Our US rep. and dear friend Brooke travelled to Kenya and Cottar’s in the Maasai Mara in August, and here she tells us all about her wonderful trip and what it’s like to travel to and in Kenya now.
Kenya is definitely ready to welcome international guests, and international travellers should feel assured that they are in the best of (gloved and sanitized) hands when choosing Kenya for safari and sea, sanity and serenity (I think we all need a strong dose of both these days!).
After a few “opening day” glitches and a flattening of the learning curve, you can feel confident about venturing out to this spectacular country. As Simon Penfold of Scenic Air Safaris, a Kenyan and Nairobi resident, said to me: “Kenya is not ‘fooling’ around when it comes to protocols. There are no grey areas when it comes to safety, security, health and hygiene. The government has been very clear from the beginning about what needs to happen to ensure safety for citizens and guests: wearing a mask in public is now a law passed in parliament; the curfews are strict and enforced; every camp and lodge must pass a health certification which includes a health official on the property to check and green light the SOPs and is only good for three months and then there is another visit and re-certification.”
With a bit of planning, attention to detail, and ability to be flexible if needed, guests will enjoy some of the most sought-after animal viewing, personal space and privacy, rest and rejuvenation, and sense of accomplishment and connectedness knowing they are directly and positively affecting the renewal of conservation and community initiatives that are more imperative than ever.
In the end, as you’ll read below, it is easy to get to Kenya, into Kenya, and around Kenya:
- A Negative PRC Covid-19 test within 96 hours of arrival
- The QR code from a health form declaration
- Insurance to cover travel/medical and Medivac
- The right partners on the ground
- And a mask!
And, as we’re coming up on October, one of the best months to be at Cottar’s especially, as that is historically when the migration moves south and spends time right in front of camp before crossing the border, a last-minute trip feels like the best way to start celebrating the end of this year.
Entry Requirements and Logistics
First, of course, you need to check to ensure you are coming from a country that is allowed into Kenya without quarantine if you’ve met all the entry requirements. Keep in mind, Kenyan authorities have access to airline booking info, so a traveller’s complete route is readily available to them for security purposes if needed. Those who can arrive now, will not have to quarantine as long as they present a Negative Covid-19 PCR test taken within 96 hours of arrival. I had mine on a Friday at noon, got it back Saturday morning, started my journey in Denver on Monday at 11:45am, and arrived in Nairobi on Tuesday at 8:30 pm.When it comes to the Covid-19 PCR test, you have several options, and I encourage being as specific as possible to avoid any misinterpretation or frustration on the ground. The Covid-19 PCR tests need to be official, FDA and/or CDC approved (or respective for your country), and should have a doctor’s letter with signature or stamp to go with it (that’s “officially” of course … I didn’t have a doctor’s letter and talked my way through after we addressed my COVID test issue in the next paragraph).
In Colorado, my health insurance policy is with Kaiser Permanente, and I am fortunate that Kaiser in Colorado has a travel centre that is doing complimentary COVID tests for leisure travel with 24-hour turn-around time. I asked multiple times if the test was PCR and they assured me, yes, so I didn’t question any further. When I presented my test to the Kenyan officials, they said that nothing on the documentation stated PCR and so I had to talk my way through 10 minutes of questioning, guaranteeing, and pleading. Afterwards, I investigated and found out that my test read NAA, which stands for Nucleic Acid Amplification (of course my husband Johann jokes it really means “Not Accepted in Africa” … great!). NAA is a higher level, more comprehensive and complex test than just PCR; PCR falls under NAA, which is also FDA/CDC approved. So, I would suggest proactively understanding what the COVID test you’re taking will read and ask to have the details spelt out and included on the test or the doctor’s letter.
When determining how to get a COVID test, first, plan ahead and understand your options. Check with your health insurance (how I got mine), your municipality (some cities have public centres where you can make an appointment), look at some of the at-home test kits now on the market (which are how many people I know are getting them done), or find private doctors that will do in-home testing (I know of a family in New York who were going to have issues with the turn-around time because of a long holiday weekend, so found a doctor who would come to them on a Sunday and turn around the results on the Monday holiday so they had the results in time for their flights Tuesday, however that was at a significantly higher cost than even the at-home kits you administer yourself). From conversations with others, I’ve heard the at-home test kits cost between $250 and $350 per kit, and again, you want to make sure they are PCR, which not all are. I haven’t tried any of these myself but know of others who had success with: Picture Genetics, Pixel Labcorp, and The COVID Consultants.
While I typically do not get involved with giving travel and medical insurance advice, since it is a hot topic that I was asked about, Johann and I have supplemental travel and medical insurance with AmEx that we pay for monthly ($13) and it covers everything on the ground (not getting us back to the USA). I called them before the trip and they assured me that my coverage was universal as long as I was away from my main residence, I have up to $100,000 for any emergency coverage, with no restrictions, exceptions or exclusions if I got COVID and needed medical. I was at Cottars with guests from the UK/Europe who told me there are a few good companies that provide insurance coverage to countries where the FCO (or equivalent) say not to travel, one of which is High-Risk Voyager.
For those who need a visa to enter Kenya, I strongly suggest getting an e-visa ahead of time. In the past decade, I have successfully applied for five e-visas, so for this trip, I wanted to understand what the visa upon arrival experience was. On the ground in Nairobi, it was seamless; I filled out paperwork that wasn’t cross-checked with any sort of official ID other than my passport and handed over USD$50 in cash. However, during my initial check-in at home in Denver, they didn’t believe I could get a visa upon arrival so I had to take out my computer, go to the Nairobi airport website, and show them the page stating that I could and then show them the cash I had to pay for it. The day before I landed in Nairobi where I successfully got my visa upon arrival by paying with cash, I have forwarded an email from an entity in Kenya (not one that I work with nor covered in this report) saying that “visas would only be available online and to be paid for with a credit card.” I mention this because, as we all know, there are different bits of information out there and things change almost too consistently, so again, why I just suggest getting everything done and dusted before arrival.
Then Kenyan Ministry of Health is requiring all travellers to fill out a traveller’s health surveillance form and present their Novel Coronavirus QR Code to Port Health Officials upon arrival before entering the terminal for temperature and documentation checks, and immigration. I had received information at the time saying this needed to be filled out prior to disembarkation, so I assumed I could do it on my layover in Frankfurt. This was also an issue during my initial check-in, where I was instead made to fill it out at the counter, so ensure you fill out the form ahead of time, and I would encourage both printings out the QR code and having it readily available electronically as well:
https://ears.health.go.ke/airline_registration/
Exit Requirements
Some people are going to need a COVID test again in order to leave Kenya, either because their airline carrier requires it before they can board (not all do; I didn’t need it for Ethiopian but believe you do on Emirates, though they are also the only airline offering travel insurance coverage that I know of to date), or because their home country requires it (not all do; I didn’t need it to re-enter the USA), or because they are travelling on to another destination in a multi-country itinerary (that wasn’t me; personally, with all the moving parts and changing tides, I feel more comfortable sticking to longer stays in one country for the foreseeable future, but others will want to continue with combinations). So, all in all, I did NOT have to get another test in Kenya.
It is possible to get COVID tests in Kenya prior to departure and just like everything else, just get it set up ahead of time so there are no hiccups. AMREF will do COVID tests in Nairobi, and there are various clinics and doctors available as well, so it will depend on the itinerary and where guests are, when, and for how long.
High Flying
Because Denver, Colorado is my home base, I most often fly United and have status with Star Alliance. There are of course Middle Eastern carriers that enable travellers to avoid transit through Europe, however transiting through Europe isn’t an issue at all, and many of those Middle Eastern carriers have more strict and stringent requirements when it comes to COVID tests, such as another on the ground in the country you’re visiting before re-boarding to go home and I wanted to avoid having to do that. I flew United DEN-ORD; Lufthansa ORD-FRA-NBO; and Ethiopian NBO-ADD-IAD-DEN.
We have all heard people say they trust the experience on the ground and that they know they’ll be #saferonsafari, but what concerns them are the long-haul flights. While I honour that nervousness, my experience made me feel safer travelling now than in years past, especially on international flights. Travelling domestically around the USA, passengers do not need to show a negative COVID test within a certain timeframe to board, my temperature was never taken, I wasn’t asked about my health nor had to fill out forms, and the three airports I experienced didn’t have floor markings for social distance standing or on the trams, seats roped or blocked for social distance sitting, ubiquitous hand-sanitizing stations, etc. (same with re-entry; the only question I was asked was “did you enjoy your vacation” and no paperwork or declarations were asked for except my Global Entry documentation).
The experience made me believe that NOW is this is the BEST time to be on a long-haul flight. There are (sadly) so few passengers that every cabin I walked through had more distance between passengers than I have at my neighbourhood supermarket. I had absolutely no issues transiting through Frankfurt and in the end, it was actually faster and more seamless than my other 6+ transits per year in past years. The only COVID-questioning I encountered was just before boarding the final leg to Nairobi, and then upon landing at JKIA. Upon boarding every flight, I was given a sanitizing wipe and reminded to wear a mask at all times, except for when eating or drinking. Yes, travellers are technically required to wear a mask throughout the entire flight except when eating and drinking, and I did wear mine while sleeping and outside of meal service, though on long-hauls, especially in Business, the dining service can take up to an hour and be multiple times so there are times and ways to take a break if people feel comfortable with that based upon how many other passengers are in their cabin and how close they are.
Every flight I was on boarded priority passengers first, the rest from the back to the front, and de-boarded in sections from the front to the back. To generalize, my domestic United flight was mostly full (100% in Business and 75% in Economy); my over-water Lufthansa flight had relatively few travelers on the entire plane (about 20-30% between the upper and lower Business class sections, and 30-40% in economy); and my Lufthansa flight from Germany to Kenya was a bit fuller (still only eight passengers total in the two Business class sections, 50% in Premium Economy, 75% in Economy). A colleague who recently flew from the United States to Tanzania on Qatar via Doha reported about 40-50% occupancy in Business class.
Also, while this isn’t a guarantee since travellers know they are going to have their temperatures taken upon arrival at their destination and are being asked and screened for health info (Kenya specifically), along with complimentary ticketing changes, it seems like those going to an airport and travelling are healthier now than ever before; if people are sick they don’t choose travel because they won’t be let in or will be quarantined. I have flown many times before with the person next to me burning a fever, sneezing and coughing, or otherwise visually unhealthy, and I felt confident knowing that people on my flights were healthy.
Low Flying
Upon arrival at JKIA I will say that the protocols in place are spot on … literally … there are circular floor markings everywhere showing where to line up and stand, and officials to monitor it. I walked off the international flight, went into one shuttle just for Business class travellers (they had multiple for Economy as well) that had markings and sanitization stations on board. At the terminal, there is a covered area outside where you line up in several rows on distancing markers and are sent up to your health screening one by one. People showed their QR code, their COVID test, got their temperatures taken, proceeded to immigration (I first went to fill out my visa form), and then baggage claim (I didn’t have checked bags, but the general area was empty). Even with my COVID test issues, I was still in and out within 25 minutes.
In Kenya, I flew both private charter and public scheduled. In Nairobi, before going into any building everyone has their temperature taken and is directed to a hand washing station. At a high level, the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority has outlawed headsets and required the removal of headsets from all aircraft; magazines and non-essential paperwork have also been removed from the back seats.
SafariLink and other light scheduled aircraft
Many scheduled operators acknowledge that removing or blocking a seat is not economical and therefore do not and will not practice this. The only law on the books is that PPE is required for pilots and passengers. Before boarding my flight from the Mara to Wilson my temperature was taken, I was given hand sanitizer and told I was required to wear a surgical mask throughout the entire flight. There were four other guests on the flight with the two of us (so six to start), and we made one stop to pick up another two (so eight in total to Wilson). I didn’t see any interior cleaning or disinfecting before and after various guests hopped on or off. As safaris pick up again and the 2021 season gets packed with postponements from 2020, you will see these flights full of passengers (hopefully!); I do not know if in time they will change their current standards and cleaning procedures with a mixed cabin, so in the end, while yes it all comes down to budget, travellers are going to need to be prepared for a full flight with various people coming and going.
Scenic Air Safaris for private charters flights
Scenic Air Safari’s sister company provides all the aircraft for the UN, RedCross, and other entities that require ISO standards be strictly adhered to, and so Scenic Air Safaris follows their lead and operates under those same protocols (here is SAS’s guest-facing SOP doc; let me know if you want the full 37-page doc). They have their own unique Health Declaration Form, hygiene protocols, in-flight specifics, and are of course always 100% private to each booking so you’re only ever travelling with your personal party. Scenic Air Safaris Cessna Grand Caravans are configured with a luxurious Executive Oasis interior, which provides ample seat spacing equal to 1m between seated passengers.
Each aircraft (from handrails to carpets to seats to all surfaces and beyond) is sanitized before and after guests’ board with a solution that contains a minimum of 70% alcohol base, and the ground crew wears face masks and shields along with surgical gloves. All pilots wear face masks throughout the flight and a new “COVID Curtain” has been installed in each plane, which is a canvas awning with a plastic viewing window separating the cockpit from the passenger cabin; it’s not airtight but it is cough and sneeze-proof while still allowing the conversation to take place without the headsets typically onboard. In addition, pilots can communicate with passengers through the onboard intercom system so guests are still given full preflight briefs and also given interesting information about the flight and scenic flying when applicable. Hand sanitizer is required for all passengers prior to boarding and disembarkation, and masks need to be worn for the duration of the flight as well.
Private Jet-Setters and How Scenic Air Safaris Services Them
Covid-19 protocols do not change the system regarding private jets, other than social distancing, hand sanitizing, and mandatory mask-wearing. All arriving passengers must have a negative PCR Covid-19 document, and a traveller’s health surveillance form that needs to be filled out before departure and that will be submitted upon arrival. So now, let’s understand the specific difference of a Wing to Wing Transfer and a VIP Meet & Assist. However, regardless of which you choose, all passengers must disembark their aircraft:
Wing to Wing Transfers For Private Planes
Because biometric fingerprint screening is a requirement on arrival in Kenya, all passengers must disembark the aircraft and go to a designated customs point – by this, I mean a point that has a biometric machine. So, instead of people having to go the main terminal, Scenic Air Safaris hires out a brand new, private lounge between Terminal 1D and Terminal 1E.
This is a highly personalized offering and Simon Penfold and his team always meet private jet arrivals on the tarmac to welcome them to Kenya. While they take people to the private Scenic Air Safaris Jet Connect Lounge, bags are offloaded and screened, then taken to the Scenic Air Safaris aircraft, which is parked next to the private jet, and loaded on board.
Inside the Scenic Jet, Connect Lounge guests will be offered tea, coffee, water, and more. Immigration officials come with a machine and do the biometrics, stamp passports, check documents, etc. Once that is all done, all people are then taken by private transport to their charter aircraft, which is parked next to their jet, for departure to their destination.
VIP Meet & Assist
This service is when Scenic Air Safaris works with Tradewinds to have a team member meet passengers, take them through to normal immigration, assist with bags, and then take them over to Terminal 1D, onto private transport, and across to their charter aircraft. It allows for expedited passage through immigration, baggage collection, transport to Terminal 1D, and then private transport to the charter aircraft.
Private Jet Arrival Options in Kenya
For those arriving on private jets, it is possible to avoid Nairobi by landing at Eldoret, which is much quieter than JKIA. Scenic Air Safaris can get Tradewinds to do the VIP Meet & Assist there, though not Wing to Wing transfers (those are only available at JKIA). Cost-wise, to pick up in Eldoret and drop off at Ol Jogi, for instance, would be around $3,270 plus the departure taxes of $8pp, so all in all, it would be a cost increase of around $1,300 versus a VIP Meet & Assist pick up from JKIA (this is because of the dead leg to Eldoret).
For those coming through Nairobi, Wing to Wing is a viable option. Cost-wise, a Wing to Wing transfer with drop off at Ol Jogi, for instance, would be around $3,900 total (Wing to Wing costs more than the VIP Meet & Assist at JKIA).
Private jets cannot land at Cottar’s as it has an unpaved airstrip with shorter ASD than requires: jets need more than 2kms. Current options outside of JKIA for private jets are as follows:
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Eldoret International Airport – As far away as JKIA, and so there is no real advantage to land there, but it is possible.
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Isiolo International Airport – Runway is tarmac and about 1.5kms long and at 1,067meters (3,501 feet) above sea level (altitude makes a difference for landing/take off), which means jets can technically land, but it is very limited as to which jets and the total weight.
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Mt Kenya Safari Club (domestic only) – Runway is in Nanyuki and is a long tarmac but at high altitude and so also very limited.
In short, all international private jets with clients wanting to access Cottar’s are best off the landing at JKIA in Nairobi and then connecting to their respective property. When I flew with Scenic Air Safaris from Ol Jogi to Cottar’s on another trip, it was 1.5 hours of the most beautiful and interesting scenery. Upon take-off, we had Mt. Kenya on the left and the Aberdare mountains on the right. We flew over the equator, past beautiful waterfalls, saw the flamingoes that come from Lake Natron, soared above Lake Elementaita, Lake Nakuru where shifts in tectonic plates have caused changes in the salinity level, and Lake Naivasha (freshwater).
On Property Protocols and Peacefulness
First, in order to even open, properties had to develop SOPs (here is Cottar’s), get every staff member tested before they could come back, pass a thorough in-person inspection, get issuance of the Ministry of Health Covid-19 Clearance Certificate (which is good for three months then they come to check again and re-issue), and comply with the Kenya Tourism and Travel Health and Safety Protocols. Cottars have also gone a step further and are in process of implementing a system called I Auditor, which is an online checklist system that each staff member/department will have to check off daily that the camp manager then checks.
Upon arrival at the properties, staff will be wearing masks and gloves; bags are taken to be sprayed and sanitized before being brought to your room/suite/tent; guest temperatures are taken and by law, are taken daily. At Cottar’s I received a guest COVID-kit: a personal tote containing a mask, hand sanitizer, and wipes. There are foot-operated hand-washing stations and/or touchless hand-sanitizer dispensers set up throughout the property. Throughout the country, guides and guests are supposed to be wearing masks, and if you go to a property that doesn’t offer the same level of exclusive privacy that Cottars can offer, that might be mandatory and preferred, however, Cottars has the Private Bush Villa and a 4P-package for new bookings into Cottar’s 1920s Camp that includes private vehicle, guide, tracker, dining, activities, and more, there can be a conversation about everyone’s comfort level as to when to wear a mask or not.
I personally didn’t wear a mask on the property knowing that the entire staff had been tested before welcoming any guests, and with the conscious awareness that we all kept our distance and didn’t hug (so sad!). That said, the majority of the staff did continue to wear their mask and servers all wore gloves (I told some I was perfectly fine with them not wearing those things, in part because the waste being created by COVID is killing my soul and so where I could help eliminate even something as simple as a paper towel vs. a cloth towel I did). When I arrived at Cottar’s I learned that one of the first bookings they had as soon as Kenya opened was a family from New York staying in the Bush Villa for a week, and as the family had COVID in NY, they also didn’t want to wear a mask and weren’t afraid of getting sick; many people, myself included, seem just a tad more concerned with bringing COVID into a camp that has done so much to ensure the health and safety of their team than getting it.
Game drive vehicles are also deep cleaned and sanitized before and after game drives. Cottars has all open vehicles and have put a plexi shield between the front seat where the guide is and the back where the guests and tracker are; that said, guests can request for it to be removed (as I did) and if there are new bookings for the 4P-package then guests receive a private vehicle anyway (this will be honoured no matter how full the camp is in peak season next year with new bookings and postponed bookings … so book away!).
Dining has never been better in my opinion! Cottars have the most extensive organic garden onsite, so fresh is FRESH! They have done away with the open-kitchen buffet demonstrations and communal dining. All individual parties will enjoy private dining in different areas throughout the camp with family-style offerings for the table. I ate in the main tent, on the lawn, by the pool, on the villa veranda, etc. I also test teams as I have particular needs and wants when it comes to F&B. The team came to the party to learn how to make my Bulletproof Coffee (I brought my own MCT oil and they provided the butter), when I asked for a salad-strong and Keto-based menu they served up some of the most fabulous salads (seriously, the micro-greens coming out of the Cottar’s garden are some of the best I’ve ever had), perfect portions of bacon, fruit smoothies and green juices, and more. Dining is important to me since I have Celiac and more than ever I’m concerned with travelling anywhere since cross-contamination will result in a fever++ and could result in major issues since we’re basing everything on temperature checks these days. Cottars was able to cater to me seamlessly.
Cultural experiences are going to be limited this year in part because Kenya has cancelled the school year and so schools simply aren’t open. Currently, many community projects are closed. And village visits to Maasai manyatas, such as the ones within the Olderkesi Conservancy that Cottar’s leases land from and works in lockstep with, really shouldn’t be taking place because again, outside travellers are more likely to bring COVID into these isolated and protected communities that haven’t yet experienced COVID-related sickness or worse simply by not having outside visitors. Now that said, Cottar’s still works with their local Maasai who is either on the property or close to the property who will come in the evenings for discussions, dances, and other demonstrations of their cultural heritage.
In the unlikely event that a guest falls ill on the property, Cottar’s has a quarantine area set up and access to basic medical assistance to help a guest determine their next step. Cottars took two Family Tents out of inventory for isolation wards if needed. In addition, they have “Virtual Doctor” coverage, which is offered free of charge to guests. This means that guests get a virtual link to an online doctor for advice, then decisions can be made. Flying Doctors have special facilities for moving clients who need medical assistance and possibly have COVID. This coverage is included automatically for each guest. Of course, all travellers are required to have insurance as the cost of evacuation to their home country, medical treatment, or other needs is at their expense and responsibility. Properties can keep them isolated, provide as much onsite assistance as possible, and communicate with those who would be needed if their medical situation escalated.
Cottar’s Safaris
I’ve had the pleasure of calling Cottar’s a home-away-from-home for the past couples of years in a row, though always realize I pale in comparison to the most devout guests who have been anywhere from five to twenty-five times or more. And again, I can see why! Three nights is not enough, and the team realized this and created the most impressive “Stay Longer Full Circle Safari” special. Of course, I enjoyed the game drives (hello Henry Pride of lions), hikes (I summited Cottar’s Peak three times in one week), e-bikes, seed ball dispersal, and canvas bush baths from years past, but this time I was able to dig in deeper to the conservation mission and community ethos that is Cottar’s. One of the new offerings I really enjoyed were the nightly presentations on the history of safari, conservation and community, the life of a hunter-gatherer, the Maasai culture, and more; there is a different theme each night.
The Stay Longer Safari includes time at either Cottar’s 1920s or Bush Villa (both of which I’ve stayed at before, and stayed at this time, too) along with several nights at the Conservation Camp and further afield with the luxury Mobile Camp. I enjoyed a night at the Conservation Camp, a true throw-back tented experience that allows guests the best access to the Female Ranger team, whom I met with, and various unique conservation initiatives (vultures, eagles, and bees, oh my!). This was one of the best nights I’ve had in the bush: fireside night-caps, the lantern-lit journey to my tent, a hot safari shower, comfortable cot with luxurious linens, and melodic stream-side location. I got there from Cottar’s 1920s on an e-bike and retuned to Cottar’s 1920s on a guided walk with Calvin Cottar and our tracker, Katipwa. It’s not often guests have the opportunity to be hosted by Calvin (that comes at an additional price) and it was eye-opening to walk the three-hours back to Cottar’s 1920s and see some of the land-use change that he speaks so passionately about. Outside of the Olderkesi Conservancy where Cottars is located, we saw ancient Cedar trees cut down to make insect-repellant fence posts, clear-cut forests used for subsistence farming, and other unfortunate examples of how without tourism, land lease payments, or forward-thinking conservation and community planning along the lines of what Cottars is doing, the landscape of Africa and Earth will forever be changed… not necessarily for the better.
Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp is a Long Run property that follows the four Cs: conservation, community, culture, and commerce. With a mission to create mutually beneficial relationships between wildlife and local communities, the family founded the Cottar’s Wildlife Conservation Trust (CWCT) and established the 7,608-acre Olderkesi Community Wildlife Conservancy, within which the camp is located. The land they operate on is leased from the Maasai who continue to own it, and with a location nestled between the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania and the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, their corridor is a sliver of sustainability that is home to the largest concentration of land-based wildlife on the continent and is also as rich in diversity of flora as it is fauna.
I didn’t have the opportunity to spend a night in one of the mobile tents used to get guests further afield but did see them. The Stay Longer Safari includes nights in lux, yet streamlined, mobile tents. When I say this, yes, I got a nice run-down of the ultra A-list celebs who have used these as they are totally private, off the beaten path, can be set up at various private sites, and, are light enough to easily be moved. Johann always speaks about “mobile tents” that are so “obese” they might move twice a year. These can be taken down, transported, and set up within a day so you can really be on the move, or just far away from everything and anything for a few nights. Inside the tents, there is a hot water shower, a flush toilet, electricity, storage, fans, etc. This is one of the best ways for guests to see a Mara River crossing during the migration while still being away from the crowds and with the Cottar’s team. These are also the mobile tents that can get guest to the Loita Forest of the Lost Child, which is a sacred forest that holds deep meaning to the Maasai. It is the oldest old-growth forest in the country, full of bamboo and big game, including lots of leopards. The Maasai believe it is a place where God resides and so they honour and revere it. While sadly trees are being cut down on the Tanzanian side, the Kenyan side is still pristine. I feel like people should spend seven nights since there are seven hills and seven rivers that paint the picture of this Great Rift Valley ecosystem (but know we don’t all have that time). For an epic departure, take a chopper out as there is no airstrip; you’d otherwise drive out or, for true athletic feet, hike or bike (quite hard and time-consuming as you’ll go from 6000ft to 9000ft, or vice versa). I’ll take the chopper, thanks!
The Call of the Wild and Open
I’ll leave you with this … as I sit in my office writing this and watching the first season’s snowfall in September, I’m also thinking ahead to the North American winter – Jan, Feb, Mar – and pondering where I want to be at that time. Not stateside, stuck inside without outdoor dining options, limited access to biking and hiking and other open-air activities. I’d much rather be working from, schooling from, or adventuring from Kenya, which is spectacular during those months (historically peak season for European travellers to visit). Safari and sea, safety and security, privacy and pampering … just sayin’ … there will still be fewer guests than next summer when all the postponed plans will take place, so for those wanting the best of the best now
…KENYA IS CALLING 🙂
Thank you, Brooke!
If you would like more information or further support, please do not hesitate to contact us: info@cottarsafaris.com
