Cottar's Luxury Camp Safari

Itinerary

Day 1 Nairobi - Cottars 1920s Safari Camp - Masai Mara Game Reserve (L,D)

You are picked up from your Nairobi hotel and transfered to Wilson Domestic airport for your small-aircraft flight over the Great Rift Valley onto Kenya's premier wildlife reserve. In the afternoon we will arrive in the area, and get settled at our luxury camp, our base for our time here. Then we head out for a late afternoon game viewing drive, with excellent chances of seeing the "Big 5" - lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino. The varied wildlife and natural environment come together to provide a spectacular safari experience.The Masai Mara (also spelled Maasai Mara) is a game reserve in south-western Kenya, which is effectively the northern continuation of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Named for the Masai tribes people, who are the traditional inhabitants of the area, and the Mara River, which divides it, the reserve is famous for its exceptional population of game and the annual Great Migration of the wildebeest every September and October. The Great Migration is one of the most impressive natural spectacles in the world, involving an immensity of herbivores: some 1,300,000 wildebeest, 360,000 Thomson's gazelle, and 191,000 zebra. With an area of 1510 sq km, the Masai Mara is not the largest game park or reserve in Kenya, but it is probably the most famous. The entire area of the park is nestled within the enormous Great Rift Valley that extends from the Mediterranean Sea to Mozambique. The terrain of the reserve is primarily open grassland, with clusters of the distinctive acacia tree in the south-east region. The western border is the Esoit Oloololo Escarpment of the Rift Valley, and wildlife tends to be most concentrated here, as the swampy ground means that access to water is always good and tourist disruption is minimal. The easternmost border is 224 km from Nairobi.The Masai Mara is perhaps most famous for its lions, though the other members of the "Big 5" are as well found. Hippo are found in large groups in the Masai Mara and Talek Rivers, and many cheetah, zebra, impala, gazelles, hartebeest, warthog, ostrich, topi and the Masai giraffe, among other mammals, all consider the “Mara” their home territory. As well, the large Roan antelope and the nocturnal bat-eared fox, rarely present elsewhere in Kenya, can be seen within the reserve borders. Like in the Serengeti in Tanzania, the wildebeest are the dominant inhabitant of the Masai Mara, and their numbers are estimated in the millions. Around July of each year these ungainly animals migrate in a vast ensemble north from the Serengeti plains in search of fresh pasture, and return to the south around October. These numerous migrants are followed along their annual, circular route by an entourage of hungry predators, most notably lions and hyena.

Day 2-3 Cottars 1920s Safari Camp - Masai Mara Game Reserve (2B,2L,2D)

We set off early this morning in order to witness the animal kingdom at its most active hour. Continue your safari in search for the park's large populations of wildebeest, buffalo, lion, elephants, and giraffes. Marvel at gazelles, impala and ostrich from wonderful vistas along the Esoit Oloololo Escarpment. There will be an opportunity for you to visit a Masai village to learn about, and interact with, the local Masai people. You will also have a chance to try the optional balloon safari, a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime experience. Don't forget to make time to relax and enjoy the incredible comfort of Cottars Camp; read from the extensive library, sip a drink at the pool side, or even be pampered by the resident masseuse!A 1920's era feel of the camp gives you the authentic insight into that unique time when the word 'safari' became indelibly imprinted on the imagination of the adventurer, past and modern. Drawing on eighty years of Safari service, the Cottar family will provide guests with the highest standard of personalized and professional guiding.The camp accommodates up to twelve clients in authentic white canvas tents, which are spacious and luxuriously furnished and incorporate original safari antiques from the '20's; private en suite dressing rooms and bathrooms (with old-fashioned showers and flushing toilets), the main bedroom and an outdoor veranda. There is also a pool at the Camp to enjoy during your leisure time.Guest activities include game drives with professional guides in either state of the art modern four wheel drive cars, in our authentic or old wooden car. Alternatively, a tented reading room with an extensive array of African and modern books and magazines will allow those who wish to merely while away an afternoon resting and viewing the most splendid panorama.On a more self-indulgent note, our masseuse will now be based full-time at the camp for complimentary massages, manicures and pedicures. Any other needs that guests may have will be met by butlers who have been trained to provide guests with discreet, yet attentive service.

Day 4 Cottars 1920s Safari Camp - Masai Mara Game Reserve - Nairobi (B)

Breathe in the fresh morning air as you enjoy the African sun as it rises over the savannah of the "Mara". Visit a watering hole while on a morning game drive, a perfect time and place for wildlife photography. Fly back to Nairobi Wilson Airport (domestic) where your tour ends.