Kate & Darren Humphrys with Henry, Olive and Hume
Compass Odyssey
- Located 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
NZ
Email Sharon Dobson & David McLachlan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
African safari trip in Soutrh Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana
Our experience using Compass Odyssey was great - from the interactions in the planning stage, deciding particular aspects of the trip, through to communication during out trip was all handled really well. Great to have invite to contact the team both before and during our trip just in case anything went wrong - although nothing did. We left it up to the team to make recommendation on the lodges etc to visit and we were really satisfied with the places we stayed at and the level of service, quality of game drives and the professional service provided by liaison people and guides we had throughout our trip.
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Email Barry & Lisa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Communication and attention to detail were excellent!
This was our first trip to Africa and our first safari. We had so many questions as we planned our itinerary and details of our trip. Darren was very helpful and provided us with excellent, detailed information on various options. He worked closely with us to plan a wonderful trip that included everything we wanted with excellent accommodations, professional and knowledgeable guides and no stress on our end.
We hope to be able to return to Africa and will happily let Compass Odyssey plan our next adventure.
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Email Sandy & Daryl Woker | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Would highly recommend Compass Odyssey!
Just returned from a 12 day trip to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana planned through Compass Odyssey. Darren was so helpful in planning the trip. He worked to keep the costs within the budget we wanted and was always open to changes I came up with! Unlike a couple of other travel companies I had contacted, Darren never grew impatient with my questions or ideas for consideration for this trip. I would use this company again in a heartbeat if we are ever fortunate enough to return to Africa!
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Email Jeff & Cheryl Anderson | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Compass Odyssey helped us plan an amazing trip to southern Africa
We selected Compass Odyssey for our Africa experience and we couldn't be happier. We'd narrowed our search down to a few agencies after some initial inquiries and selected Compass Odyssey because of the wealth of detailed information they provided an their low-key/low-pressure approach. Darren and Kate provided prompt responses to all of our questions, and we can't say enough about the information packets they provided. We never felt pressured in making our decision even as some lodgings were filling up while we were working out the details. We had a busy two weeks that included time in Cape Town, the greater Kruger area, Victoria Falls, Chobe, and the Okavango Delta. Darren and Kate tailored the itinerary to our needs and wishes, and the lodgings and guides at every location exceeded our expectations. The arrangements Darren and Kate made for us allowed us to relax and enjoy our experience instead of worrying about how we were going to get to the next destination or what to expect once we got there. Everything went according to schedule, and we had a seamless transition from one place to the next: ALL of the details were well-thought-out and taken care of. One of our big concerns prior to the trip was food/meals, since we are both gluten and dairy intolerant, and the lodges and lodgings Darren and Kate arranged were able to accommodate our needs without a problem. We will certainly choose Compass Odyssey for our next adventure in Africa. Thank you, Darren and Kate!
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Email Bev | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a lifetime!
Working with Compass Odyssey and Darren to develop an itinerary that incorporated our interests and budgets was a pleasure. The accommodations were fabulous and each of our guides were filled with knowledge about the history of the places we were or the animals we were seeing or looking for. Every last detail was taken care of, making our lives easy. I highly recommend Compass Odyssey!
Email Nicholas | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari, cruises and waterfalls in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana
A brilliant experience and excellent service from start to finish. We received useful and prompt information from Compass Odyssey to decide on our trip and plan things accordingly. The guides were all knowledgeable and friendly, and all the lodges we visited were similarly helpful and very pleasant to stay in. The rhino walk, river cruises and safaris all ran like clockwork and a huge variety of wildlife was on display. I would wholeheartedly recommend Compass Odyssey to anyone considering a visit to Southern Africa.
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Email Sandra Garren | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything was taken care of in an excellent manner.
The service was excellent and exceeded expectations in all areas. The accomodations, safari tours, guides, flights, transfers and everything could not have been better.
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Email Carol Braun | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything we asked for
Communication by email was timely and complete before the trip. The information was very helpful, laying out the details of the trip exactly as it happened. The accommodations were delightful, the staffs were friendly and helpful. There was communication during the trip that showed they the company had been in touch with the camps, checking to see if we had had any problems and that we were meeting our safari expectations. A fantastic trip!
The most attentive and thoughtful tour operator ever
We had one of the best experiences in travelling in Africa with the Compass Odyssey. Despite our queries and booking being very last minute, Darren from Compass Odyssey was always prompt, thoughtful and accurate in his correspondence. He was very flexible in considering our needs and wishes, and always suggested the best way of enjoying the whole experience (our trip was a mom and son only). The lodge he recommended and booked us to stay in Zimbabwe was superb – it has become one of the top three experiences we have had in the world (and we travel a lot across continents). The materials he sent us ahead was extremely helpful, from activities book, reading recommendations to, most importantly, paper requirements for a parent travelling alone with kid(s) to South Africa.
Our local guide in Zimbabwe Mortimer was also superb, very attentive, flexible, and funny! He knew everyone in town and always heeded our last-minute thoughts and requests. He was also very alert on conditions such as weather changes, heat and travelling with kids – he was always ahead of other tour groups in getting us there, and services were prioritized for us. Most remarkable was that we went from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe to Chobe National Park in Botswana only in 1 hour, as he anticipated the traffic on the road of tour buses and trucks and prioritized our car for immigration procedures. He made us feel secure in often unpredictable border crossings.
I highly recommend the Compass Odyssey for anyone travelling to Southern Africa.
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Email Sue and Joe Greiner | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our Trip of a Lifetime was Smooth as Silk
Our Compass Odyssey trip to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Botswana was a fantastic experience!
Compass Odyssey organized every moment so well that it flowed perfectly! We had no problems with connections, flights, or border crossings, and every detail was covered.
We enjoyed all of our safaris immensely. The Hide in Hwange National Park was great! We saw so many animals every day, and the staff was so gracious, the food terrific, and our tent really fun. We enjoyed going down into the hide itself to watch the elephants drinking in the evening. What a special perspective. We saw several groups of cheetahs and lions, lots of elephants, buffalo, impalas, warthogs, water bucks, bush bucks, birds, zebras and more, including a large and majestic herd of sable antelope, and even a leopard! Even some wild dogs and a pride of 10 lions. The night drives were fun, too. And we got to go on a walking safari where we got up close and personal with some curious bull elephants!!! We loved this place!
We enjoyed the boat trips in Chobe very much. It was fun to watch the hippos in and out of the water, and to watch the elephants drink and play.. Crocodiles, buffalo, and birds, like the fish eagle, too. The Garden Lodge was very nice, and we enjoyed the owl who lives upstairs in the loft and the mongooses and warthogs who live in the yard. On our games drives, we saw loads of game animals, lots of elephants, and a beautiful male lion!
And of course, our trip to the Okavango Delta was fantastic. We enjoyed Rra Dinare. Our "tent" was luxurious and looked out over a large plain that was teeming with wildlife at almost every hour of the day. We twice saw lions from camp, once from our porch and once from the deck at the lodge. At camp and on safari, we saw lots of giraffes, elephants, zebras, kudus, and new antelope species we hadn't seen before, like Tsessabes and Red Lechees. We also saw hippos, secretary birds, cheetahs who had literally just brought down an impala and hadn't even killed it yet, lions, and a pack of 10 wild dogs finishing up a recent kill. Wow. The staff at Rra Dinare was superb. We felt very pampered and cared for. It would be fun to go back during wet season and see how different the delta is then. Maybe someday we will do that!
Our stay in Victoria Falls was also very memorable. Mortimer and Ruth were so helpful and took wonderful care of us. We loved the Zambezi Family Lodge. The staff there was excellent and very attentive, the room nice, and the grounds immaculate, lovely and comfortable. It was only a 10 minute walk to town. We bought food at the store and had our breakfasts and lunches at the Lodge.
My husband's Zambezi river trip went well, and I enjoyed my safari with Charles Brightman. He was a wealth of information and we saw lots of wonderful animals. It was so much fun. And I really enjoyed the visit to the Wildlife Trust, too. Although there weren't very many animals there when I visited, I learned a lot about what they do and I was able to talk with the veterinarian for a few minutes.
We loved the elephant cafe, the sunset cruise, the devil's pool, the Boma restaurant and the tours of the falls. The rhinos were great to see, too, although it was so hot that the poor things were sacked out under a tree napping!
Chic did a great job of showing us around Johannesburg on the last day of our trip. Our visit to Soweto and the Apartheid museum was eye opening and we learned a lot. The Rutland House was great, and Delia was a lovely host. She showed us her photos from her rafting trip in the Grand Canyon in 1983, sharing her happy memories of one of the best times of her life, and we shared ours from that wonderful place, too.
We want to thank Compass Odyssey's Darren and Kate so much for putting this spectacular trip together for us. We couldn't be happier with their efforts. We happily and enthusiastically recommend Compass Odyssey.
