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
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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.
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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!
ES
Email Felix | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Everything organized perfectly
Compass Odyssey has taken care of us for 14 days on a trip in which we have toured parks in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The organization has been perfect. We have had the best guides in each of the areas visited, so that our final list of birds and mammals seen has been impressive. During the preparation of the trip, they adapted perfectly to our requirements, making reasonable suggestions to improve the itinerary. Fantastic!
CN
Email Cameron | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding Experience
Darren and the team at Compass were outstanding from the very first contact until the day we left South Africa. We visited Chobe, Vic Falls and Kruger and everything including transfers, lodging and wildlife exceeded all expectations. The whole experience was so good that we are already planning our next safari with Compass.
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Email Susheela & Nikki | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect!
Our trip was perfect. The communication lines that were established a year ago were maintained all the way up to the moment we departed on our adventure. All questions were answered promptly, and we always had the information we needed. And once we began our journey, everything went smoothly. The lodging and transfers were excellent, and the local guides were wonderful.
All air and ground transfers went off as scheduled and with no complications. It was so easy!
With regards to the lodges, Garden Lodge in Kasane was lovely, and we really enjoyed the company of the staff, particularly Gabi, our host, and our guide, Tefo. We dined with hippos on the lawn in front of us! And being able to visit Chobe by road and by water was fantastic. What a spectacular sunset cruise!
Batonka Guest House in Vic Falls was beautiful, and I am sure we would have enjoyed it even more had we stayed longer.
Africa on Foot in Klaserie (Greater Kruger) was great. It was a little more rustic than the others, but the accommodations and food were good, and the staff were friendly. We got to see the elephants drinking from the pool in camp, a rhino so close we could practically touch it, and an amazing leopard drama. And we loved getting to walk with Enoch--what a different perspective!
In Johannesburg, Rutland House with Delia was wonderful. She is such a lovely host, and the room and breakfast were excellent.
But we fell absolutely in love with Pom Pom Camp. EVERYTHING about it was beyond our wildest dreams. We didn't want to leave the tent because the view was spectacular. But then we took the game drives, boat ride, and mokoro ride, and we never wanted those to end. The food and the staff and the fire circle, the long table at which we shared meals, the night sounds, our hosts and our incredible guides, O.D. and Clifford, and the endless wildlife! I could go on and on. And each night, the sunset was spectacular, but then I didn't want it to come up too soon because it meant that we were one day closer to leaving. The whole experience was incomparable. We have vowed to go back.
As for the local guides, we were particularly fond of Mortimer and Ruth. We very much enjoyed the time we spent with them, including the transfer from Botswana to Zimbabwe; our tour of the falls, township, and the local school; and our visit to their home where we met two of their amazing children. They were extremely welcoming, knowledgeable, accommodating, and helpful throughout the duration of our stay.
Chic was just as gracious and accommodating, and we thoroughly enjoyed our tour with him. He knows the city so well, and he made getting around it so easy. Walking around with local guide Percy in Soweto was a highlight of this leg of the journey, as he is quite a character.
Truly, we would not have changed anything. Thank you, Darren and Kate. We will be back!
CA
Email Walter and Family | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent trip planning and support
We planned a trip for a group of 8 to southern Africa with Darren and team. Organizing an itinerary that worked given lodge and flight availability was a big effort and we really appreciated the support they provided us to make our trip successful. They also provided very good information at every step of the process from choosing lodging to entry requirements. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this company for friends and family to use in the future.
Email Gail and Tony | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great choices of accommodation and guides and impressive flexibility.
The tour totally lived up to our expectations. We had already been to Zimbabwe some years ago but hadn’t been to safari lodges in Botswana, Zambia or South Africa. I especially wanted to see rhinos as we saw none the last time. So even though we were only in Zambia for 1 night we saw 8 White Rhinos!!! Darren did a terrific job of organising our 2 week trip - starting in Joberg and ending in Cape Town. The lodges were small and personal attention was terrific. The food good to excellent. We loved things like hippos munching on the grass of our safari lodge back yard. Combining both the river and land in Botswana was superb. This is the second time we have travelled with Darren - the other trip was Morocco and we loved the accommodation and experiences there too - so we didn’t hesitate to ask Darren if he organised Southern Africa trips too.
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Email Sunil | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A professional, caring and diligent tour operator
From the very first email, Darren conveyed that he is a professional, thorough and caring service provider. He goes out of his way to understand our preferences and always explain alternatives. In our case, he put together the entire trip a week before the departure date. In spite of the obvious time crunch, he never rushed us into making a decision. I like that all of his arrangements were well planned, tour guides were knowledgeable and accommodations were central and quality places. As a result of his planning and thoughtfulness, we were able to relax and enjoy the trip rather than worry about the logistical details. It was a sheer pleasure dealing with him throughout the whole trip. Overall, a great experience and I highly recommend Compass Odyssey to anyone who is looking for an African safari.
Email Tracey van Vliet | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our two week tour in South Africa, Vic Falls and Botswana was Absolutely Fabulous!
Dealing with Darren from Compass Odyssey was so easy. He replies to queries and immediately. He advises on travel ideas. He isn't phased if you need to change plans. The guides he uses on the ground are very friendly and informative. Dot and Tim Cummins in Cape Town were exceptional. Their love and enthusiasm for informing travelers of SA is great, they really love their job.
The animals were amazing, we saw all of the big 5 and more. Chobe was abundant with hippos and elephants. In fact everything but rhinos, but we saw them in Kruger. There are no rhinos in Chobe because of the poachers.
The chance to do river safaris as well as land safaris was a real bonus. We got real up close and personal on a few occasions.
The accommodation was great and so was the food.
I highly recommend Compass Odyssey for your African adventure.
