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 Terry Roberts | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Perfect Holiday!
I contacted several agencies to plan a trip to Southern Africa for our group of 4, and Compass Odyssey stood out from the beginning. All the other agencies offered us a ready-made itinerary from their portfolio and tacked on some of the things I had asked for. Kate and Darren, on the other hand, took my plan as the starting point to create an original tour, while suggesting other opportunities to make it even better. This attention to the particular needs of a specific group was apparent from the time we first contacted them up to the very last day of our tour.
Another strong point of Compass Odyssey is their attention to detail. Everything was planned perfectly and they sent us ample information beforehand to aid in our own personal preparations – we had even been able to work out exactly which adaptors we would need and Darren greeted us on arrival with those adaptors ready for use!
In the end, we agreed on a 14-day tour, and for the first 7 days Darren himself acted as our guide+driver. The accommodation selected was just what we had asked for - simple but comfortable. And Darren was always ready and willing to cater for our personal interests and for our leisurely pace, even though it often meant finishing the day well past the scheduled time. We also saw on several occasions that he is more than ready to go the extra mile to make sure his clients get the best treatment wherever he takes them.
Darren definitely "knows his stuff", and it's obvious that he really enjoys sharing his knowledge of southern Africa, its wildlife and its customs. And his enthusiasm is contagious! All in all, the perfect holiday. Thanks, Kate and Darren!
CA
Email Christine Boyle | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing African Odyssey!
From the moment we contacted Compass Odyssey we were treated with amazing service. Darren returned all our e-mails quickly and answered all our questions. Once in Africa, he took us in hand and ensured that we were well taken care of - from our day trips in the Cape with Darren, to our stops in Vic Falls and Botswana. All accomadations were supberb as well as the food. We did two safaris and they were spectacular. I highly recommend Compass Odyssey due to the super personnalized service. Hope to return one day!
CA
Email Bruce | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cape Town, Kruger, Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park Adventure
The organization, coordination, management and planning of our south African adventure was exceptional. We had 4 days in Cape Town, 3 days in Kruger at the Senalala Luxury Safari Camp, 3 days at Victoria Falls at the Batonka Guest Lodge and 2 days at the Garden Lodge in Kasane, Botswana. We saw the big five plus within two days. The wildlife, scenery and people were fabulous. Virtually unforgettable experience. All accommodations and meals were outstanding.
In Cape Town Darren showed us around the city, the Cape and the vineyards, absolutely beautiful and stunning.
This was a dream vacation come true. (bucket list item)
Would highly recommend Compass Odyssey to organize and plan African tours. Definitely a five star experience.
Many thanks to Darren and Kate.
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Email Mary Kay | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Personally Curated Trip of a Lifetime!
The careful attention of Darren and Kate resulted in a well-organized and exceptional trip. Within 36 hours of arrival at our stunning camp, the skilled and amenable local guides had not only introduced us to the Big Five but added mating leopards, cheetahs and wild dogs to our list. Accommodations in Kruger were very comfortable and staff went out of their way to assure we felt welcome. The Chobe location was perfect right on the river with attentive staff and communal meals. The Vic Falls hotel was over-the-top luxury with complimentary mini-bar and our own balcony looking out at the game park. With their suggestions, we organized our Johannesburg and Cape Town visits on our own to save expenses, and we even used Uber to get around. No matter where we were, Darren and Kate were with us via email. Worth every dollar and they earned every star.
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Email Scott | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Couldn't have been any better
Compass Odyssey run by Darren and Kate did an absolutely superb job planning my wife and I the perfect honeymoon. For over 10 months we worked together to come up with the the best itinerary to fit our time frame and budget. They were attentive, trustworthy, knowledgeable and took care of us like know one else would have been able to. There wasn't a single hiccup for the entire two week trip. This included a stay in Cape Town, three internal flights, two different safari camps over five nights, three nights in Victoria Falls and a drive to Botswana. Each place we stayed knew Darren and Kate had booked us there and told us how lucky we were to have them looking after us. They all knew we were on our honeymoon as well which was a nice touch. There were so many moving parts to figure out but Darren and Kate planned it out and executed it flawlessly. I would 100% recommend them to anyone looking to have the trip of a lifetime in Africa.
ES
Email Joaquín Ruiz | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Maximum attention to our wishes and full cooperation and professionalism.
All previous information was clear and useful. The preparation by Kate and Darren that everything would go as planned, was maximal. Our expectations were surpassed by the magnificent trip prepared by Compass Odyssey. Thanks a million for Kate and Darren.
Amazing trip to Southern Africa
Wonderful trip tailored by Darren. I started planning late and Darren was available to answer questions and met my budget for the trip. I am delighted I was able to see everything, including he big 5, on my wish list. We started in Cape Town, then Chobe, Vic Falls, and lastly Kruger. Couldn't have planned it better.
DE
Email Zhizhou Fang | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great customer service
We've planned a 3 week holiday in South Africa. Usually we do all the vacation planning completely by ourselves, but this time we've asked Darren to provide an offer for our 1st week, which we wanted to go on safari. In the beginning we were sceptical about the benefits of asking a tour operator, but from the first day of establishing contact, Compass Odyssey has turned out to be a great choice. Darren was very proactive in planning the safari, paying close attention to all of our specific needs and designing the itinerary, accommodations, tickets, cars etc. according to our requirements about what to see, what kind of accommodations we would like to stay, answering our many question promptly, even tried to help to plan a birthday surprise for my girlfriend during the safari. He contacted local pharmacies and phone shops in order to provide us information how to get SIM cards, what to do in case of malaria etc.
In conclusion, we can recommend Compass Odyssey unconditionally.
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Email Julie and Madison | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cape Town, Kruger, Victoria Falls,…Above and beyond what we had hoped for
Traveling of any sort - but especially international travel - comes with its own headaches. In my experience, it's simply an unavoidable part of the whole package. Traveling with Compass Odyssey, however, defied that assumption from day one.
I was extremely impressed with my first contact with Darren and Kate about possibly setting in motion a trip to South Africa for my 24 year old daughter and I. The emails were answered promptly, professionally, and always with the kindest banter. We quickly hammered out the details, and once tickets, lodging, and regional flights were booked by Compass Odyssey, Darren helped us find and book our international flights.
Just as he patiently expressed over and over again, prior to our setting foot into South Africa, Compass Odyssey had every little detail worked out, and there was absolutely no reason to stress about our upcoming trip. The pre-trip information packets we received wholly covered every aspect of our trip, and I swear I read all the information 3 or 4 times, yet a few issues - visas, money exchange, tipping, cell phone - kept me up at night. Within the first hour of arriving in Cape Town, with Darren’s guidance, and helping hand, I knew my only job was to turn everything over to him, relax and enjoy!
From our early conversations, it was obvious that Darren loves what he does, and does it extremely well. Coming into this trip, my daughter and I were especially interested in the history of South Africa, especially as it pertains to Apartheid. We are walking away from this trip with a massive amount of knowledge that is grounded in the impact the nation's history still has on the country today. Darren knows South Africa so well that he is able to offer his guests the full range of experiences - from the best lookout points along the coast to learning the local lingo, from history lessons over shared meals to surprise tickets to see "The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek" at the Fugard Theatre. Darren not only understands the complexities of Cape Town and South Africa at large, but he also understands his travelers and is quick to regularly offer multiple options to make their trip even more enjoyable and educational.
While in Kruger, Compass Odyssey booked us with Senalala Luxury Camp, a wonderful extension of the personal care we received from Darren while in Cape Town. The adrenalin filled drives, the bush walk, the meals shared around one table with guests from all over the world, combined with the lazy afternoons watching animals visit the watering hole…perfection.
The final leg of our trip was Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Victoria Falls. Darren once again lined up the perfect local guide for us, Mortimer. We were able to tour the Falls on both sides, attend the Boma Feast, take a beautiful sunset cruise down the Zambezi River, and learned an immense amount about the natural history as well as the local history from our guide. He was knowledgeable, helpful, and kind, and allowed us the free time to explore the area as we wished.
We are exceptionally grateful for the attention to detail that Darren and Kate put into their work. It truly shows, and it made our trip one beyond our wildest dreams.
Darren planned a great, kid-friendly, Southern Africa safari for my family of four.
I reached out to Compass Odyssey in fall 2015 to plan a safari vacation with my family (including kids aged 10 and 13) in summer 2016. I had some ideas about what we wanted to do/see, but I was a bit overwhelmed by the options, especially the travel arrangements within Southern Africa. Darren took my ideas and came up with a few different itineraries, and we chose to go with a self-guided trip to Greater Kruger, Victoria Falls, and Chobe. The lodges and activities he booked us in to were all first rate, and given our advance planning, we were able to get flights between South Africa/Zambia/Botswana that minimized travel time. Darren also arranged for travel assistance at the Zimbabwe border crossings to ensure that everything went smoothly. The entire trip, including 3 different lodges, numerous travel transfers, many new friends, and countless amazing wildlife sightings, went off without a hitch, thanks to Darren’s expertise and planning.