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 Sussie C. Morales | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Buyer beware
Great trip honestly. It was catered to what I wanted including, Seychelles, Kenya, safari, hot air balloon over Masai Mara, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Giraffe Manor, Zanzibar! But there was MAJOR communication failure once we were there towards the end on the Mt Kili leg. We stayed anour away from Mt Kili when there was a hotel RIGHT THERE AT THE AIRPORT, we under packed for the cold and rainy Muntain hike. They expected us to practcally rush down (more than 1/2 way up the Mt.) Since we had a 6:00 pm flight to catch. Needless to say we missed, no shower as we rushed to make it to airport. We didn't have enough cash on us, and none of the ATMs worked. Credit card machine was broken so we couldn't book another flight! The guy who was supposed to help us during this trip, Elliot/Yulad dropped the bill, got snippy with us saying 'others make this flight coming off the mountain all the time.' He eventually hung up on us after saying, 'if I make this better, will u not complain about me?' Seriously! This shortened our final stay in Zanzibar which we were going to just cancel because it'd've been too much rushing, but we chose to go since the new agent working with us after Elliot, said she'd coordinate r flights. So again we rushed to the island for 27 hour stay! Which was supposed to be full days! In the end, We were reimbursed Some but it put such a sour end to what could've been an AMAZING DREAM trip. The owner was easy to work with once we were back in the US. Believe it or not, I still referred 2 people to Oddyssey Safaris but told them to run far if they hear the name Elliot/Yulad!
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Email Richard | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Bargain Groupon delivr what we paid for - 4 off-season Kenya resorts, +game drives but long xfer
It was a bargain Groupon trip WELL WORTH the MONEY - especially incl. air travel. Four quality Kenya game Park resorts (no Tanzania) about 2 days at each but transfers between each (plus repack/ checkout) rather grueling for 8 days game safaris ("10d/9n" package). Long resort transfer travel times included rest-stops (even some box-lunch stops) at the ubiquitous curio shops. Had we been in the market for negotiating carving/artwork prices I might have looked forward to stopping but with 5-6 hr travel times between Parks, "running the gauntlet" of sellers to use the [very clean, BTW] bathrooms in the back got rather old, fast. But I'd be singing different tune if I bought more trinkets.
Choice of Game Parks and resorts quite good. Nice mix. Amboseli. Lake Naivashu (even Lake Nakuru without Flamingoes) and the top Masai Maru NR delivered all that was promised. Just transport between them was grueling.
[perhaps "road travel" transfers could be done at night?]
Other safaris have flown us by prop plane to the grass strip at Masai Mara, but not at these prices (or gear weight limits) - so once again, this was well worth the price.
Other pluses included roomy Land Cruisers - only 4 pax in our vehicle + guide. Great! Guide (Francis) was tops. Vehicles maintained well. Food was great with variety. Photo ops at the resorts themselves were great - game right outside windows.
Extras requiring cash (~$30) included Maasai Village visit, the water safari by boat, tips, curios, plus the $50 cash entry visa fee.
Plus we sort of lost a day of touring Nairobi by arriving from US so late in the evening. Due to 9 pm arrival, traffic jams at the airport and streets of Nairobi, there was nothing to do but sleep at first Nairobi motel.
Communication-
Could have used more communication between Odyssey vehicles (our radio was down) and...once we paid Groupon, I was apprehensive about lack of communication from Mark at main office (is there one? or just an answering service?). The "Odyssey Chatter" link to help us prepare was broken. Beatrice was unreachable. I had fears about "hidden extras" - there were none. I had questions for Mark about Entry Visa, Immunizations, cash needed - but, when needed, Mark really delivered on Emirates tickets from our home gateway city. That too, was a great deal.
Time of year - April - for Kenya not the greatest but we saw the big 5, numerous cheetah cubs, Hippos, Snake, colorful big and little birds. Even dung beetles. Great backdrops of Kilimanjaro. Fish eagle fishing on Lake Naivashu was quite unique.
Long story short - I would book Odyssey again. I would recommend them. They could improve on communication to customers and between drivers.
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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 Richard Todd | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good for the money but our itinerery had way too much travel built into it,
Exceeded expectations. The game drives were plentiful. We only had 4 (others had 8) in our Land Cruiser so everyone had an view. I've gone before with Abercrombie & Kent, so the bar was high. But I paid half if not less what I paid A&K so I was really worried what Odyssey would cost on service.
So at half the price of Abercrombie & Kent, what did they deliver that Odyssey did not? 1. Better communication between team drivers. (our wireless CB was down for the trip and our driver did not use his cellphone much) when other vehicles found things - like leopards.
2. The driver could be quicker at shutting down the engine. The subtle vibrations blur shots. Seems A&K drivers were more aware of the vehicles and angles of shooting for the photographers.
3. Less time getting to destinations (road time). And once at a destination it seemed (because of #1 above - driver sharing "finds" - they put us on animals quicker.
4. Less Nairobi traffic - this may be unfair because traffic jams are unscheduled and unavoidable. But we had a horrible traffic jam from Airport to hotel with Odyssey that really delayed getting to the hotel. In fact we had zero time to do any of the planned or offerred side trips and went right to sleep, leaving us to feel we missed out on some of the purpose of being in Nairobi. Abercrombie and Kent minimized any time in Nairobi and I have to say now that that is smart.
Where Odyssey excelled - We really lucked out! Our Landcruiser vehicle had only four customers. Others in our group had 6 to 8 so we were the exception, not thhe rule. But where this worked out in our favor, was Odyssey assigns one driver to the group of 4, 6, or 8 and it stays that way - whether you're on a game drive in Ambosei, the Mara, or roads in Nairobi. At A&K our drivers changed throughout the trip - in Kenya we used one set of drivers; in Tanzania another.
Also the Lake Naivashu was an excellent location which A&K did not include.
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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!
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Email Amy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had a fabulous time but communication with the company was a little limited
The safari itself was everything we expected. Our tour guide Kim was awesome and very knowledgeable. The accommodations and food were good also. The tent camps are cool and they have electricity and bathroom and shower in them. I never received a packet from odyssey and some things aren't very clear. You definitely need to bring your yellow fever vaccination card...Kenya and Tanzania will need to see it but that wasn't on the list of things to bring. Also get your Kenya and Tanzania visas online prior to going so you don't have to carry that cash and wait in longer lines. If you do those things prior to going, things should go smoothly and you will have an amazing time :)
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Email Tiffany | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime
From the moment we started planning this trip, Odyssey Safari has gone above and beyond. Lucy was our coordinator and she effectively and efficiently managed all our questions, our last minute changes to the itinerary and built us the Safari of our dreams. They are prompt, professional and very well organized. No detail was missed. The itinerary was perfect, Lucy made sure that we saw everything we were hoping to see. The accommodations were next level, beautiful resorts, kind people, delicious food and all the amenities we could dream of. Our guides, Raymond and Nixon were the most knowledgeable, fun, and exciting men. They kept the vehicle clean, provided us with cold water, binoculars, plenty of restroom stops and a truly spectacular tour. The amount of animal and area knowledge was incredible and both Raymond and Nixon provided us with information we never knew. We can’t say enough about Raymond and Nixon, they will forever be part of our family and we love them. Thank you to all who made our dream trip to Africa come true!!!
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Email Tasha H. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most amazing experience we have ever been on!
Wow, just wow! We are coming back from a 2 week safari with Charles, the most amazing safari guide! We nicknamed him the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) because he really is so top notch! My eight year old daughter just adored him (in fact we all did) and we are so thankful for his kindness ❤
Odyssey Safaris was perfection to work with and let us adjust our itinerary as we see fit. We saw SO much of Kenya and are recommending Odyssey to everyone we know. This was by far the best trip we have ever been on - Amazing!
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Email Dawn N. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Odyssey Safaris made my Bucket List Trip dreams come true! HIGHLY recommend!
I am forever changed from my Double Nickel Birthday Safari in Kenya. I went solo and I’m soooo glad I did. Don’t be afraid to travel solo! It’s everything!! I cannot thank https://www.odysseysafaris.com enough for making my dream trip come true! The attention to detail, consistent communication, and VIP treatment was unmatched! Eliud Mwai, one of the owners, came to meet me personally to discuss my itinerary and ensure everything was meeting my standards. My guide-driver Charles Wahinga is near and dear to my heart! We spent every day together for a week and my trip would not have been as special without his kindness, passion for the land, people, wildlife and culture, without his hilarious sense of humor, openness, and exceptional skills! His passion for safari was contagious. I will forever call him Friend… and Kihingo! The areas they proposed, Nairobi, Lake Naivasha, Nakuru, and Masai Mara were expertly chosen and timed, based on what I expressed that I was looking for out of this trip. My lodging was top notch and my safety and comfort were always paramount. My bucket list trip was worth every penny and then some! I stayed at The Safari Hotel and Casino in Nairobi city. It was cool, but not my favorite in the list. In Naivasha, Sopa Lodge blew me away because the animals walk freely amongst the guest. I loved the intimacy of that! Food was off the chain too. In Nakuru, I stayed at the very high end lodging called The Cliff, an andBeyond property. The lodging and views were stunning! They only have 10 glamorous tents on the cliff top property, so the personal attention was on point! In the Masai Mara, I stayed at another andBeyond property called Kichwa Tembo. The Masai Warriors from the local village make regular visits there and welcome you with Masai dance performances. The food at every location was delicious and fresh, though I did get Travelers Gut my first day in Kenya. Thankfully, Mantazuma’s Revenge only lasted two days. It’s very likely you will get it, so plan for it with Imodium! I spread my Mom’s ashes at the base of a tree in the Motherland. She would be pleased to rest in this most majestic place. If you’re contemplating a Kenya visit, don’t hesitate. It was life changing!
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Email Anna | under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!
My entire experience with Odyssey Safaris was amazing! They did a great job of organizing the trip and making it an unforgettable time. My driver David was especially great during the safari portion of the trip. During the hike of Mount Kenya our guides were phenomenal especially Kim, Sammi, and Bonnie