A Taste for Travel at 70! A Solo Escape to Cottar's 1920s Camp

Janet Manuel

An AirKenya booking, 40 minutes and an early morning – that is all it takes! Seamlessly you are transported from Wilson and a grey, damp November Nairobi to the Mara plains. A panorama of endless vistas, blue skies and herds of plains game.

This is exactly how solo travel at 70 should be... and Cottar’s 1920s Camp delivered like dream. Enock and Giza were not only cheerful and welcoming as I stepped from my 12-seater set of wings, but they are both a tome of wildlife knowledge and expert story-tellers, skills in a wildlife guide that mark excellence.

Cottar’s 1920s Camp is situated in the wildlife rich and private Olderkesi Conservancy, bordering the famous Masai Mara National Reserve and the vast Serengeti Plains of Tanzania. They are proudly part of “The Long Run,” a global membership organization which joins tourism with conservation. The Long Run 4Cs framework has been developed to protect the wilderness through a holistic balance of Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce. The benchmark of success is attaining the prestigious Global Ecosphere Retreat status, and Cottar’s 1920s Camp is one of only ten properties worldwide to have gained this GER recognition.

An early morning flight and a host of meagre meals alone at the TV meant that the tastes and tales that accompanied my bush breakfast beneath one of the many iconic sausage trees (Kigelea africana) in the Black Rock Valley were a delight.

Before me, the plains were dotted with impala, wildebeest, Thomson’s gazelles and zebra. Elephants plodded gently across the horizon as I indulged in a full English breakfast, good conversation, a vista of ages and birdsong all around me; I immediately felt at peace.

If the tale is in the journey, then mine had only just begun as, over the next few hours, Enock pointed out the Coke’s hartebeest, the befuddled looking topi and the more unusual smaller creatures; the leopard tortoise, the agama lizards bobbing on the rocks, banded mongooses going about their business and the many beautiful birds. My highlight, a lifer as they say: A rosy-throated longclaw!

To travel to Cottar’s 1920s Camp is to travel back in time, to be removed from the mundane and ordinary everyday life and be transported to the old that has become novel and new. The camp feels as if you are stepping into the pages of “Out of Africa,” an era of Karen Blixen and Denys Finch Hatton, an age of glamour, pioneers and explorers. Everywhere were beautiful antiques and relics of a bygone age, old safari trunks, vintage family photos and Persian rugs decorate the tents and mess areas.

But the ethos of Cottar’s Safaris is far from 1920s, it is all about the future of safari, about conservation, sustainability, community development and the local Maa culture. It was the very people who have called this land home for many thousands of years who greeted me, by name, as if I were family returning home, and perhaps I was, as immediately I felt at ease – all the trepidation of solo travel seeping into the emerald grasslands.

Solo travel at 70 is about new faces, places and activities. Meeting people one might not cross paths with at any other time, learning from them, of new cultures and tasting new dishes. But it is also about the luxury of curated peace.

Cottar’s 1920s Camp prides itself on its cuisine and deservedly so. Bonny, the chef, has complete access to the camp's organic garden, where 80% of the camp's vegetables and fruits are sourced. A passionate gardener himself, Bonny and has made another smaller kitchen garden where he grows micro-greens, herbs and edible flowers to use in his salads and dishes and to decorate the exquisite desserts he serves.

My luxurious family tent came with a safari lounge, an open log fire and comfy armchairs beside photographic books for those cold Mara nights; a huge verandah with 180-degree views, a canvas bush bath under the trees and total privacy. Serenity ensured.

Daybreak in the bush is a golden moment, and as I dragged myself from a luxurious sleep and into a waiting vehicle, the dawn chorus accompanied us to a coffee stop on top of a high ridge with spectactular views over the Masai Mara plains into the vast Serengeti. Enock found us lions, elephants, giraffe, warthogs, gazelles and more. As we wound along bush tracks we learnt too of different species of flora and plantanimal-insect symbioses.

As we rounded a leafy corner in a small forest, our thoughts on breakfast, we were met with beautifully laid tables and Mukaka, our bush chef, greeting us from his wild kitchen! Every possible culinary option was laid out for us and Mukaka cooked our choice of eggs to perfection.

Established in 1919, Cottar’s Safaris is the longest operating family safari business in East Africa, and so is itself part of history. Calvin Cottar, the 4th generation of his family to be in the safari business, hosted us at dinner that evening. Calvin himself is a Kenya Gold Guide and, on several occasions has been voted best guide in Africa. His story telling is second to none and matches his passion for conservation, sustainability and community development.

Cottar’s 1920s Camp is a family friendly camp with lots of educational activities for children and adults alike. The Explorers Tent is full of jars with exciting and fascinating snakes, bugs and butterflies for the children to discover, not to mention the poo table where animal droppings are exhibited and and can be handled and identified by parents as well as their children. It contains many old photos of times gone by, old books including a few first editions and many other Masai and natural history exhibits to browse through.

Also on offer is the Masai Warrior School where children and adults can hone their archery and spear throwing skills. A morning of learning with the female conservation rangers, a star gazing experience complete with telescope to discover the African night skies. A medicinal bush walk, a coffee tasting experience and frequent sustainability talks and experiences. In addition guest also have the option to try Masai beading with resident beader Mama

Nashiro, learn about cheetah and elephant projects in the Masai Mara with experts, visit a local Masai village or enjoy an immersive raptor experience with KBoPT ( Kenya Birds of Prey Trust).

The Cottar’s Spa offers a full range of treatments from reflexology to hot stone massages and everything in between. Phanice, the Spa Manager uses only organic african ingredients, oils, herbs and essential oils to massage away your stress and jet lag! The camp is proudly plastic free and working hard towards being net carbon zero. All waste from the kitchen is recycled and most of the power is solar. Electric vehicles are the next goal.

Cottar’s 1920s Camp is an immersive experience into wildlife and the Masai culture for discerning travellers. It is not a tick-box destination for tourists. As a single, more mature solo traveller I felt welcomed and embraced at all times by the friendly staff who always made sure I was looked after and never felt isolated.