“Cottar’s 1920s Camp, in the Mara, Africa’s great landscape, is quintessentially safari-romantic, with oodles of style. The twenties furniture and gramophone, the Vuitton trunks and the hotties may all sound a bit kitsch but, strangely, it’s not. This is the most authentic combination of the traditional colonial safari and modern comfort. The alchemy of safari and sophistication is masterminded by Calvin Cottar, tall, handsome, a thirty something fifth-generation Kenyan who’s a god: think the fashion clout of Calvin Klein combined with the ability to save your life if charged by a buffalo. Cottar’s attention to every detail – from the food to the tracking, to the hefty sundowners (there’s no such thing as a ‘small’ drink here), to the kilims in the sitting room, to the rhythm of Africa – makes this camp so special.”

Winner of the Tatler Awards for Best Tented Camp

“The Cottar clan is referred to in the book as the First Family of the safari business. If you want to track the safari bloodline, you go to Cottar’s”

Travel + Leisure: World’s best awardsFollow The Leaders

“For those who find themselves hooked on Africa, there comes a time when the want something different, …not every guide can take you there. Some do not have the taste for it and some do not have the know-how, but Calvin Cottar and his 1920s safaris come with the kind of pedigree and promise that is hard to resist.”

Financial TimesRomance full of pedigree and promise

“One very special place, however, aims to give its visitors a unique encounter with Africa. Cottars 1920s Camp harmoniously fuses the elements that make for a stylish, comfortable, one-of-a-kind safari adventure”

Architectural DigestEVOKING THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE EAST AFRICAN ADVENTURE

“Over the years, Cottars has guided royalty, sports figures, assorted tycoons, and scores of more down-to-earth types on safaris completely tailored to meet their needs and desires”

BloombergTrekking Into Africa

“If you ask old Africa hands to name the best guides, Cottars appears at the top of every list”

Conde Nast TravelerInto the Bush with the best

“Cottar’s Safari Camp is sublime: pure Out of Africa. The golden age of safari is recreated in a heady cocktail of marquee tents, antique furnishings and liveried staff”

Harpers AbroadTHE 150 BEST PLACES ON EARTH – Winner ‘Best Tented Camp in the World’, 2003

“Take White Hunters from the bookcase in the lounge of Cottar’s 1920s Camp and open it to the chapter “Trailblazers of the Twenties.” There you’ll find a photo of a hunting party, among whom is Calvin Cottar’s grandfather Mike. The hat he is wearing now sits on top of the bookcase. The Cottar clan is referred to in the book as the First Family of the safari business. If you want to track the safari bloodline, you go to Cottar’s.”

Travel + LeisureFollow The Leaders

“Within Kenya, Cottar’s and their 1920’s Camp and Villa keep a very low profile, but globally – this small family-run, purpose-driven company punches way above its weight.”

Conde Nast TravelerTravel + Leisure 2019

“To the south, set right next to the Maasai Mara reserve, Cottar’s 1920s Camp (from $800 per person per night) has “great traditional interiors and great family heritage,” Briggs says. “They’ve been doing safaris here almost a hundred years.” The tents are laden with campaign and colonial antiques, the floors lined with kilims and cotton dhurries. Some of the largely Maasai staff and guides have been with the Cottars for decades. The food is superb, the whole vibe is classic ‘Old Africa’—it’s fantastically stylish," says Briggs.”

Editors' PicksThe Best Safari Lodges and Camps in Africa 2015