Reviews

Sort By: Date Most Helpful 11-20 of 293 Reviews
Ian   –  
Australia AU
Visited: August 2007 Reviewed: Feb 15, 2014

Email Ian  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

A great trip north to south with diverse landscape and animals
5/5

Not knowing what to expect on this trip, I found it a great experience . The tour covered Kruger nation park in the north through Swaziland, the battlefields of the Zulu wars and the Drakensberg mountains. A great wealth of animals during the tour was a highlight. The overall tour was made enjoyable by tour leader Darren and his driver/cook. we always knew what was happening and what was going to happen.
I would recommend a short stay in Cape Town to end the tour

Jan, Bunbury   –  
Australia AU
Visited: September 2007 Reviewed: Feb 21, 2014

65+ years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

An amazing experience with fantastic tour guides.
5/5

Crusty (Darren) and lovely partner Kate were wonderful people and extremely knowledgeable guides. We visited amazing places and experienced being around the African wildlife which was a dream come true. The food was amazing and accommodation was very comfortable. Don't think about...just do it!

Stephen Slavin   –  
Australia AU
Visited: October 2007 Reviewed: Feb 23, 2014

Email Stephen Slavin  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Experiences of a Lifetime!
5/5

We had travelled extensively around the world for 25 years before we took two Compass Odyssey tours because we had never experienced Africa. Their client profile fitted us as we like to engage with cultures wherever we travel and go off the beaten track away from tourist "packs" to have special encounters. We had a fantastic time and still cherish the amazing insight into South Africa that Darren and Kate gave us. We met real people and had experiences that will remain with us forever. Their ability to give us the information we needed to enjoy the moment without bombarding us with facts, and subtly creating moments around exquisite food, views, places or people was remarkable.
I can't recommend Compass Odyssey highly enough for the quality of product and price that we enjoyed in South Africa.

Margaret Mellowship   –  
Australia AU
Visited: October 2007 Reviewed: Feb 23, 2014

65+ years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Wonderful time
5/5

I was apprehensive about travelling to South Africa but I was confident that my husband would not get us into danger and Compass Odyssey advertised that safety was a priority. We had a fantastic trip and saw so many animals it was stunning, and at no time did I feel unsafe. Kate and Darren's care of us as travellers was impressive even when we had our "own time" they recommended ideas specifically suited to our individual needs. I have so many wonderful memories and photos of our time in South Africa and hope to return soon to see more of Africa...only with Compass Odyssey.

Caterina Butera and Juan Boria   –  
Peru PE
Visited: October 2014 Reviewed: Nov 1, 2014

Email Caterina Butera and Juan Boria  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Excellent Trip!
5/5

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!

Daniella Arbuckle   –  
Australia AU
Visited: April 2015 Reviewed: May 16, 2015

Email Daniella Arbuckle  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Fantasic Family Safari Experience
5/5

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.






Fabio Jacintho   –  
Brazil BR
Visited: July 2015 Reviewed: Aug 11, 2015

Email Fabio Jacintho

Very knowledgeable and easy-going guide!
5/5

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!

Tor   –  
United States US
Visited: August 2015 Reviewed: Aug 24, 2015

Email Tor  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Amazing Honeymoon thanks to Darren
5/5

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.

Andy   –  
United States US
Visited: October 2015 Reviewed: Oct 20, 2015

Email Andy  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Senalala, V falls, Chobe
5/5

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.

Rozenn   –  
France FR
Visited: January 2016 Reviewed: Jan 10, 2016

Email Rozenn

Victoria Falls
5/5

Very well organized and enjoyable trip. Worth for the two days I spent.

Average User Rating
5.0/5
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