THE AMERICAN WHO STARTED AFRICA’S FIRST SAFARI OUTFITTERS

Four Generations Have Led to Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp

Cottar’s_1920s_Safari_Camp in the Masai Mara is known for recreating the traditional safari, with a modern luxury twist. After all, the camp is part of a Cottar family legacy that created Africa’s first safari outfitters and has been passed down the Cottar family for four generations – starting with an American from Iowa.

For 93 years, the Cottar name has been in the safari business, from hunting and guiding to running safari camps, always staying true to the era when Charles Cottar started it all.

The general plot: It’s 1909. An American from Iowa reads about Roosevelt’s hunting exploits in East Africa. The man decides to experience the wild himself and arrives in Kenya in 1910. After visiting year after year, Charles Cottar brought his family to Kenya and registered a company in 1919 to guide safaris. Charles recognized that sportsmen from all over the world would come to Africa to hunt for the best trophy they could get, and needed the expertise of people who live in the country and understand the animals.

Charles gained inspiration from Roosevelt’s stories, but quickly began sharing stories of his own – articles and movies that were shared in the states. He had more than his fair share of scuffles with the Big Five, his life ending with a rhino charge. So much was Africa a part of him that when his son tried to give him shade for his last moments, he refused – wanting to see the African sky.

As the first established safari outfitters in Africa, the Cottars seem to have always been ahead of the game. They were among the first to import safari cars to Kenya, and the father of the current owner established the first fixed camps in the country.

Today, Calvin Cottar, Charles’ great grandson, runs Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp, a veteran luxury property in the Masai Mara with some of the best guides in Kenya. (Three of the guides are now Gold Level KPGSA qualified, which is the highest concentrations of Gold level guides out of any property in East Africa – 15 total in Kenya.)

Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp transports a traveler to the original spirit and essence of the safari. Tents are authentic white canvas, spacious and luxuriously furnished. And, perhaps more significantly, the tents incorporate many of the Cottar family pieces from the 1920s. To top it all off, dinner is a candlelight affair with silver service and waiters dressed in cotton kanzus – regalia from Kenya’s colonial era.

There are 10 tents, four of which are family tented suites, and the option to stay in Cottar’s Private House that can accommodate 10 guests in five large en suite bedrooms. The house is given for exclusive use with its own living areas, staff and vehicles – completely separate from the rest of the camp.

Rates start at $490 per person sharing, depending on the season, and include guided bush walks, bush meals, sundowners, day and night drives, ½ hour complimentary massage, transfers to cultural visits a range of drinks and laundry. Game drives can be taken in either state of the art Land Cruisers or authentic vintage wooden cars (for fun and atmosphere). The camp is one of the 14 prestigious eco-tourism lodges in the C&P Portfolio.

For more information, visit www.thecpportfolio.com.

FIRST WALKING SAFARIS IN MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK

Developed by Chobe Safari Lodge/Uganda in Tandem with Uganda Wildlife Authority

Chobe Safari Lodge/Uganda, a Marasa* Africa luxury property, announces the first Walking Safaris in Murchison Falls National Park. The Walking Safaris were developed in tandem with Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), which will provide an armed UWA Ranger to accompany the safaris. “We worked with the UWA to build a watering hole and natural salt lick around which the Nature Walks could take place,” said Roni Madhvani, Managing Director.

Being around trees and grassy areas lowers brain stress levels and is good for mental health, according to findings just released by Glasgow University from a Scottish Health Survey. The Survey concluded that walking (or jogging) in a forest has a 50% higher health benefit than working out in a gym. So, the Chobe Walking Safari is not only exciting and pleasurable, but is bound to have a calming effect on the brain.

The Walking Safari costs $20, but may be incorporated (without charge) as part of a new Nile, Nature Walk and Novelty Safari offered by Premier Safaris (for rates and itinerary, see below).

At 1480 square miles, Murchison Falls National Park in northwestern Uganda is the country’s largest national park and the location of famous Murchison Falls, where the River Nile is forced through a narrow gorge to plunge 140 feet to a frothing pool below. The Park is home to four of the Big Five – buffalo, elephant, lion and leopard (the fifth, the rhino, can now be seen at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, just 40 miles to the south). It is home, too, to the Rothschild giraffe, tallest animal on earth, whose distinguishing feature is its white “socks” – no patterning from the knees down.  There is also an amazing array of birds, some 300 different species, many with spectacular plumage, implausibly-wide wingspans, or so architecturally skilled, they build elaborate “condo” nests in the acacia trees.

Experiencing a Walking Safari is entirely different than viewing the bush or plains from a four-wheel-drive vehicle.  Safari-goers can sense the pulse of Africa, listen to its silence and its sounds, and feel the thrill of being a heartbeat away from danger. The Chobe Safari Lodge/Uganda Nature Walk takes about an hour and a half. Likely sightings include elephants, giraffes, buffalos, herds of kob (Uganda’s national animal), wart hogs and such birds as Martial Eagle, Woodland Kingfisher, African Marsh Harrier, Lizard Buzzard, African Harrier Hawk, Yellow Mantled Widow bird, African Paradise Flycatcher, the rare Fox Kestrel and many more. Also to be seen are crocodiles and hippo in the River Nile that forms part of the Walking Safari.

NILE, NATURE WALK AND NOVELTY, A PREMIER SAFARIS ADVENTURE

Day 1: Kampala – Jinja

In the morning after breakfast, our safari guide will pick you up from your place of stay, and drive you to the source of the White Nile – Jinja. Jinja is situated directly at Lake Victoria, where the Nile finds its origin. En route, we will make a stop at Mabira Forest for a forest walk with the possibility of seeing different types of primates, birds and colorful butterflies. After Mabira Forest, you will proceed to Owen Falls, and see the source of the Nile. Dinner and overnight accommodations are provided at Wild Waters Lodge.

Day 2: Jinja

Ready for a full day of adventure? Then start rafting at the source of the Nile. Enjoy the beautiful scenery and thundering rapids of the White Nile. Don’t forget to watch the incredible birdlife, as you drift quietly between the rapids of the river. Dinner and overnight accommodations are provided at Wild Waters Lodge.

Day 3: Jinja - Murchison Falls National ParkBeginning with a scenic drive northwest, we will stop and visit the ZIWA RHINO SANCTUARY, to track rhino on foot (ZIWA was created to re-introduce Rhino to Uganda after their extinction in 1982). After lunch, we proceed to Murchison Falls National Park for an afternoon game drive around Chobe Safari Lodge area. Later, you will check in to the lodge, marveling at the panoramic views of the Nile, and enjoy your first evening in the African bush.

Day 4: Game Viewing Safari - Murchison Falls National Park
After breakfast, we embark on a morning walking safari to a nearby watering hole.  This is a fantastic experience as you can truly feel the pulse of the African bush away from the protective cocoon of your vehicle. Transfer from Chobe Safari Lodge to Paraa Safari Lodge in the heart of the Murchison Falls National Park, where your guide will help you spot the plethora of wildlife found in the Park. After lunch, you will safari upstream by boat to the calm Victoria Nile and the base of Murchison Falls, just tens of meters from the "Devil's Cauldron." Return in the evening for dinner and overnight accommodations at Paraa Safari Lodge. 

Day 5: Game Viewing Safari - Murchison Falls National ParkAfter breakfast, visit the top of the Murchison Falls. From this vantage point you will have an opportunity to see the Nile’s savage beauty, as you watch the Nile forced through a seven meter cleft in the rocks to plunge 45 meters below, forming a spectacular rainbow. Return to the lodge for lunch and, after an afternoon siesta; venture on a game drive through the Borassus Palms plains, a visual feast. Retire for dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge.

Day 6: Murchison Falls National Park – KampalaDepart from Murchison Falls, for your return to Kampala.

Rates start at $3550 per person sharing

Single room supplement $450

Included:

All accommodation (full-board basis)

All activities as per the itinerary

All in-country transport

Park entry fees

Contact:  operations@premiersafaris.com

Website: www.premiersafaris.com

Chobe Safari Lodge/Uganda

The new and luxurious five-star Chobe Safari Lodge, located in a little-known section of Murchison Falls National Park, is becoming one of Uganda’s key tourist destinations for adventurers, anglers, and aficionados of river-scapes.  It comprises 36 elegant guest rooms, 21 luxury tents, four suites and a Presidential Cottage. A state-of-the-art Conference block can host up to 100 guests and is fully equipped for business meetings.

The lodge enjoys breathtaking panoramic views of the River Nile, coupled with the sounds of its frothing rapids.  Room rates start at $275 a night for a double ($325 for full board); Tent rates start at $195 a night ($220) for full board.  All rates are inclusive of 5% service charge, all applicable government taxes and $5 per person UWA royalty fees.

www.chobelodgeuganda.com; www.premiersafaris.com

*Marasa is a member of the Madhvani Group of Companies, one of the largest private-sector groups in East Africa, employing more than 10,000 people. Starting in Uganda in 1914, the Group has developed into a widely diversified conglomerate with a geographical spread into various African countries, the Middle East and India. As the largest private sector investor in industry in Uganda, the Group has an outstanding track record in turning-around dormant companies, and has achieved a market leadership position in most of the sectors in which it operates, including tourism, sugar, agriculture, floriculture, insurance, construction, and more.  With a long-established presence and core values of integrity and long-term commitment, the Madhvani Group has a vision of continuing growth in this region.

LION’S ROAR RETURNS TO MAJETE FOREST IN MALAWI MAKING IT A BIG FIVE DESTINATION

LILONGWE, Malawi (05/2012)  Through the generous sponsorship of Robin Pope Safaris, four lions from South Africa will re-locate in August to Majete Wildlife Reserve in southwestern Malawi, completing the return of the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant) to this pristine forest situated in the lower Shire River valley.

The reintroduction of lions marks a milestone in the rehabilitation of the 173,000-acre Majete reserve. At one time lions were common in the Lower Shire Valley, but over the years, poaching took its toll, and no lions have been reported in the region since the 1980’s.

Since assuming management of the park in 2003, the non-profit organization, African Parks, has been systematically resurrecting Majete: the park has been fenced, infrastructure developed and more than 12 different species, totaling some 2500 animals, introduced. The safety that the perimeter fence and law enforcement programs provide, along with an abundance of prey, has now created an environment in which lions can once again thrive.

Because there are no suitable lion populations available in Malawi, two male and two female lions, are being sourced through the North West Parks and Tourism Board in South Africa. Healthy animals at the beginning of their reproductive lives have been selected from Pilanesberg National Park and Madikwe Reserve. The intricate relocation process will involve weeks of quarantine on both sides of the border. It will be a costly operation with holding facilities erected and flights chartered to transport the predators to their new home. These costs are being covered by Robin Pope Safaris (RPS), the celebrated photographic safari company with properties in both Zambia and Malawi, including the luxury lodge Mkulumadzi in Majete. RPS is passionate about and committed to the preservation of the eco-systems within which they operate, as evidenced by their numerous responsible tourism initiatives, from reforestation programs, to financial support for a number of conservations projects (e.g., preservation of various wildlife and fish species), from recycling to energy-saving ventures and more.

The reintroduction of lions to the Majete forest will not only restore the park to a naturally-functioning eco-system, but will once again render Majete a Big Five reserve: it already boasts elephant, rhino, buffalo, and leopard.  With the opening last year Robin Pope Safaris’ luxury lodge, Mkulumadzi, and with the only Big Five game-viewing experience available in Malawi, Majete’s future looks bright.

Contact:  African Parks

Mrs. Jane Edge, Director of Marketing and Philanthropy

Or visit: www.african-parks.org

Contact: Robin Pope Safaris

info@robinpopesafaris.net

Or visit: www.robinpopesafaris.net