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In the remote Olderkesi area of the Maasai Mara, 106,000 acres sustain both wildlife and a community of 18,000 Maasai people. Cottar’s Safaris leases land from 6,000 households to secure a vital corridor linking the Serengeti, Mara, and Loita ecosystems and has also supported securing individual land rights for the community members.
Through guest stays and tourism revenue, complemented by the Cottar’s Wildlife Conservation Trust and The Maa Trust, we support locally identified needs - building classrooms, improving healthcare, protecting water sources, and creating women’s and youth livelihoods.
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A unique, community-led 6,000 acre Conservancy and supports up to 21,000 acres of critical wildlife corridors. Distributes 30,000 tree and grass seeds per year and profile key underserved species such as vultures.
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25,000 local Massai, by supporting medical and educational facilities and their land rights.
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Support and promote indigenous knowledge and African conservation storytelling and promotion of Maasai Storytelling in social media reaching over 5 million view per year. Provision of unique impact activites.
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Invest USD $783,502 in payments for ecosystem services, and community and cultural initiatives, raised through donations and conservancy fees.
We believe that true sustainability lies in balance - responsible business supporting ecosystems, communities, and cultures. Cottar’s Safaris is proud to be one of only twelve accredited Global Ecosphere Retreats® in the world under The Long Run, and hold Kenya’s Gold Ecotourism Certification. These recognitions reflect not just how we operate, but why we exist.
As a member of The Long Run, we live by the 4Cs: Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce. Every guest who stays with us becomes part of this model. Your safari directly funds the protection of wilderness and wildlife, and helps strengthen local communities and cultural heritage.
Through your visit, you help us:
By choosing Cottar’s Safaris, you are not only experiencing an authentic safari, you are actively helping secure a future where wildlife, people, and culture thrive together.
Supporting a 7,600-acre community-owned conservancy, 21,000-acre wildlife corridor home to the following threatened and endangered species: elephants, black rhino, cheetah, wild dogs, pangolins, leopards; crowned eagle, martial eagle and ground hornbill. Distribute 30,000 tree and grass seeds per year and profile key underserved species such as vultures.
Provision to 30,000 Maasai through medical and public health services, schools and women’s microfinance programmes. Empowerment of staff with over 60% of senior staffing positions being held by women.
Promotion of Maasai storytelling in social media reaching over 5 million views per year. Provision of unique impact activities that support cultural heritage.
Yes, we could buy carbon offsets as a measure to reduce our carbon footprint – but this would mean buying credits elsewhere and likely investing in monoculture. Instead of that approach, we want to help our community and nature’s backyard which includes grasslands, rivers, mountains, significant biodiversity and community. So instead of off-setting, we have a policy of being carbon honest and localized in-setting. In-setting has a circular benefit for the area and includes credibly monitoring our carbon footprint and investing with localized precision and clear benefits to nature and the community.
In partnership with The Maa Trust, we ensure communities are central to conservation by integrating well-being with environmental stewardship. Together, we’ve undertaken a comprehensive needs assessment covering 97% of households in Olderkesi, ensuring our initiatives genuinely reflect local priorities.
Through this collaboration, we support sustainable livelihoods, education, and enterprise projects that strengthen the connection between community prosperity and long-term conservation success.
Discover how our needs assessment is shaping meaningful community impact here
Cottar’s Wildlife Conservation Trust (CWCT) works to secure land for biodiversity and expand conservation support beyond the Olderkesi Conservancy - a vital pilot area connecting a critical wildlife corridor between the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Serengeti National Park, and the Loita Hills.
Together with CWCT, we help preserve natural habitats, protect wildlife, and safeguard the land from poaching while ensuring tangible benefits for the surrounding community.
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Cottar’s Safaris is one of only twelve accredited Global Ecosphere Retreats® under The Long Run, and holds Kenya’s Gold Ecotourism Certification. These recognitions highlight a deep and long-standing commitment to responsible travel, conservation, and community.
Revenue from guest stays, alongside funds from the Cottar’s Wildlife Conservation Trust and The MAA Trust, goes toward locally identified needs such as building classrooms, improving healthcare, protecting water sources, and creating sustainable livelihoods for women and young people.
The company helps manage a community-led conservancy of 7,551 acres and supports a 21,000 acre wildlife corridor. Initiatives include distributing 30,000 tree and grass seeds per year and profiling under-served species, such as vultures, to enhance biodiversity protection.
Cottar’s Safaris supports 25,000 Maasai through medical and educational services and women’s microfinance initiatives. It also invests in local cultural preservation, amplifying Maasai storytelling across social media platforms (reaching more than five million views per year) and funding unique community-impact activities.
Instead of purchasing carbon offsets, Cottar’s Safaris practises “carbon honesty.” The company measures its carbon footprint and invests in localised projects that benefit both nature and the community. This in-setting approach ensures circular, long-term benefits for grasslands, rivers, mountains, and biodiversity, rather than supporting distant monoculture offsets schemes.
Yes. We’re leaders in ethical tourism:
One of Twelve in the world to achieve the Long Run Global Ecosphere Retreat® sustainability standard
Work with 7,000+ locals in the community-owned Olderkesi Conservancy
Focused on the 4Cs: Conservation, Community, Culture, Commerce
Working with the Maa Trust for socioeconomic investments
Cottar’s Safaris is a global leader in sustainable tourism. Our key credentials include:
Global Ecosphere Retreat® (GER): One of only 12 in the world, this is the highest standard in sustainable tourism, audited across Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce (the 4Cs).
Gold Eco-rated: The highest certification from Ecotourism Kenya, recognising our responsible management of energy, water, waste, and community engagement.
Ecosystem Restoration Standard: The only conservancy in Africa to achieve this global benchmark from Preferred by Nature.
Aligned to the 2030 Biodiversity Framework and SDG’s
Annual Impact Statements produced
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