To reach Cottar’s 1920s Camp, you’ll board a small aircraft in Nairobi that will land on a rust-colored strip of earth in the Masai Mara. There, you’ll meet Enock, your guide, who will lead you into the private Olderkesi Conservancy, beginning with your first game drive along the border with Tanzania’s Serengeti. But the real journey begins when you arrive at your destination — this remote stretch of bushland where Charles Cottar arrived in 1909, inspired by President Roosevelt’s African Game Trails. What brought me here were the team at Journeys by Design, a travel design agency specializing in authentic, conservation-focused safaris (journeysbydesign.com). Charles settled in this area with his family and founded “Cottar’s Safari Service,” one of the first registered safari companies to host tourists — including the Duke and Duchess of York. Still today, mornings begin at dawn with a steaming cup of coffee sipped in the silence of your tent, followed by breakfast out in the bush. You can unwind in the camp’s bathtub set on your veranda, relax at the spa, and in the evening, gather around the fireplace to hear the many legends tied to the camp. It’s an experience made up of timeless gestures and awareness — magic, and the utmost respect for this land and its inhabitants. Today, it’s Calvin Cottar who drives the evolution and depth of one of the continent’s oldest camps. He has dedicated his life to preserving the family business while also fighting for the development of ethical tourism in the region. “The ‘Cottar’s model’ helps demonstrate how nature-based tourism can simultaneously improve biodiversity conservation and promote financial equity among rural communities,” Calvin tells me during dinner in the main tent, as the fire crackles in the hearth and guests laugh with the staff, surrounded by family photos and mementos of countless adventures hanging on the walls. It feels like a deluxe version of a summer camp — the same camaraderie, the same joy, the same intimacy. “Cottar’s isn’t for everyone,” Calvin continues. “It’s not a place for those who believe staff should be seen and not heard. This has never just been a hotel — it’s an experience, and the people who work with us are an essential part of it.”

Words and pictures Meraviglia Paper.