The Cottars Private Conservancy and the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

Cottars 1920s Camp is situated in a private conservancy adjacent to the Serengeti National Park and the Maasai Mara National Reserve, on Olderikesi Group Ranch. This ranch is immense and we are in a continual process of formalizing it with our Maasai land lords as the land tenure and Government processes allow.

The area is home to the largest concentration of terrestrial wildlife on earth - the immense wildebeast, Zebra and plains game migration that numbers over 2.5 million animals. The landscape is rolling savannah of high altitude (6000ft), with no fences or man made structures for hundreds of kilometres, and with endemic wildlife that has never been trans located or manipulated by man; we have one of the highest success rates of big five sightings in Kenya although our focus is not on trying to see more species or checking off a list of species, rather its in the experiential and unfolding of the day style, where quality is more important than quantity.

The Maasai Mara has some of the highest concentration of wildlife in Africa, is part of the Serengeti - Mara ecosystem, and is 1,600 square kilometers in size, re-known for its numbers of species and big cat viewing and all in breathtaking 'Out of Africa' scenery.

The Mara is famous for its spectacular expanse of open grassland andample rivers and streams, from the tree-lined Mara River, to the winding Sand river and fig tree covered Talek River. The western border of the park features the Oloololo Escarpment though this area is often difficult to traverse as the swampy ground often becomes impassable after heavy rains.

The South East where Cottars is situated offers rolling hills, forested valleys and hidden corners, with the most vegetation for permanent wildlife in the entire ecosystem (browsers such as giraffe and buffalo don’t migrate whereas the grazers such as zebra and wildebeast take off to the Serengeti every year when the grass gets eaten or burnt down) The highlight of the Mara is undoubtedly the great migration of wildebeest which move north from the Serengeti in July and August in search of lush grass. They return south in October before the rainy season. Watching millions of these animals move together in mass is truly a humbling experience for human visitors.

Other animals are commonly spotted in the park including the big cats: lions, cheetahs, and leopards. Lions are often found in large prides and it's not uncommon to see them hunting. Our local mob are named after the big fellow called Henry, and they number up to 45 at any one time. Elephant, buffalo, zebra, and Giraffe roam in large herds while the topi, impala, and Coke's hartebeest are also abundant.

Our Concession

We are situated in the only part of the Maasai Mara where your privacy can be ensured and where you will never see minibuses.

Camp is situated adjacent to the Serengeti National Park and Masai Mara National Reserve, on Olderikesi Group Ranch. This ranch is immense, and Cottars has the exclusive tourist rights.