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
US
Email Allyson | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Travel with confidence and comfort
Our family of three started out requesting information for a short few day excursion from Johannesburg to Botswana. We sent inquiries to many tour operators and got a variety of responses. By far, the most detailed and informative response was from Compass Odyssey. Our trip then morphed into a trip for four people, then six people, then it was to Victoria Falls and Chobe, then it was ten days, and Hwange too. Suffice it to say, our trip went through multiple adaptations before we settled on our final itinerary (and I didn't even mention we were traveling with a seven (7) year old and a ninety (90) year old) but Kate and Darren were so easy to deal with; they sent prompt replies; answered all questions; and sent the most detailed information of any tour operator I have ever dealt with before. It was because of their professional yet friendly and accessible nature that we had no doubt that when we finally arrived things would be in good order and they were. The drivers were all prompt, the accomodations were fantastic, and everything exceeded our expectations. They even arranged for a birthday party for my father-in-law who celebrated his 91st while on safari. The entire trip was truly extraordinary, no doubt because of the comfort and confidence we had in Compass Odyssey to take care of all the details (and there were many); we just luxuriated.
PE
Email Guglielmo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Another Great Experience
Our second holiday in South Africa was unforgettable, almost better than the first one in 2016.
Darren is a very capable, proficient and skilled person: he took care of us in each instant of our vacation, allowing us to travel safely and peacefully from the beginning until the end.
As concerns our visits to the wineries (Wellington, Swartland, Worcester, Robertson, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek) the wine specialist of Compass Odyssey was very agreeable; we experienced a new way of visiting wineries by personalizing the visits and making a sort of friendship with every winery which received us. I would like to define these 3 days spent in visiting South African wineries as something really appreciable and in the same time very pleasant.
As for our safari, we requested to Darren to make a reservation in a luxury lodge and the lodge he chose for us was magnificent, like a great castle in a fairytale. We lived to the full our safari thanks to a very professional ranger who permitted us to see all the Big Five Game Animals (elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard and rhino) more than once.
All in all, I would like to underline that I consider Compass Odyssey one of the best options to plan and to organize a travel in South Africa and Darren is a highly competent and professional person.
NZ
Email Kylie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic attention to detail and worked with us to create an amazing trip
From our first contact with Darren from Compass Odyssey it was obvious that he is passionate about what he does and is keen to ensure his clients get the most out of their trip. There was a lot of communication whilst sorting out details for our safari and his responses were always very prompt and informative. My husband and I were travelling with our youngest son (13) and my parents. Darren gave us lots of information about the accommodation options and we were impressed by the options that he recommended. Mortimer was our guide in Victoria Falls and was friendly and helpful. Victoria Falls was impressive and we managed to take it in from both the Zimbabwe and Zambian sides and from the air. We loved our time in Chobe at Garden Lodge - lovely property, great setting with hippos on the lawn at night and warthogs running around during the day. The staff at the lodge were very welcoming. John was our safari guide and we did 2 river safaris and 2 driving safaris - he was informative and good at tracking animals and gave us an amazing safari experience. Before we started our Compass Odyssey tour we were in Johannesburg and had money stolen from our room safe. Even though this part of our trip was not organised by Compass Odyssey Darren went above and beyond and tried to help us with regard to the theft. We would happily recommend Darren and Compass Odyssey to anybody.
Email Pat Repa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
South African Based Agents who are Organised, Efficient, Local Knowledge, Personal & Informative,
We left it to Darren & Kate to arrange our accommodation in Capetown, Safari Camp in Kruger, Accommodation in Victoria Falls , Safari Camp on the Chobi River and each one was absolutely spot on. The Game Reserve In Kruger(Senalala) was absolutely amazing along with the Garden Lodge on the Chobi River. Darren assured us that we would enjoy the Safari Camps and they were way above our expectations. Our accommodation in Capetown and Victoria Falls were both outstanding as well. Darren followed up by email to make sure all was running smoothly. This can only be achieved by the personal touch. Compass Odyssey are to be highly commended for their expert and efficient way of doing business.
DE
Email Evangeline and Josef Roessel | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Compass Odyssey made a perfect itinerary for us which met all our expectations.
The informations given to us from the pre- Safari up to the start of our journey was very helpful since this is our first visit to Africa. Compass Odessy was always prompt in answering our emails and has always communicated with us during our tour, to know if all goes well. The lodges selected for us are in very good locations, were comfortable, with friendly staff. Very good food were served and we enjoyed the " sun downing" cocktails in every afternoon game drive, watching the sunset in the midst of wilderness between elephants and hippos! We were always heartfully welcomed everywhere.Our guides in game drives and mokoro rides never let a question unanswered! It is a very educational tour and our great enjoyment is to see how Africa takes care of its wild life and its environment. Let's hope that all tourist would contribute to help them preserve it for the benefit of all.
Email Lyndall | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding in quality and delivery
All our arrangements were handled in such an accommodating and supportive manner, that it was a no brainer that the reality would be spot on - and it was! Cape Town's Keith Sinclair and Johannesburg's Peter Mashaba were both professional, friendly, knowledgeable and most importantly flexible to cater for our particular quirks of interest etc. The Klaserie experience at Senalala was almost surreal in its organisation, game sightings and delicious food, and all the transport legs went without a hitch. Thanks to Compass Odyssey for the most enjoyable holiday possible.
US
Email william | Experience level: first safari
dope
Darren and all his guides were very knowledgeable and accommodations were excellent even for the fussiest of travelers.
Awesome Vacation Of A Life Time
As stated an awesome well planned, detailed out vacation for 5 countries visited. Guides very knowledgeable helpful, and fun too. Felt very safe and in good hands. Darren is a wonderful tour guide, full of great stories about Cape Town, along with continually checking on our group while we were in other counties. Highly recommend Compass Odyssey for a great travel experience.
US
Email Jennie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent, everything are well organized. We were well taking care of
Excellent services and well planned. We were very relaxing and enjoying the trip. The lodges were excellent and staffs were friendly and helpful.
US
Email Maribeth | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful trip!
We returned ten days ago from a terrific safari, with many thanks to Compass Odyssey. My husband and I traveled with a close friend, so we were a small party and we all felt extremely well looked after. Darren was very easy to communicate with and designed a great itinerary for us which included Cape Town, Greater Kruger, Victoria Falls, Chobe, and Johannesburg. It is pretty incredible that with three internal flights and five different locations in 13 days, this all went off without a hitch. The guides were absolutely top notch, particularly Garth in Cape Town, from whom we learned an astonishing amount about the history and current realities of life in South Africa. It was like having a very fun, good natured college professor along with us for our time in Cape Town. All of the guides Darren connected us with were wonderful, and every aspect of our travels went smoothly so that we didn't have to worry about transit details or which sites to prioritize, we just showed up in each new locale and jumped right in. The quality of the game drives was especially high and we have to give a special shout out to Senalala where we stayed in Greater Kruger for the high quality of that experience. This is a very special locale, with just eight rooms and a wonderful level of attention to guests and to the very special natural habitat all around them. We were lucky enough to do a bush walk and to experience wildlife outside of the jeep, but the guided drives were very special as well. Chobe was notable for the incredible quantity of wildlife gathered at the water and it was one of the most special experiences of my life to see one of these noble elephants (or ellies, as they are called here) swim across the river with her trunk held above the waterline.
This was truly an unforgettable journey and it took a lot of care and planning to make sure that we had that outcome. Darren and his wife Kate are personally invested in the experiences of their travelers and it really shows. I recommend Compass Odyssey highly and without reservation. You will be in great hands.