Come As Guests, Leave As Family.
Odyssey Safaris
- Located In:
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United States
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2002)
- Member Of:
- APTA, ATA & KPSGA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $400 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Aleks | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ecxellent Trip
the trip was just excellent, we loved how personalized it was. We saw tons of wildlife (including a leopard), great scenery, and the accommodations and food were good too (exceeded our expectations). The only negative was the amount of driving, especially on bumpy and unpaved roads, that needed to be made between the desired destinations. I guess we all didn't realize how long the distances were between all, until we actually got there. However, James, our driver truly made up for it. He was the best driver/guide we could only imagine to have on such trip - very experienced (certainly not easy to drive in these conditions for such long amount of time), knowleable, flexible, delivered everything we asked him for, and most importantly - funny as he kept everyone in great mood from the start of the trip till the end. I would appreciate if you could give him some big Kudos from us as he truly desrves it.
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Email Eliza | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari in Kenya, A trip of a lifetime!
Our safari trip to Kenya with Odyssey Safaris was an one amazing experience, a trip of a lifetime!! Unreal and nothing like any trip I took before, and I do travel quite a bit.
Our driver and a guide James is an extraordinary person, a great guide and an awesome driver, very knowledgeable about the wild life and cared very much about our well-being and safety. Our trip would not be the same without him. He literally made our every single request and every wish come true. We joked with him which animals we would like to see next and we had seen them right after. He said that we are a lucky group to see all the animals we wanted, as other groups did not. But all that "luck" was truly his hard work. He knew where to take us to see the particular animals and he spot most of them for us. He is a definitely a great asset to Odyssey Safaris, hardworking, loves what he does, and does an outstanding job. Thank you very much for this experience and for assigning James to our group (small private group of 4 people). We had so much fun and came back with great memories and tons of awesome pictures.
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Email Taylor | under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was amazing!
I have always wanted to go on a safari and Odyssey Safaris provided everything I dreamed about. My favorite place was Masai Mara when we got to stay inside the park. The itinerary of our trip was so clear and all of the hotels were beautiful. I really recommend this trip!
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Email Heidi mitchell | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond amazing !!!!!!!!
The trip could not have been easier... We were slackers in planning ..and odyssey picked up our mess and created the trip of a lifetime for us!!!!! this trip was beyond anything we could have imagined.... We thought we would be roughing it ...we packed granola bars...hahah everything even the food was five star !!!!! Accomidations were fantastic ...above all our guide James made the trip !!!! We are planning our next adventure !!!
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Email Stephanie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Had the most amazing time of my life with Odyssey!!!!
I bought a Groupon to go on the Kenya Safari with Odyssey and it did not disappoint, in fact, exceeded my expectations! The tour guides were wonderful- accommodating and very knowledgeable. The hotels were all wonderful- in great locations, great staff, great food, clean. We saw every animal we could possibly want to see. The guides would coordinate with each other to find as many different animals to show us. We even saw a leopard hunt and kill a gazelle right in front of our eyes! They seemed to know all the good places to find the different animals, even the ones that are elusive (like leopards and cheetahs). We saw everything way up close, some only 5-10 feet away from our car. It was unbelievable!!! This was a once in a lifetime experience, and I would have no hesitations in recommending Odyssey. They just went above and beyond!
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Email Jack and Connie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The trip of a lifetime, amazing!!!!! We would highly recommend it to others!
The four different accomodations we stayed at were excellent, very clean! The staff members were very friendly and knowledgeable. With all the food being inclusive, it was fabulous and you could have as much as you wanted. We saw so many animals in their natural habitat, it was really breathtaking !The sunsets were beautiful! And one of our trips to Amboseli National Park was situated at the foot of snowcapped Mount Kilimanjaro! What a spectacular sight! The weather was very comfortable and we had no problems with mosquitoes! Of particular note was our individual guide, Erastas. He was extremely accommodating, taking care of all our needs. There were many bathroom stops along the way. There was an 86 year old woman in our jeep and he took extra care to ensure her comfort. It was impressive, He was very well informed regarding the wildlife we observed and he was willing to answer any questions we had. He coordinated well with the other guides to ensure that we got maximum exposure to as many animals as possible. Additionally and perhaps more importantly he was a perfect gentleman and a friendly companion! He is a credit to your organization. Thank you for such a great experience. We will never forget it! And our pictures are awesome!
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Email Sally Lazaro | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Odyssey Safari was more than I even hoped for. Every detail was taken care of and excellent!
The Safari from beginning to end was more than I even hoped for. Every detail was taken care of. The staff accommodations and everything in between was first class. As an American it was top of the line in Kenya Africa the way I wanted it to be. The Safaris did not disappoint. Saw all these different animals in their environment which was breathtaking. Many of the animals even crossed our paths.
I highly recommend this tour to anyone that is interested in the Safari. You will not be disappointed in any area of the trip.
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Email jennifer | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
unfortunate experience *updated*
Update February 2nd, 2017:
The owner of the company called me with concerns about my review, so I will clarify that further.
I said the food was not good, which was too blanket a statement. There was a buffet for every meal, and most people could find something in it that appealed to them. There was always a certain amount of Indian food, as Kenya has a large East Indian population. I wouldn't go expecting gourmet offerings, but the food was satisfactory. Mark (the owner) said he eats fruits and vegetables every time he goes there, but it seemed to me like no one wanted to risk it on my trip.
As for options that cost more, I was referring to side trips that are offered if you have the time.
Another point I didn't make in my review was to be sure to bring extra cash-like at least $250. There are many things you will need it for, and they gladly take American dollars, so no need to change money.
Original review:
My experience with Odyssey started out well: I though they had good communications and returned my emails and calls promptly. Where it all fell apart was when they had a problem with the return ticket and did not give me accurate and timely information. This caused me a lot of anxiety and anger, because they were not honest and forthcoming about what was happening. It turned out fine in that I did get home, but my feelings about the trip are tainted.
The tour itself seemed to be ok, with a lot of driving and very little rest or down time. Also, the food was not good. Many of the options are not really available at all, and most cost extra money.
I would caution anyone interested in this company to be aware of every detail stated in the package, and keep a careful eye on arrival times and any changes that are made.
Reply from Odyssey Safaris
Posted on Feb 2, 2017Thanks for taking my call today to discuss your trip and review. I appreciate your frustration with the return flight situation which was out of our control. I think we both understand that we were honest with what was happening, but had we been more thorough with information this would have alleviated any anxiety. For that we are sorry.
With regards to the food, thank you for your discussion regarding that comment. I hope you are able to add an update to this review with more detail. If I can summarize our discussion the food was satisfactory but because of some concerns arising from comments from health care professionals in the United States, there was anxiety about eating fruits and vegetables that couldn't be peeled. We don't feel this is accurate and I appreciate you sharing this with us so we can address this with travelers in the future. I hope we can see you in Africa again!
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Email Alana Zhu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Experience!
Never in a million years did I think I would go on a safari. But with little convincing as I am a very adventure- driven person, my bff and I decided to go. Odyssey Safaris was easy to work with, their itinerary was on point, and it turned out to be the most special and unique vacation I've ever had. Our safari guide, Charles, was so kind, knowledgeable, and fun. Our flight to and from the US to Africa was rough. Both going and coming home were very long travel days (30+ hours). However, it was all worth it because the trip itself was so wonderful! Of course we saw the Big 5 animals, plus the cheetah and tsavo cat! The housing/lodging was great, plenty of food options to choose from, and everyone we encountered was so accommodating. I would highly recommend traveling with Odyssey as their company knows how to safari the right way!
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Email woodrow | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari!
We just returned from our travels and I’m happy to report we had an outstanding time on the safari! We saw way more animals than we expected, the accommodations were great and the ground crew (Erastus, Simon and Eliud) were knowledgeable and friendly. The trip was well worth the costs and we are super happy we went.
I don't give this trip 5 stars because we had some issues with the air travel part of the trip prior to leaving . Specifically - getting assigned seats and tickets with correct names. Based on conversations with other people on the safari, my own problems with air travel were not isolated issues. Several people remarked about air travel problems. Although in the end our flights, seats and air travel were fine for my wife and me, we did experience some stress leading up to departure.
Once again we are glad we went and are still speaking excitedly about all we saw and did!