Kate & Darren Humphrys with Henry, Olive and Hume
Compass Odyssey
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $1,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
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Email Erik & Barbie Elfrink | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Through our Covid driven reschedules-Compass Odyssey became like family en route to a perfect safari
We started planning this trip with Compass Odyssey in December 2019. After four Covid-driven reschedules and some itinerary tweaks, we finally were able to visit South Africa, Zambia and Botswana with (most) of our original itinerary in tact!
We usually plan our entire travel adventures 100% on our own, so we were hesitant to rely on someone else to help us craft this experience. However, Compass Odyssey closely listened to our input and helped tailor the experience to our interests and budget.
Not only did Compass Odyssey help us schedule and reschedule the trip multiple times, they put together an unforgettable itinerary with an outstanding mix of safari experiences (South Africa / Botswana) and adventure travel (Zambia). They were also with us every step of the way, from the unexpected cancelled flights to the border closings, ensuring that we were taken care of from start to finish. Traveling during a pandemic is always challenging, but Compass Odyssey made it as seamless as possible, while ensuring we got to truly experience Southern Africa along the way. By the end of the trip, with the great communication and planning, we felt like they were essentially family!
CH
Email Adam and family | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic from start to finish, if I could give six stars I would!
I cannot say enough about how wonderful our experience with Compass (Darren and Kate) was. Between finding the right trip, canceling and rebooking due to covid multiple times, and finally rebooking the whole trip with 2 days notice they were absolutely unbelievable. Further, the communication during the trip was also above and beyond. I highly, highly recommend Compass and I look forward to more trips planned and managed by them in the future
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Email Dave R | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience, highly recommend!
Our trip included South Africa (Kruger), Zambia (Victoria Falls), Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls, Livingstone Preserve), and Botswana (Chobe) and we couldn't have been more pleased with every aspect of our trip. The lodging and safari guides at each stop along the way were top notch. My biggest concern was the coordination of all the transfers, including required COVID testing prior to each border crossing, but Compass Odyssey had the logistics of each planned out perfectly. We never had to wait for our transportation at any border crossing, nor did we ever have to worry about when and where our COVID tests were to take place - having those things scheduled in advance and taking place in a timely fashion really took a lot of stress out of the trip. Overall our time in Southern Africa was one of the most memorable and enduring adventures we've ever experienced and we look forward to returning one day. Big thanks to Darren and Kate and their family for helping us put together a terrific safari!
CA
Email Eliana and Laura (mother and daughter duo) | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Compass Odyssey is a very professional, knowledgeable, reliable and honest tour operator.
This was the second time Laura and I used the services of Compass Odyssey ("CO") for our safari vacation (pre and post COVID); and, once again, Darren and Kate did not disappoint!
Traveling during a pandemic was not an easy decision to make. I asked never-ending questions and expressed all my concerns, and Darren always patiently, professionally and objectively provided ALL the answers I needed to make an informed decision.
CO put together a SAFE, fabulous and exciting itinerary for us. The camps, luxury safari tents, jeeps, game drives, boat safaris, sleep-out-decks, bush walks (one with a Bushman guide!) etc. were all high-end, comfortable and super entertaining. Each camp (3 in all) was diverse and had something different to offer.The quality of the food and the service were beyond reproach. The staff was hospitable, happy, personable and always ready to please! The guides were extremely knowledgeable and pleasant, and we felt safe at all times. COVID protocols were followed judiciously.
We saw every animal imaginable, only because the guides always went to great lengths to find them. I have trouble finding my own car in a parking lot. I do not understand how these guys spot the smallest camouflaged creature hidden in the bush so far away!
The wildlife, the scenery, the landscapes and the sunsets were breathtakingly beautiful, and our sunset drinks always a treat.
Darren and Kate followed us from a distance, to make sure all was going well, and remained available to assist us 24/7 if need be.
In fact, one of our return flights was cancelled; and, although CO did not organize our international flights, Darren immediately took over and offered to take care of this logistical nightmare, so we could continue to enjoy our safari, worry-free.
CO guided us through the sometimes complex arrival and departure procedures and all the COVID requirements (testing; filling out forms; etc.), and everything went off without a hitch.
We were also greeted at every single port of entry, as promised, by lovely people who were on time, happy to see us and who immediately took us under their wings.
I could go on and on about this wonderful and memorable experience and the 5-star quality of CO's services, but I need to get back to work.
I do want to add, however, how kind and pleasant Kate and Darren are. If you want to be pampered and taken care of, always with the utmost professionalism, integrity and respect, choose Compass Odyssey for your next unforgettable journey to paradise!!!
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Email Jeff Harris | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Compass Odyssey exceeded all of my expectations
To start, with the complexities of traveling from the USA due to Covid, and correspondingly, with firming up plans, I found Darren and Kate at Compass to be the most patient, informative, and accommodating. They answered every single question I had ( probably more than once) and remained extremely patient. I new almost out of the gate that I was going with Compass Odyssey as out of all of the many operators I connected with they were THE most responsive and informative. I trusted them out of the gate and they lived up to my expectations.
The trip was amazing. Again, due to COVID, and the constant need for PCR tests, I was a little nervous. No need, Darren and team had this completely arranged for me, everything always went smoothly crossing borders and having the required testing completed.
Compass's travel partners and lodges were the best. Truly top notch service and experience. My mind was blown all along the way. Again, all of my expectations were exceeded. Mortimer my guide in Zimbabwe was fantastic and went above and beyond to make me feel safe and cared for as I was traveling by myself.
This was a trip of a lifetime, or so I thought...as I am going back. I will most definitely be using Compass Odyssey again!
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Email Leslie and Sue | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Compass Odyssey helped guide us through all the obstacles we met planning a trip during a pandemic.
Our safari took us to the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park in Botswana, and Hwange National Park in Zimbabue, with a last day in Victoria Falls. Darren customized our experience to include a wide variety of landscapes, animals and their habitats, and accommodations. We felt that in a relatively short amount of time we saw and participated in much of what southern Africa has to offer. The wildlife was abundant and the guides were friendly, efficient, and extremely knowledgeable. The staffs at our accommodations were happy to serve our every want and need, and the food was outstanding. Mortimer, Compass Odyssey's Victoria Falls guide, gave us an amazing and informative tour there. For such a distant and complicated trip the glitches were few and relatively minor. It seemed like a luxury vacation at a mid-range price.
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Email Kevin and Megan | Experience level: first safari
Incredible detail and planning of customized Safari
If you are planning an African Safari, you will want to work with Compass Odyssey (Darren and Kate). Our trip included South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. They were great to work with, always very responsive, and very reasonably priced. We were able to customize our safari to choose which locations we visited and how long we stayed at those locations. They were even able to accommodate some changes we wanted to make within a month of our safari. Darren and Kate provided us with so much helpful information prior to our trip that took a lot of the stress out of trying to research everything for ourselves.
The trip was very well planned and our itinerary was very detailed. During this time of traveling during Covid, Compass Odyssey made sure all of our Covid testing was scheduled and that we would get results back in time before we had to travel to the next country. This was a huge relief as we would not have known where to go to get the tests completed or the contacts to ensure we got the results back. In addition, our drivers/guides helped with navigating through the land border crossings, which was important with the added complication of providing the negative Covid results to health officials prior to going through customs. Compass Odyssey provided us with detailed instructions on what to expect with each of the airport border crossings. It was nice to not have any surprises with those.
When we added a couple of extra days, Compass Odyssey scheduled us to go on the Rhino Walk and go to the Elephant Cafe in Livingstone, Zambia. We were all so thankful they did as these were experiences we will never forget.
All of the accommodations were incredible. We stayed at the Senalala Safari Lodge on a nature preserve in South Africa, Camp Nkwazi on the banks of the Zambezi River in Zambia, Batonka Lodge in downtown Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and the Chobe River Lodge on the banks of the Chobe River in Botswana. All of them had great rooms, wonderful food, and extremely nice people.
The guides and drivers we met along the way were all so friendly and knowledgeable. Our guide at the Senalala Lodge was James. He did an incredible job tracking the animals for us on our game drives. He had really good information about the animals and you could tell he enjoyed finding the animals for us to see. In Zambia, we had a different James as our driver/guide. He was very friendly and shared a lot of very interesting information about Zambia and Victoria Falls. Mortimer was our driver/guide in Zimbabwe. He was always willing to help us out when we needed and was a wealth of knowledge. We really enjoyed talking with him. We had a boat guide (Leo) and a game drive guide (Tifl) in Botswana. Both were great guides and were able to get us close to the animals. They too had a lot of information and you could really feel their passion for the animals.
Overall, I would not hesitate for one second to recommend Compass Odyssey to anyone looking to do an African Safari. They made sure that our experience was one that we will treasure for a long time.
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Email ken | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
nothing was left to chance; every detail was carefully laid out in an easy to understand fashion.
Compass Odyssey delivered a truly memorable and outstanding tour of 4 countries in Africa. The tour was laid out in an easy to understand series of documents. Nothing was left to chance. Every day of the tour was delineated from covid testing, airline flights, lodging, meals, etc....the people that were responsible for all our daily activities were introduced to us in the documents. These individuals that provided all the services were top tier.....from the animal guides to the camp hosts you got the best. Darren from Compass Odyssey checked in with us frequently to insure that all was going as planned. Kate and Darren had to make last minute tour changes due to unforeseen circumstances. If you want the best tour custom designed for you, then Kate and Darren from Compass Odyssey should be your choice. Thanks Compass Odyssey for designing a tour that exceeded our expectations....
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Email Debbie Baskin | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The BEST...provides the most detailed itinerary and customizes specifically to your wishes.
Compass Odyssey provided the absolute best trip I have ever been on. They listened to what we specifically wanted in an African Safari and put together an itinerary that gave us a wide variety of activities to truly experience South Africa and surrounding countries. The itinerary was so detailed and left nothing to chance. The accommodations were excellent, and our guides, drivers, and lodge managers treated us like family. This is the first trip I have ever had where I would not change one thing. Everything was so well planned and so much fun that I have a difficult time saying what was my favorite part of the tour. Communication with Compass Odyssey was also excellent. We requested some last minute changes, and they did not hesitate to do them and were completed and back to us very quickly! I cannot say enough good things about Compass Odyssey. I highly recommend them for the absolute best and worry-free Safari!
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Email Paul and Audrey Stanton | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing service. Very responsive.
Had the pleasure of working with compass odyssey for my wife’s 50th present trip. The trip was amazing. Darren took the time to have a zoom chat with us to learn about our interests. Then customized a trip just for us.
When SA informed some stricter covid rules that precluded us staying in Jo’burg Darren was able to quickly rearrange our travel plans we end up staying longer in the Okavango delta longer.
I would absolutely use them again and strongly recommend Compass odyssey.