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
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An adventure, an amazing experience, lots of fun and altogether a great travel odyssey -Wonderful
Choosing again to travel with Compass Odyssey I certainly was not dissapointed. The service was outstanding with the tour leader Darren always enquiring & endevouring to meet the needs of each individual within the group. Noel the driver & Allen the cook were extaordinarily good at what they did as well as being a joy to travel with.
The highlights for me were Zimbabwe - Victoria Falls, Botswana - Chobe, Maun Royal Tree Lodge, Okavango Delta & South Africa - Kruger National Park, Johannesburg Soweto. We certainly experienced first hand meeting many fascinating people, seeing a diversity of places, landscapes, animals & birds & stayed in varied & different types of accommodation.
A fantastic travel experience .... i would certainly reccomend!!!!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Southern Africa's people, animals, geography, history & contrasts were made a living experience.
Compass Odyssey's Southern Africa Safari was well organised with initial information clearly explaining what one may expect. Travelling in Namibia, Botswana, Zambia & Zimbabwe was a wonderful initiation to an area which has such diversity. Darren showed his passion for Africa & was able & willing to impart such a wealth of knowledge(history, animals, birds etc) supported by Zimbabwean driver (amazing animal spotter) Noel & cook Allen. This personal input on a real level is what made this trip stand out & be the difference from the usual travel experiences. Nothing ever seemed to be a problem for these three & helpfulness & assistance seemed to me to go beyond & above the norm. They were such good company, a wonderful tour leader, an excellent driver & a great cook (who met the needs of the group). The sights, smells, sounds, encounters, topography, accommodation , experiences were varied & immense ...... an extraordinary Southern African experience. Darren also arranged 2 great mini stays prior (Johanesburg) & after (CapeTown) which completed this whole experience to be way beyond expectations.
Email Sue Milton | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience.certainly know Africa & how to show the true side.
If you are looking for a positive experience in Africa contact Compass Odyssey for a true African experience.
Cannot commend highly enough.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Safari to Africa was excellent saw many animals and the country as promised by the organisor.
The tour was most informative, well organised, experiences of the food and the people and life styles, history of the country were excellent. Accommodation was well planned and the areas visited left us in no way short of everything Africa has to give. We left the country with many happy memories, friendships, laughs and good vibes about the tour organised by Compass Odyssey and their staff. We would recommend anyone wanting to see Africa this was they way to go, very relaxing and enjoyable.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A truly memorable, fun, action packed, educational safari!
Darren and Kate were extremely generous with pre departure information even including a reading list. Everything was very organised and not once did we have to "think" about logistics, meals...everything was superbly pre-organised. Nothing was ever a problem.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A small group tour that made us feel very welcome, through out the whole trip.
This trip was above and beyond what we expected and hoped for. Everything was well planned and everyone catered for. As we had a truck for transport most of the time wildlife viewing was outstanding. Seeing a small inside to the African schools and having local guides at various stops was an added bonus. Food was excellent as was the friendliness and knowledge of the tour staff. Care taken to keep hygiene standards high was much appreciated, avoiding any sickness etc.
Email Ruth Bryant | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Relaxed, extremely comfortable and informative trip in a lesser known part of Africa.
The trip through Botswana and Namibia was so interesting. Seeing those rolling sand dunes with their living heart, plants and small creatures. Seeing the changing landscape from sea to waterfall. The visions will always remain with me after the names drift off. The staff on the trip - Crusty the tour guide, Noel the truck driver (he was insistent it was NOT A BUS) and Michael the assistant - all knew so much of the surrounding country and exuded their love of this wild country. You will also never experience again those exceptional accommodation places. That was a REAL AFRICA experience.
US
Email Melissa Mona | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easy to work with
The very first thing we did was go to a place to book excursions, felt like high pressure sales on the guide's part. We hurriedly pick a few and asked to go to check in at our accomodataions so we could freshen up from traveling. The next day we were a bit surprised to be handed an invoice for transport to and from activitites. We almost missed one activity because our guide told us to be ready at one time and the transport arrived over an hour and a half before that time. Fortunately that driver waited for us to hurry and get ready, we did almost miss the boat for the excursion, they held the boat since there were so many people from different places on the bus. May have made the actual boat ride shorter, I have no idea.
The transfers to and from countries with the guides seemed seamless. We always felt safe. transferred from Zimbabwe to Zambia and back, then to Botswana later.
the host and accomodations in Botswana, and the guides there were beyond amazing. I would do this part of the tour again in a heartbeat.
The food at all accomodations was great.
Reply from Compass Odyssey
Posted on Aug 4, 2023Hello, Melissa and thanks for the review.
We always prefer to pre-arrange our travellers' activities for their time in and around Victoria Falls so that upon your arrival, there is no need to visit the activities office and make your choices on the spot, as happened in your case because you hadn't asked us to arrange anything. We're sorry that the activities consultant made you feel pressured and we've asked our guides, Ruth and Mortimer to ensure this doesn't happen. We're also sorry that it seems that the collection time for your sunset cruise was incorrectly advised to you by the activities consultant. The activities are booked/operated by a third party. Two of the activities that your group of six travellers chose did not include transfers in the cost, so you were transferred by Ruth. We mentioned this scenario in your safari documentation and also mentioned that Mortimer and Ruth are not your full-time guides and that any extra transport or services may require payment, as happened in your case. We're glad you enjoyed the hospitality of Anja and her team at Chobe River Lodge.
Darren and Kate
US
Email Anna and Marcie | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The tour operator should be given kudos for hiring our tour guide, Elvis. He was the best.
I would and have described this trip as rugged. A major portion of the trip was spent in our vehicle on rough roads, which are typical for viewing the sites in Namibia. Thank goodness for Elvis, our guide who kept it entertaining and made regular stops. I'm not sure that on a couple of those days, flying in a bush plane wouldn't have been a better option. Obviously, adding to the cost. The only real complaint that I have is the vehicle which was rented for our trip. They often say, know your audience. We were 4 women, 2 in their mid-60's and 2 in their mid-70's and short. We all were challenged getting into the vehicle whose first step was sitting at least 3 feet off of the ground. Eventually, Elvis bought a stool which made it much easier to get into the vehicle. Having been on safaris in the past, I know that there are All Terrain Vehicles that have easier boarding methods. Communications with CO was great. They responded timely and thoroughly. I can't say enough great things about our guide, Elvis. And, everything ran smoothly both due to CO and Elvis. We never had to wonder what was going on. If I were to rate this tour on a scale of 10, I would rate it an 8 out of 10.
Reply from Compass Odyssey
Posted on Oct 4, 2022Thanks for your review, Anna and we're glad that Elvis was able to help make the long driving days bearable. We do mention in our detailed itineraries that the days can be long in Namibia...such is the price for travelling in this vast, open country. Elvis has kept the magic stool for future travellers who travel in that larger vehicle and my apologies that it took a few days before this simple remedy was obtained. We only use this vehicle when there are 4+ travellers. We use a 5-door SUV 4x4 for 1-3 travellers and could offer it to four travellers like yourselves but this would mean three of you sitting on the back seat together, which surely wouldn't be comfortable.
Thanks to your suggestion, we have recently received fares from a local charter airline and will offer this option to our travellers in the future...though the costs are considerably above our usual travellers' budget plus this would also mean that we wouldn't be able to offer Elvis as the sole guide because he obviously can't get between point A and Point B at the same speed as the plane.
Very well organized and interesting tour of the places to see in Cape Town
This was not a safari tour, but a first experience of all the beautiful sights Cape Town has to offer. The guest house (Parker’s Cottage) where I stayed was excellent, their breakfast offer was outstanding with various choices of cooked breakfast, fresh juices and amazing and tasty fresh fruit with granola. The local guide cum driver was knowledgeable and provided a lot of insight on South African history and politics.