TH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fraud
I booked a tour with full payment but had to cancel because I was worried about Ebola outbreak in DRC. Barack, the head of the company, promised to refund me 80% of my payment according to the policy. It's been more than 3 months now but still hear nothing from him. Very dishonest and unreliable.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding
From the very start communication was fantastic. I never had to wait long for a reply and despite all my questions they were answered quickly and in detail.
We had the fully guided private tour and wow were we looked after ! Our guide Holly met us at the airport despite being a day and a half late due to a plane delay and missing our connection.
Holly put us at ease straight away , she was extremely knowledgeable and was there for us at every step of our tour. Nothing was too much trouble and she went out of her way to personalise our holiday specifically to us. She cooked absolutely delicious meals for us and really felt like part of our family.
The tours of the parks in Zimbabwe were unbelievable and were way beyond our expectations as was our time spent at Victoria Falls.
We caged dived with rescue crocs, went on a zip wire , took a helicopter ride and went horse riding to name but a few activities along with seeing the amazing animals in the parks. To say we were close would be an understatement!
We couldn’t have had a better trip to be honest.
I cannot recommend this company enough and feel extremely lucky to have had such an amazing time with my family in South Africa.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Attentiveness, fast response, patience, focused customization and friendliness at its absolute best!
Our trip was for 11 days from Cape Town to Greater Kruger to Victoria Falls to Chobe to Okavango Delta. Words cannot come close to expressing how outstanding Compass Odyssey was to work with for planning our trip of a lifetime. In taking a chance by choosing to work with someone across the Atlantic, it was important to gain trust. With my very detail oriented nature, there were a lot of questions. Darren ALWAYS responded quickly, with explicit answers about everything to whether we could find a particular bird in one region to what place had the best souvenirs to whether it was safe to eat crocodile in Victoria Falls. Never did he show impatience, and his friendliness and support was unmatched. With his focused attention to our desires, he was able to put together several choices of itineraries even though we were planning our trip only 5 months before peak season. And even when airlines were cancelling and changing flights during a shake-up, he stayed the course and was able to keep our entire itinerary in place with only a few minor changes by pushing his contacts to get us on certain flights. And as two women in a foreign land, it was also important for us to know we had someone to contact if trouble arose. While we traveled, he even checked in with us to make sure everything was fine. Every place we went, the experience we were looking for was nearly perfect, with excellent safari guides who expended tremendous efforts to meet the desires of their clients, and probably at least 50 bird species and 25 mammal species spotted, often in high numbers. The accommodations were also well matched to our preferences. The guides Compass Odyssey uses (We had Dot in Cape Town, Mortimer and Ruth in Vic Falls, and Charles also in Vic Falls) were fun and passionate and patient, and also focused on what we wanted. Everywhere we went we always had someone making sure we got where we needed to go, usually even finding the appropriate person at the airports to check in with. The experience working with Compass Odyssey could not have been better! Oh... and the animals in Africa are awesome, too!
MX
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing! The best tour EVER!
Simon makes our stance in Kenya the best, take us to the best places, amazing company, amazing drivers, definitely I will come back to another tour but just with you, I’ll been over the world in different tours and this is the top! Thanks for everything Simon, you make our trip was the best! We knew Kenya
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Communication, Beautiful Accommodations, Amazing Wildlife
We began working with Ute earlier this year. When we initially reached out, we weren't certain on dates, so in the coming months as we determined our timing, we had to follow-up with Ute several times to find dates that would work with the itinerary we wanted. Ute was very accommodating throughout this process, and planned a great trip for us. Because of the date change, one of the initial lodges she recommended wasn't available, so she recommended Pangolin Lodge in Chobe. We were a bit nervous as it hadn't yet opened, and was only scheduled to open one month before our trip. As it turns out, we're quite lucky we ended up with this accommodation as it was amazing! They offer photo safaris with really nice cameras, and we got amazing photos with the team. We saw all kinds of animals and had a great time. The lodge was great as was the food. Our guide Aubrey was fantastic, as was all of the staff at the lodge. Prior to Chobe, we stayed at Victoria Falls Hotel, and initially had a bit of an issue when we checked-in with two twin beds in each of our two rooms. We didn't believe this had been booked for us as Ute knew we were two couples traveling. After speaking to the Victoria Falls Hotel and also Ute via WhatsApp/e-mail, we were able to get the beds pushed together and it turned out just fine. They also left each one of our rooms a bottle of wine, which I imagine was because of this mix-up - very thoughtful and appreciated. Lastly, we stayed at Machaba Camp in Okavango Delta - likely the best aspect of our entire trip. The staff there are absolutely amazing, our guide Glen was fantastic, the food was wonderful, saw lots of animals. This was one of - if not the best - trips we've ever taken and couldn't be happier with the experience. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Roho Ya Chui and Ute. We would certainly use them again in the future. We never use travel agents and typically book directly ourselves, but glad we booked how we did. Knowing the price of each of the the individual components of the trip, the overall price was completely fair. I believe it was actually better priced to book together with Roho than had we booked each piece on our own (plus the complexity aspect!) Thank you Ute and Roho!!!
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable, simply excellent !
Communication before the trip was professional, easy and fast, even special requests were accommodated due to Mushra's great flexibility.
I chose the 7 day Gorilla Trekking and Wildlife Viewing Safari, the tour exceeded my expectations. My guide, Martin, made this a very memorable experience with his in depth knowledge of Ugandan culture and wildlife as well as his good humour. The accommodation and food choices throughout the tour were excellent providing unbeatable value for money !
If you are looking for an authentic and unforgettable tour of Uganda, Mushra is the team to go with !
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional Safari, safe driver, fantastic company
Just returned from Kenya after 13 fantastic days on Safari with "Seven by Far" and have nothing but praise for the company. Sylvester the owner has created a special company that is very customer focused and they delivered everything they promised and more on the safari, from the quality of the lodgings in each safari tour to the safari experience. Also a special mention to Victor our Safari driver and guide for his safe driving and knowledgeable tours.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Poor selection of subcontracted safari guide, disorganized and inacurate information.
We selected Travel Partners Ltd. though not the most economical because of our initial correspondence with them. Belen was good to work with and did her job well. However, she was in a difficult position as her company was not as professional as she. Most safari companies do not require 50% upfront as do Travel Partners. Before leaving the U.S. we asked if a Bank (cashiers) check for the second half would be OK, and were told in writing that yes a check would be fine. Once in Africa ready to begin our safari they informed that a check was not OK after all and asked for funds to be wired instead. It is very difficult to wire internationally from the U.S. if not there to sign. Travel Partners pushed Belen to push us for the wire everyday during our safari. Most U.S. banks would not have been able to comply, fortunately we had an account at an institution that once all international requirements were met were able to wire. This issue was unnecessary, and caused needless stress. -- We tailor planned a safari to visit several parks in Tanzania spending most of the time in Serengeti including the north Mara area to see the Wilde-beast crossing. Our driver although pleasant was unprofessional and a very poor driver. We had two vehicle accidents during our 5 day safari, one could have been very serious, both were driver related. The vehicle and the driver had been subcontracted by Travel Partners. The vehicle was only in fair condition, (it caused permanent damage to luggage). One accident was a near head on collision at high speed with another safari vehicle (thick dust impaired sight), loss of exterior mirror and severe body damage to the entire length of the vehicle resulted from the accident. It was that close to being very serious. Due to the accidents, we had to ride with other safari drivers until our driver could repair our vehicle enough to continue. We had two experiences in other safari vehicles with other drivers, both were far superior drivers to ours, and the vehicles were in better condition (they even had cold water in the cooler, we did not - sometimes we did not have water at all.) A flight from central Serengeti to Zanzibar was part of our itinerary. Our flight was to leave Serengeti at 11:00 a.m. and arrive Zanzibar at 2:00 p.m. via Arusha. Although not the fault of Travel Partners, the flight was delayed both at Serengeti and in Arusha, so we arrived at 6:00 pm causing a loss of 4 hours in Zanzibar - Belen said she would try to get some compensation from the airline if possible.
--In spite of the above mentioned incidents, we enjoyed the experience. The accommodations were charming, and we were able to see so many animals. Serengeti is very beautiful!
--Overall, I would suggest looking at another safari company to plan your safari. The wonderful experience of being in Tanzania and the parks was not the result of Travel Partners, it was Tanzania itself. A different company could enhance the experience rather than inhibit it.
KW
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A marvellous and magical tour.
We visited Kenya this August. We went through a net search on tour operators and decided to go on a trip with Magical Retreats and adventures tour.Pamela was our tour advisor. She was very friendly, prompt and helpful and provided us with every information.The tour suited our requirements.Pamela responded to all our queries.
We received a warm welcome from her and all the hotels were very comfortable and we had a luxurious stay in Amboseli,Nakuru,Masai mara and Nairobi.
The safaris were a marvellous and magical experience. Our guide and driver Lawrence is a nice person and an excellent guide, we could spot all the animals except cheetah. It was one of the most magical holiday with great memories. Thanks to Pamela and Lawrence. Wish Pamela and her team all success and will recommend them to my friends and others who would like to visit Kenya.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good value for money and wonderful service by ATC
We are very happy with the service and accommodation provided by African Travel Consultants. Booking process was smooth and everything was delivered as was promised. We booked 3 nights at Buffalo camp which was beautiful and intimate.