As travel advisors, we help travelers select options that provide memorable connections with nature, wildlife, and cultures. On our recent educational trip to Kenya and Tanzania, we visited several properties committed the 4-Cs: Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce aimed at promoting sustainability within their immediate geographic footprint.
Please enjoy the attached video that explains their approach to the 4-Cs at Cottar’s Camp, which is located in the Olderkesi Conservancy adjacent to the southernmost area of the Maasai Mara National Park. The area we covered on our epic game drive was along the Kenya / Tanzania border, both within the conservancy and in the National Park, both areas bordering the Serengeti NP in Tanzania.
"Representing vintage safari luxury at its best, the award-winning Cottar’s 1920s Camp boasts its own 7,608-acre private conservancy and is situated just one kilometer from one of Earth’s natural wonders: the Maasai Mara National Reserve and, across the border in Tanzania, contiguous to the Serengeti region. Run by the continent’s first and longest-running safari family owners, it embodies the original, romantic spirit of adventurous African travel.
Having provided safaris for more than 100 years, the Cottar family focuses on authentic, individualized safari experiences, continuing a legacy founded on wilderness, wildlife, comfort and security, as well as honoring a balance between conservation, prosperous commerce, community and culture.” (excerpted from Cottar's marketing brochure)
Briefly, the 4-Cs are:
Conservation – preserving and enriching the environment and wildlife
Community – engagement and employment of the local Maasai tribal community
Culture – helping to preserve and to share the Maasai culture
Commerce – Ensuring continued economic viability of the camp and community
Video interview with Cottar's head of guides and 4-C program manager, Doug Nagi:
As a travel advisor we encourage guests to enjoy their journey while contributing to the efforts of these leaders who are preserving Africa for future generations of residents and vistors by:
o Choosing destinations that support conservation of endangered species and habitat
o Choosing properties with a commitment to minimize their carbon footprint through sustainable energy, water, waste, and carbon reduction
o Support local commerce by buying tourist products made by member-supported community enterprises
o Meet locals and participate in local cultural events – dance festivals, art displays, local cuisine or cooking classes
Notes from the log book on sightings: Black Rock Pride males & females, giraffe, elephant, topi, eland, impala, steenbok, gazelle, leopard, cape buffalo, many birds, and others
