Vintage safari bastion
Guests gather around the campfire boma for evening storytelling, surrounded by white canvas tents and the sounds of the Olderkesi wilderness.
What it’s good at
Remarkable
Gold-level safari guides, dedicated private villa staff, and evening canvas baths drawn under the open sky.
Remarkable
Established in 1919, Africa's oldest continuous safari family business operates across five generations in the Mara.
Remarkable
Unbroken safari traditions, evening campfire storytelling, and seasoned guiding running continuously for more than a century.
What they say
UK Readers' Choice Awards – Africa
Condé Nast Traveler
2025
The camp has great traditional interiors, full of campaign and colonial antiques and lined with kilims, cotton dhurries, and paraphernalia from decades of African safari.
Tucked away
A place apart: the property is the destination.
Set within the private Olderkesi Conservancy, the grounds directly border the Maasai Mara and the vast plains of the Serengeti.
The rooms
White canvas tents feature genuine campaign antiques, woven dhurries, private verandas, and traditional canvas tubs filled for open-air soaking.
The cliff-edge pool
Bring a swimsuit.
A stone pool perches on the hillside above the conservancy, flanked by sun loungers and dining tables.
The safari baths
Bubble-filled canvas tubs are set on open-air decks for evening soaks looking across the savannah.
The gym
Stationary bikes and strength equipment sit beneath an open-sided canvas tent looking directly into the bush.
Bar
Mess Tent & Lounge
Communal dining tables and a wooden bar stand under canvas, flanked by campaign antiques and vintage chandeliers.
At the table
Private villa meals unfold under vaulted timber ceilings, and bush breakfasts are served out on the plains.
How it began
Founded in 1919, this is Africa's oldest continuous safari operation, stewarded today by the fifth generation of the Cottar family.
Stay here
Cottar's Safaris
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Maasai Mara
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Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.