walking and Strolling
  • Migration
  • Guides/Guiding
  • Conservation
  • Cultural
  • Game Drive

Price guide

£££££

Location

Cottar’s 1920s Camp is located on the southeastern edge of the Masai Mara, close to the border with Tanzania. It is outside of the national reserve, located within the Ol Derikesi Conservancy. Game drives take place in the conservancy and the reserve, but the lack of neighbouring lodges means that this part of the reserve is relatively quiet.

Idea
Kenya
Flying Safari to Amboseli, Meru and the Mara
Fly in comfort, on a chartered plane, across Kenya’s wild landscape. Begin with the elephant-dominated grasslands of Amboseli, before flying north to the baobabs of Meru. End in the spectacular Masai Mara, the highlight of any trip to Kenya.
8 days from £6,210pp
Tortillis Camp, elephants, Amboseli, Kenya
View Holiday Idea
Idea
Kenya
Highlights of Kenya including Masai Mara and Coast
This trip combines three of Kenya’s most popular destinations: the Laikipia Plateau, the Masai Mara and Diani beach. Making use of private concessions, domestic flights and secluded locations, it avoids the crowds and kerfuffle of many tourist hotspots. Abundant wildlife, spectacular surroundings,…
11 days from £6,325pp
Tsavo East National Park, Kenya, Africa
View Holiday Idea
Idea
Kenya
Laikipia and Mara Photographic Safari
Set out on a photographic safari through the heart of wild Kenya. Capture the best of Africa’s wildlife on camera, in private conservancies, with exclusive use of a vehicle and guide. Fly between Laikipia and the Masai Mara, spending time at luxurious…
7 days from £6,325pp
Walking Leopard female Kaboso in Masai Mara, Kenya shutterstock 238382482
View Holiday Idea

Need Inspiration?
Browse our Kenya holiday ideas.

We know a thing or two about bespoke holidays – we’ve been creating them since 1989. Take a trip through the Kenya holidays that we love today.

Idea
Kenya
Flying Safari to Amboseli, Meru and the Mara
Fly in comfort, on a chartered plane, across Kenya’s wild landscape. Begin with the elephant-dominated grasslands of Amboseli, before flying north to the baobabs of Meru. End in the spectacular Masai Mara, the highlight of any trip to Kenya.
8 days from £6,210pp
Tortillis Camp, elephants, Amboseli, Kenya
View Holiday Idea
Idea
Kenya
Highlights of Kenya including Masai Mara and Coast
This trip combines three of Kenya’s most popular destinations: the Laikipia Plateau, the Masai Mara and Diani beach. Making use of private concessions, domestic flights and secluded locations, it avoids the crowds and kerfuffle of many tourist hotspots. Abundant wildlife,…
11 days from £6,325pp
Tsavo East National Park, Kenya, Africa
View Holiday Idea
Idea
Kenya
Laikipia and Mara Photographic Safari
Set out on a photographic safari through the heart of wild Kenya. Capture the best of Africa’s wildlife on camera, in private conservancies, with exclusive use of a vehicle and guide. Fly between Laikipia and the Masai Mara, spending time…
7 days from £6,325pp
Walking Leopard female Kaboso in Masai Mara, Kenya shutterstock 238382482
View Holiday Idea
View all holiday ideas

Where to stay in Kenya

Our team has handpicked this collection of properties to give you luxury options in styles to suit any journey.

More luxury accommodation

Africa

House in the wild

  • Safari Lodge
  • £££££

Tucked away in Naretoi, a 1000 acre private estate within the Enonkishu Conservancy, House in the Wild sits on the banks of the Mara River.

 House in the wild aerial view, Kenya View Property
Kenya

Lewa Safari Camp

  • Safari Lodge
  • £££££

Lewa Safari Camp is a charming and very homely safari camp, with an excellent reputation in the world-renowned Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. The sense of space is the first thing that strikes you about the camp, with…

 Pool, Lewa Safari Camp, Laikipia, Kenya View Property
Kenya

El Karama

  • Safari Lodge
  • £££££

El Karama – meaning ‘treasured possession’ in Swahili – is a small, family-run lodge with a reputation for great, home-produced food and impeccable sustainable travel credentials. Murray and Sophie live on-site with their two young children…

 Landscape View, El Karama Lodge, Laikipia, Kenya View Property
Kenya

Kicheche Laikipia Camp

  • Safari and Wildlife Lodge
  • £££££

Kicheche Laikipia is an intimate and classic camp in the heart of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, overlooking an active waterhole and the friendly staff and excellent guides make this camp a firm favourite. The camp consists…

 Tent Exterior, Kicheche Laikipia Camp, Laikipia, Kenya View Property
Kenya

Angama Mara

  • Safari and Wildlife Lodge
  • £££££

Set high up on the Oloololo Escarpment, over a series of three protruding kopjes, Angama seems to hang from the edge of the Rift Valley. It can lay claim to the view that was made famous…

 View from deck at Angama Mara, Masai Mara View Property
Kenya

Olonana Camp

  • Safari and Wildlife Lodge
  • £££££

This contemporary safari camp lies in a private concession on the edge of the Masai Mara National Reserve. Looking out over the famous Mara River, it sits at the base of the magnificent Siria Escarpment, which…

 Olonana Camp, Masai Mara, Kenya View Property

Start planning your trip

01285 880 980

Send us an enquiry

Complete our enquiry form and start your next journey.

Enquire

You created an amazing adventure for me!

Kenya

Bridget was extremely knowledgable and gave expert advice on everything we asked no matter how trivial our questions were! She even advised on the type of luggage and packing suggestions which was brilliant!!

Kenya

Why Choose Steppes?

Our knowledge and expertise set us apart. So too our curiosity. It is this that drives us to create a journey that is really bespoke to you, all the while ensuring we travel and operate sustainably.

Are you ready to discover extraordinary once again?


More about Steppes

F L E X I B I L I T Y P R O M I S E B O O K W I T H C O N F I D E N C E

Featured in the press