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
Victoria Falls and Chobe
Darren and Kate did an amazing job of organising our safari, everything was perfect from start to finish and we had the trip of a lifetime. I couldn’t recommend them more.
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Email Sarah A. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip and even better service!
First of all before even getting to South Africa, the communication between Darren and I was Awesome. He was prompt in answering any questions that I had and customized my itinerary to fit everything that I was interested in doing. My local tour guides Dot and Tim were so knowledgeable about every place that we toured. They were flexible in what I wanted to do and were the nicest people. They were personable and we got to know each other during my 5 day tour of Cape Town. Overall this was trip was one to top! And I highly recommend Compass Odyssey for your next Safari and trip to South Africa.
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Email Ernest | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime, thoughtful service and help customizing itinerary
Darren at CompassOdyssey was incredible in helping us plan an 8 night itinerary in Vic Falls and Botswana. We took a standard itinerary then he helped us customize it. The thing that stands out is that we probably sent 100 emails back and forth as well as a few phone calls. Darren was very quick to respond and made sure to answer every question and understand what we wanted. He took every effort to make sure we were taken care of. By the time the trip rolled around, we were completely at ease with all logistics and it made the trip smooth such that we could just enjoy our experience. All the lodges, guides, etc that we worked with on the ground were great and the relationships Darren had with one also got us some perks. Planning a safari is no small feat, but Darren really put us completely at ease and made the whole process enjoyable. I highly recommend Darren and Compass to anyone planning a trip to Botswana, Vic Falls, or elsewhere.
Email David Makinson | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything went like clockwork on our trip to Chobe and Vic Falls.
Well organised, good accommodation, excellent people on the ground in both Botswana and Zimbabwe. The pre-trip information from Compass Odyssey is the best I've seen - comprehensive, helpful and relevant. An outstanding experience in every way.
SE
Email Maria & Peter | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Attentive, knowledgeable and really great!
We contacted Compass Odyssey about a trip we wanted to make in just a few weeks. The experience emailing with Darren and Kate was really great as they helped us put together an itinerary that matched our budget and timeline but exceeded our expectations. We were not very knowledgeable about our options but Darren navigated us through several choices and we ended up with a great itinerary.
Once in Africa we felt very well taken care of by both Compass Odyssey's local guide in Victoria Falls Mortimer as well as all the accommodations that Compass Odyssey had booked us on. Had any situation arisen we are sure that Darren and Kate would have easily solved it but the trip went perfect. We can highly recommend their services!
Email Graeme & Jane Hall | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly Recommended
Thank You Crusty (Darren) for a truly memorable experience. Smooth sailing from the minute we first contacted you, and (despite me perpetually changing the dates) you managed to produce an itinerary that provided excellent accomodation and activities throughout our trip to Cape Town, Kruger & Chobe NP and Victoria Falls. Maybe one day wasted in transit from Kruger to Chobe but this was necessitated by our change of dates - the fewer border crossings you have to make - the better!! Especially liked the attention to detail with our own driver/boatman in Chobe and the superb services of James and Corlia at Senalala. Saw more of Cape Town region with your guides than would have been possible on our own. We have rarely used organised tours before but this experience has shown me what I have been missing!! Many thanks again for a wonderful holiday!!
CA
Email Curtis Petersen & Leila Barss | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very helpful, great reccomendations and great customer service.
Communications with Compass Odyssey was great and very quick response times. The entire booking of hotels, transportation and transfers was seamless and easy. All of the accommodations and activities were of great quality. We highly recommend them and we look forward to using their services for our next African adventure.
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Email Tim Richards | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Family Safari & Adventure
Cannot say enough fantastic things about entire 17 day (total including flights to/from USA) experience! Compass Odyssey did an outstanding job for us! Began working with Darren (Crusty) Humphries at Compass Odyssey about 20 months before trip, but it was worth it. 8 of us travelled together. Guides, food & Lodgings in Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa were outstanding. (Even weather was cooperative!) All guides were fantastic and showed real interest in our family.
Everything was executed PERFECTLY!
Prior to trip, Darren personally responded very quickly (via email) to all my silly questions, requests and itinerary changes. Could not have requested better service, responsiveness or help planning! We would highly recommend utilizing them any time!
Tim & Kathy Richards
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Email Robert C and Family | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great trip well organized, perfect itinerary
I was very impressed by Odyssey. We left it to them to come up with an itinerary based on what we wanted to accomplish in the time frame and our price range. We were a family of 5 with three teenaged kids. They did a great job and ticked all the boxes on what we wanted to see. Their pre trip and during trip communication was excellent. They had great advice on everything from accomodations to what to bring and even how to tip.
I believe the best form of flattery is would we use them again and I would without a doubt. In fact I have already communicated with them on our next family Africa trip we want to take.
The documentation provided on our trip, what to expect, the accommodation and type was great. In all cases the arrangements and accomodations met or exceeded our expectations. The guides they used were professional and easy to deal with. We saw all we wanted to see and get both the wild animal and cultural experience we wanted.
Well done Odyssey.
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Email Cheryl Blum | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Attentiveness, fast response, patience, focused customization and friendliness at its absolute best!
Our trip was for 11 days from Cape Town to Greater Kruger to Victoria Falls to Chobe to Okavango Delta. Words cannot come close to expressing how outstanding Compass Odyssey was to work with for planning our trip of a lifetime. In taking a chance by choosing to work with someone across the Atlantic, it was important to gain trust. With my very detail oriented nature, there were a lot of questions. Darren ALWAYS responded quickly, with explicit answers about everything to whether we could find a particular bird in one region to what place had the best souvenirs to whether it was safe to eat crocodile in Victoria Falls. Never did he show impatience, and his friendliness and support was unmatched. With his focused attention to our desires, he was able to put together several choices of itineraries even though we were planning our trip only 5 months before peak season. And even when airlines were cancelling and changing flights during a shake-up, he stayed the course and was able to keep our entire itinerary in place with only a few minor changes by pushing his contacts to get us on certain flights. And as two women in a foreign land, it was also important for us to know we had someone to contact if trouble arose. While we traveled, he even checked in with us to make sure everything was fine. Every place we went, the experience we were looking for was nearly perfect, with excellent safari guides who expended tremendous efforts to meet the desires of their clients, and probably at least 50 bird species and 25 mammal species spotted, often in high numbers. The accommodations were also well matched to our preferences. The guides Compass Odyssey uses (We had Dot in Cape Town, Mortimer and Ruth in Vic Falls, and Charles also in Vic Falls) were fun and passionate and patient, and also focused on what we wanted. Everywhere we went we always had someone making sure we got where we needed to go, usually even finding the appropriate person at the airports to check in with. The experience working with Compass Odyssey could not have been better! Oh... and the animals in Africa are awesome, too!
