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
QA
Email Julian | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service, personally tailored and rapid response to a last minute booking
Safari overall was excellent, with a good choice of locations and experiences as per our request and interests. Darren responded promptly to our initial approach, prepared the tour plan and followed up with us personally and the operators throughout our safari to ensure everything was on track. Exceptional service and highly recommended.
Email David Cove | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great personal service
We used Compass Odyssey to arrange a trip to Chobe and Victoria Falls after we had been visiting Capetown for two weeks in March. From the initial enquiry we had a phone call from Darren on a Sunday morning to discuss (a great surprise as we aren't used to such an approach to follow up an enquiry so quickly) and over a period of weeks worked out the best plan for ourselves with him (he showed great patience andgave us the advice we needed to make a good choice). The choice of accommodation and safaris was great and we ended up with an excellent safari guide (Brave) who drove the 4x4 and the boat for the evening safari cruise. Mortimer, who Compass use as a guide in Victoria Falls came to pick us up from Chobe and got us through the immigration process, helped to organise some additional activities, took us around, and was our guide visiting the falls. He and his family members we met were very friendly and we enjoyed their company. A very good personal service, and extremely good communication. I would recommend to any friends or family wanting to organise trips around southern Africa.
US
Email Leonard and Belinda Kaiser | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely first-class, an outstanding experience!
From the very first correspondence, we knew we were with the right company! We were so pleasantly surprised at the consistent, professional and friendly communications prior to our arrival, and from the moment we were greeted at the airport, our expectations were all exceeded. For the next several days we were treated to a local's view of all the best places to see, dine and experience, and it was like we were spending time with an old friend! We could have never found all the quaint, interesting and delightful places on our own. Darren went above and beyond everyday to make sure our time in South Africa was truly exceptional! Highly, highly recommend Compass Odyssey!
Email Stella | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very caring and attentive to customer's needs.
Everything was very good, except the Pay Pal form of payment, which gave me many aggravations. But with Darren's patient and courteous assistance, all ended up well.
Victoria Falls
Very well organized and enjoyable trip. Worth for the two days I spent.
US
Email Andy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Senalala, V falls, Chobe
It was an absolutely amazing trip, which went beyond my expectations. Very happy with everything throughout the entire trip. Darren was very attentive and helpful in setting up the vacation. It was truly an unforgettable time.
US
Email Tor | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Honeymoon thanks to Darren
Darren and Compass Odyssey were perfect for helping us plan and experience the best that Africa had to offer. Great service before, during and after the trip. Incredible surprises and constant upgrades throughout the adventure made this once in a lifetime experience.
Starting with the trip planning, we were able to take advantage of Darren's experience with the area and accommodations to plan the ideal two week adventure. He made it so easy to create a completely customized itinerary with all the random side trips we wanted, all the last minute modifications we came up with, and all the crazy ideas my wife and I could throw at him while at the same time keeping the costs down and within our budget.
We were extremely surprised to find that every one of our room accommodations had been upgraded or moved to what was truly the best room in each hotel. Turns out this was 100% thanks to Darren calling ahead and working with his contacts to ensure that our trip was truly one of a kind. There was even a surprise special dinner out on the hotel veranda in front of our own private fire all reserved for just the two of us.
Darren was in contact with us throughout the entire trip and did everything possible to ensure our trip was perfect.
Very knowledgeable and easy-going guide!
We enjoyed the experience of having Darren from Compass Odyssey as our guide on a 5 day trip to the Cape area, a very well informed and educated person who helped turn our visit into an unforgettable part of our South African tour. Thankyou very much, Darren!
Email Daniella Arbuckle | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantasic Family Safari Experience
Our Southern African holiday was initiated by my father-In-law who thought it would be a great experience for our 2 children. He came upon Darren and Compass Odyssey from mutual friends in Perth. All arrangements were made via e-mail. Darren suggested several itineraries that would suit our family, including my Father in law and 2 young children 7 and 5. Our final arrangements included Cape Town, Kruger NP, Victoria Falls and Chobe NP.
All our accommodation was superb. From a beach House in Kommetjie, Cape Town to the quirky rondavels in Kruger NP. All accommodation was arranged to be self catering so we had flexibility when it came to feeding the kids.
African Safari's with young children can be challenging as many operators do not allow children as young as 5. Darren had arranged and drove our own private mini van which meant our youngest could be a part of the experience.
There were several internal flight between Kruger and Zambia as well as Botswana to Johannesburg airport not to mention less than straight forward border crossings between Zambia and Zimbabwe. These all went of smoothly.
As our group consisted only of us and Darren as our guide ( for the entirety of the trip) the days and scheduled events were very flexible. As a parent himself to 3 young children, Darren had a good sense of how much to fit into one day, never did we feel rushed and plenty of rest stops were catered for on the longer drives.
Darren's passion for South Africa is evident through his extensive knowledge from politics and history to the bird life and wild life which he is more than willing to share.
Our holiday was one that will not be soon forgotten. From the initial contact to the final goodbye everything went smoothly and without any hassle. I couldn't recommend Compass Odyssey and Darren
highly enough. Especially to those thinking about travelling with a younger family.
PE
Email Caterina Butera and Juan Boria | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Trip!
We are Juan and Caterina from Perú. We have been planning this trip to South Africa since April. And we made all the coordinations with Darren by e-mail. When we arrived in Cape Town, everything was perfect, all the coordinations, the timing, the hotels, the tours, everything! We had a lovely time there and we are dreaming about coming back with our daughters! We loved the Safari in NKaya Lodge, it was great! The service and guiding was excellent! We also went to Johannesburg and we find that city very interesting! Also Durban, that was our last destination was really nice! We are very grateful for the days we enjoyed in SA and for the excelent work of Darren as a coordinator and also as a host!