Cottar's Bush Villa

The day begins with an early morning wakeup call at 3.30am with tea and coffee followed by a 4am departure to the launch site to enjoy a balloon safari over the Maasai Mara. The drive from camp to the balloon site takes about one and a half hours. At dawn you will board and take off, rising as the sun rises, floating in whichever direction the winds of the morning take you. The pilot can precisely control the altitude of the balloon, sometimes flying at treetop height, sometimes lower. At other times he will ascend to one thousand feet or more to see the enormous and wonderful panorama of the Masai Mara, offering a unique perspective and great photographic opportunities of the wildlife below. The flight will last about an hour and upon landing, you will enjoy a full breakfast with a traditional Champagne toast.

Make traditional Maasai beaded jewellery with a Maasai Mama

Get a behind the scenes and experience the protection of the elephants in the Greater Mara ecosystem with Mara Elephant Project (MEP) including meeting the rangers, refreshments and an interactive presentation about the work of MEP. Activity must be pre-booked.

One hour learning with the only all-female conservation rangers unit in Maasai Mara.

Join the conservancy rangers on a patrol over the beautiful Olentoroto hill, listen and learn about the struggles and dreams of the local community, as they face their day to day mission of wildlife conservation. Have lunch with the conservancy managers at the Conservancy Camp and get a deeper understanding of this community based conservancy; the work that CWCT does, and how you can have an impact. After lunch you can walk / drive to the local village and/or disperse Seedballs with the Olpalagilagi Schools Conservancy Club.

We visit both our wildlife-rich Olderkesi Conservancy and the Masai Mara National Reserve. Morning, evening ,all-day or night drives with our highly trained and knowledgeable safari guides.

All walks are led by a professional guide and accompanied by a licensed gun bearer. Bush walks can start from camp or can be a part of a game drive. They give you the chance to view the unique ecosystem from a completely different perspective, and to learn about botany and entomology, and how to interpret animal tracks and signs. The walk can be as long or as short as you wish.

Immersive Raptor Experience with Kenya Birds of Prey Trust (KBOPT). Learn about conservation efforts for raptors in Mara - $780

Children, from 5 years and above, soon become immersed in this captivating and fun outdoor classroom, where the guides become the teachers, explaining different species and the importance of conservation.

Spend a few hours visiting our local primary school, you will get to meet the children and sit in on a few classes if you wish, or join in on the daily football game. Something for those seeking a more engaging and immersive safari experience.

Visit a Maasai Village and experience their rich culture. This involves a trip to their Manyattas (mud huts), village setup (security, healthcare, education and management of resources e.g. meals, water, firewood), local market with wonderful Maasai artefacts/attire for sale, their live-stock and much more. You will learn about ancient traditions as well as contemporary struggles and adaptations to modern life.

Children and families are invited to learn the ways of a warrior with the African bush as your classroom. A session includes spear throwing; bow and arrow practice; Maasai jumping, dancing,singing, beading and tracking, depending on age and ability.

The Mara Meru Cheetah Project provides science for conservation on cheetahs and understanding on predators’ role within the broader ecosystem. Guests can choose from a range of experiences from a one-hour talk on cheetah with our guides, to spending a half-day out in the field followed by followed by a talk with the head of Mara Meru Cheetah Project, Dr. Elena V.Chelysheva, PhD

Cottar's Bush Villa has its own 25 metre swimming pools with lounge beds and a shaded dining table.

You are given packets of Seedballs and as you drive or walk on your safari, please throw the seedballs out, one at a time. They are encased in a special coating which will activate at the right time for germination. Your packet contains approximately 225 indigenous tree, or grass or plant or flower seeds that are critical to the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem. We are replenishing the tree species that are endangered in our area. Indirectly, we are also supporting species such as elephants, butterflies, bees and other insect life that is key to the biodiversity in this area. This year, our aim is to plant 30,000 indigenous trees. Your complimentary packet will help us get towards our target, thank you for helping our local ecosystem and helping Cottars become net positive!

For the more energetic travellers, morning or evening runs can be arranged with a local Maasai warrior as your guide.

We have a number of treatments available at the Spa which is located near the main Mess Tent area. We only use organic ingredients and allow our guests to choose the ingredients to make their spa experience truly bespoke.

Learn western and African interpretations of the African night sky, from our top guides about the stars seen from the African equator.

A short walk around Cottar's 1920s Camp, visiting our Explorer's Tent, 4Cs centre and the back of house to view our organic vegetable garden, solar power farm and sustainability initiatives.

A 45 minute drive away to the sand river with your guide where you may swim under the falls, dive of the rocks and do some fishing for cat fish with local style fishing rods and hooks.

After a day out game driving, soak and relax in our unique canvas bush bath: A traditional style canvas bath is set up in the open-air outside your tent, as you bathe, you can enjoy the wild beauty of the Masai Mara, this is best done watching the sunset from your tent between 6 - 7pm.

Under the vast African sky, while enjoying an evening cocktails by the fire, guests get to enjoy the time-honoured celebration of song and dance by our local Maasai warriors.