Name: Cottars 1920s Camp
Address: Maasai mara, Serengeti National Park, Serengeti National Park, Serengeti National Park, 00100, Tanzania
Rating: 10

24-hour reception

Elevator/lift

Gift shop

Garden

Private check-in/check-out

General

Bridal suite

Room service

VIP room amenities

Rooms

Laundry

Safe-deposit box

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Diet menu (on request)

Breakfast

Breakfast in the room

Restaurant

Packed Lunches

Meals

Internet access

Internet

Airport transportation

Transfer

Spanish

German

English

Italian

Languages Spoken

Offsite parking reservations required

Parking

Swimming pool

Outdoor pool

Pool and beach

Fax and copy machine

Conference Hall

Business

Massage

Beauty and wellness

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

At the hotel

Keekorok

Olkiombo Airport

Mara Lodges Airport

Cottars 1920s Camp

Serengeti National Park

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

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25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

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3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

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38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

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

A must visit in the Masai Mara!

Had an awesome stay at cottars. It's  was a perfect place to relax after I had a busy 10 days.
Excellent food and friendly staff. The tent was beautiful, the biggest I've stayed in. Lots if free activities to enjoy, I did the massai warrior school and taught the staff how to play croquet.

One of my favorite places

We spent 5 glorious days at Cottars with a large group of friends last week.  The entire trip was phenomenal!  The food was delicious and all the staff are truly exceptional.   This was a trip of a lifetime and we would certainly recommend Cottar’s.  Our time spent at your lodge exceeded all of our expectations.  Thank you so much Cottar’s for such a phenomenal experience!

Amazing Trip of a Lifetime!!!

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.

Perfect end to safari

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!

AMAZING!!!

Cottar's far exceeded our expectation.  It is, without a doubt, the best safari camp in Kenya. The camp is just as pictured- elegant, comfortable, picturesque, and secluded. The service was incredible and tailored to our needs. Our guide Mako was a true professional and knew exactly where to take us on safari. The animals were stunning. Our respect for nature and Africa deepened. Everyone at the camp was friendly and lovely.  We felt like we made life long friends in just a few days.  Our only regret was that we didn't stay longer.  Stay a minimum of four nights- and take the bush bath!

BEST vacation ever!

This was our second stay at Cottar's Bush Villa, for our family of 5 adults.
Cottar's is so much more than a luxury camp, it truly offers an amazing and unique Safari experience - That's what I said in 2019 and it's still true today!

The Villa is amazing, with 5 large bedrooms overlooking a spectacular view of the Mara and Serengeti...but it's the staff that makes it truly special.  William catered to our every need, arriving with a smile.  Phoebe kept everything spotless and did the most amazing job with our laundry.  The food was outstanding, with the chef catering to our "picky" eaters.  The desserts were some of the best we had in Africa.
Pampered doesn't even begin to describe the experience they provided.  They even did a bush breakfast, complete with table cloths, fresh flowers and cooked to order eggs - all setup on the banks of the sand river so we could enjoy the view of eland and zebra's.

Game drives were incredible.....again, not just because of the animals but the guiding.  Douglas is exceptional...yes, he is a Gold Star guide but even more than that, he is engaging, funny and truly a friend.  Going out of his way to make our stay at Cottar's the best Safari Experience possible.  We saw leopard, cheetah, elephants (my wife's favorite) and the elusive Mara Rhino...he also took us to the Mara river to see the migration - 200,000 Wildebeest is a sight to behold (and not forgotten).

Cottar's offers a "Warrior School" as a side activity.  I'm sure this is normally for kids; however, my two grown sons had the best time with Moses and Lettie, a highlight for certain.  
You would enjoy this regardless of age.

The Camp also has a resident Eland w/ baby...such a treat to see.  It's an experience to be able to interact with such a  beautiful creature.

I have to say - You might arrive at Cottar's as a guest, but you will leave as a friend.

Looking forward to our next stay.....

Amazing and Wonderful Safari Experience

Cottar’s 1920s camp, as the name suggests, is a safari camp. What that means is that unless you’re staying in the amazing 5-bedroom, brick-and-mortar Bush Villa, you will be staying in a very large and beautifully decorated canvas tent.  We were coming to the camp from incredibly nice and more modern accommodations elsewhere in Kenya, so it took us a bit to adapt. But altogether, we really enjoyed our stay and the overall experience. Some comments:

Lodging: we stayed in a family tent, which comfortably sleeps four people. As a plus, it has 2 separate, full bathrooms, which is handy for getting ready for the early morning drives. As a con, it has no views. Our tent just opened up to a grassy area. For killer views, you’ll need to stay in one of the honeymoon suites (for 2 pp) up the hill. I also thought that it was a bit too dark inside the tent at night but, alas, it is a tent.

Experiences: While game drives are main attraction, they provided a variety of fun activities during our stay. We didn't get to do all of them, but there was beading (lovely older Masai lady teaches it without speaking a word of English); a quick but interesting typical dance show; outdoor ‘bush bath’ in canvas bathtubs (definitely a highlight if your tent has a view…); archery; massage; electrical bike rides (charged extra); or just lounging in the Disney-esque main hall. A highlight was a visit to a nearby Masai village (also a small extra charge), where we got to learn a bit more about the local culture. With a full camp, there was a bit of competition for some of the more scarce resources (e.g., massage, outdoor bathtubs, or bikes), so it might be wise to plan and book those ahead in spite of their advice to let your days just flow flexibility.

Staff: This is where Cottar’s really shines. Everyone there is soooo nice and friendly. You have a dedicated safari guide who will manage your day-to-day activities (and eat most meals with you, which was perhaps a bit too much for us...). The tent comes with an assigned housekeeping person, laundry is done daily (same day), the wait staff is super nice, the office and shop staff is very helpful - and it looks like they really enjoy working together. They do try to go above and beyond.

Game: We were there in June before the start of the ‘great migration’, which meant fewer tourists, but we didn’t get to see the hordes of zebras and wildebeests that come from the lower part of the ecosystem (Serengeti in bordering Tanzania) to the upper part (Mara in Kenya). But we did see everything else you would expect in a safari (except for a rhino - next time!), including lions, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, antelopes, and tons of elephant families. The latter won’t be there once the migration starts so there is a trade off. There is a lot to see close to the camp itself, but the actual Masai river is over four hours away on a loooong and bumpy (but beautiful) jeep ride.

All said, Cottar's was a great stop. Highly recommend it!

Stellar service in a Safari camp

We decided to finally push through despite repeated cancellations and rebookings. This place has been my dream camp to stay at. They surely did not disappoint.

We have stayed at a lot of beautiful hotels, resorts and properties throughout the world. I can surely say that more than the beauty of the property itself, the quality of service was excellent. It’s one of those places make you feel like you are part of their family. 

We had some hiccups, due to pesky COVID. The staff rallied to make our stay as worry free as possible.

Thank you for going above all our expectations.

Thank you Perris, William, Phoebe, Isaac and all the staff, for our good food, nice warms beds, and keeping us safe at night.

Special mention to Wilson, our guide, for taking good care of us. Helping us see great wildlife and taking our numerous pictures. You made our safari experience unforgettable.



Vacation in the time of COVID

My husband and I were at this camp for three a nights in October 2019.  It truly was beyond anything I could possibly imagined.   And I had high expectations!!!
I could write a novel but will try to keep it a short as possible.
We were met at the little airfield by a man named Niboo. He ended up being our spotter for the next three days. Animals were right on the airfield!!  We starting taking pictures. He laughed and told us not to waste our time on aminals so far away.  before  we even go to camp we saw families of warthogs and families of baboons both with babies. We saw herds of zebras , giraffes , a momma cheeta with her three babies, water buffalo.  And believe it or not three different lions. Gazelles were as plentiful as deer . Elephants thus far were a bit in the distance but we saw them .
We arrived at the amp and it was amazing.
 Our “tent “ was decadent with king bed running hot water all amenities . Lovely deck to sit . We heard nightLy visitors. Zebras . Monkeys. My husband heard lions roaring one night .
. We had our own person to help us out with anything we could possibly think of. Lucy. (Thank you ) arrived with coffee an treats every morning before our morning ride. When we came home our place was cleaned and perfect. She encouraged us to take a bush bath and arranged it fo us .  Well worth it.  Do it !!!
The meals were great. Things may be different now but we were at that point all encouraged to mingle with other guests and guides and spotters to exchange stories  and pictures .
We took our breakfasts on the road  by choice. We had everything from fresh hot coffee and omelets and croissants while watching lions or cheetahs in front of us .
The absolute high lite was Enoch . He was our guide.  we were with him upwards of 12 hours a day including relaxing at meal times. His skill is beyond skill. A gift maybe. With one snort from gazelle he could tell we would find a leopard . With one odd look from a zebra he would know there was a lion. He and niboo really were an amazing team that found us animals and situations we never imagined. But we were always safe .
This is getting a little long so I will just say. I would go back thereina flash.  And recommend this camp and especially Enoch and niboo 
It was life changing

Cottars 1920s Camp

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