Africa Odyssey Anmeldelser 

Amelia made the whole planning process easy, she made great recommendations for the parks we visited and the camps we stayed it. We couldn't have done this without her expertise and patience. Great job!

Our travel advisor Sam Hankss was so very helpful in planning a truly superb trip encompassing such delightful diverse experiences.
He was so prompt and patient in his correspondence.
We would very much recommend Sam.

My family and I began planning our East Africa safari nearly two years in advance, and as a business professional I approached it like a project—defining our requirements and soliciting proposals from a wide variety of outfitters. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have found Sam Hankss at Africa Odyssey. Unlike many planners who simply “took my order” and returned a price, Sam took the time to go through my wish list in detail, explain options, and guide me with real expertise. He is a guide himself, and that credibility came through immediately.

For example, I initially thought we needed to see both the Masai Mara and the Serengeti. Sam explained that they share the same microclimate and recommended focusing on just one to gain more variety in our experience. That type of thoughtful advice—based on deep knowledge and practical guidance—set Sam apart. He quickly became less of a vendor and more of a trusted partner in the planning process.

Safety was a major concern for my wife and daughter, and Sam fully understood and addressed those concerns throughout planning and execution. Ultimately, we embarked on a three-week East African journey covering Amboseli, Arusha, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti. Every camp Sam selected was spot-on in terms of both accommodation and location. Two standouts were Tortillis Camp in Amboseli and Laba Laba Migration Camp in the Serengeti—both truly 5-star experiences that I cannot recommend highly enough.

Sam also recommended special touches like a night drive, which turned out to be unforgettable. His insistence on the right Ngorongoro Crater camp location proved invaluable. Because we stayed only minutes from the gate, we were on the crater floor in under 10 minutes—while others faced hours-long delays just trying to enter. That kind of foresight made all the difference.

During our safari, we were able to see the Big Five along with an extraordinary variety of animals and birds, and every day brought something new and remarkable. Thanks to Sam’s expertise, planning, and attention to detail, we felt safe, well cared for, and treated to the trip of a lifetime.

I cannot recommend Africa Odyssey and Sam Hankss highly enough. If you are considering a safari, do yourself a favor and work with them—you will not just get a trip, you will get an expertly designed experience that exceeds expectations in every way.

Africa Odyssey is amazing, this is the 3rd trip I've booked with them. I've been to Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa. Sam Hankss was fantastic in planning our last trip to South Africa...highly recommend!

I have planned several safari adventures with Sam Hankss of Africa Odyssey. Sam is extremely knowledgeable and personable and has planned incredible trips on my behalf. He has in depth experience with the countries and affiliations with the best camps and can organize a brilliant trip. Sam has planned brilliant safaris personally tailored to my dreams. The whole organization is incredibly well run with unbelievable ground operations. All of my trips have run seamlessly without a single delay or mishap. I can't recommend the company highly enough. I wouldn't think of traveling with any other organization.

Grateful to Sam and the team for planning and organizing our wonderful trip to Kenya! Unfoorgettable experience, thank you team!

Amelia at Africa Odyssey organised a superb trip for us.
Everything went so smoothly. The transfers especially could not have been better. In my experience this is an area where things can go awry (e.g. transferring from the domestic terminal in Dar to the international one could have been problematic but this was handled superbly). Our drivers were terrific, informative and always there with a welcome sign. That's worth paying for after a long journey. Mohammed in Zanzibar was especially good.

Accommodation, service and food was also very good. We liked everywhere but especially the gradual improvement in quality from Lake Manze Camp to Chris Fox's Mwagusi Camp in Ruaha to the absolutely stunning Pongwe Beach. I can well see us returning to Pongwe after a trip to the Serengeti sometime in the future.

We saw most of the game that we wanted to see - wild dog, leopard as well as lions and jackals feeding on different kills. Sadly no cheetah or ostrich though. We did find there was a paucity of wildlife especially in Ruaha - on one day we bumped along for long hours with not a lot to see apart from impala and baobob trees. Our guide there - Joffrey - was first class and was able to root out some excellent sightings on our other days. The people we spoke to also mentioned how favourably the abundance of wildlife in the Serengeti compared to Ruaha and Manze.

For me Manze had the great advantages of the boat safari (did that twice), the vast amount animals wandering through camp (the biggest concentration we saw in 8 days) and our guide (Zak) and driver (Mgoma).

The hosts at both camps - Malcolm and Chris - were also so welcoming, kind and knowledgeable. They and their staff made the trip extra special. This was especially true of the birthday songs they both put on for me. I am so grateful for their efforts and for Africa Odyssey for informing the camps.

Zanzibar was brilliant too. We felt safe and unthreatened and confident to use the hotel bikes to explore the area and also to discover Stone Town on our own.

What would I change? Very little. I'd swop one night in Ruaha for a night in the Dhow Palace Hotel in Stone Town. We loved the Fish Market in particular especially as we were the only tourists there.

I would unhesitatingly recommend Amelia and Africa Odyssey and would use you again.

Sam at African Odyssey was extremely helpful in som many back and forth emails to develop an ideal itinerary suitable to me. The trip well exceeded our expectations which were high, specifically our goal of seeing lots of wildlife beyond the big 5; and we saw nearly 100 bird species and 35 mammals. Guides were excellent and insured we saw the big cats and more. Logistics, transitions were smooth and without difficulty. The camps were all top notch: food good, accomodations and staff great. Overall a super experience thanks to the planning and delivery by African Odyssey

Our Zimbabwe-South Africa experience with Africa Odyssey was incredible. Sam, Ted and the team organised everything for the seven of us with amazing detail and ensured we had the best time with the best tours and the best people at every meeting point. We would recommend them in a heartbeat to anyone who wanted to travel to these beautiful locations.

My wife and I planned a trip to South Africa, we decided to go to Simbambili Lodge in Sabi Sands game preserve for our first safari. We contacted Sam Hankss at Africa Odyssey and from the very start we were very impressed with his professionalism, knowledge and fast responses to our email inquiries. Sam booked the reservation for us and gave us very good advice on how to prepare. We highly recommend Sam and Africa Odyssey-they were amazing!

We had the trip of a lifetime with Africa Odyssey. Everything ran smoothly from start to finish. I worked closely with Sam Hankss to design the trip, pick the lodges, locations and activities. He was easy to work with, responsive, and gave great first hand advice. We booked very early (over a year out) so Sam was able to give us options for great lodges where we could get discounts and great rates (one place gave us 4th night free; another current year's rates for next year, free helicopter, etc).
The support we received on the trip was also great. At the last minute we had a change to our connecting arrival flight where we were scheduled to arrive 3-4 hours earlier than planned. I was able to text the emergency number provided while in transit and they quickly confirmed receipt of the message and change our pick up time with no issues.
All transfer services (including assistance with fast connections) and details worked out to make us all feel very comfortable that we were in good hands the whole time.
I also found the information like packing lists, maps, tip guide and local info. The goodie bag received before the trip was also a nice touch and the gator/hat etc came in handy on the trip.
This is the second time I have traveled with Africa Odyssey and can say they exceed expectations for both trips.

Everyone I know who has been to Africa says it’s the best trip they have ever taken. I agree but I secretly think, “But mine was better than yours”. We all see amazing wild animals and breathtaking scenery. What sets Africa Odyssey apart is the intimacy and personal service it offers. Small camps with wilderness luxury. Guides and lodge personnel who become your friends while anticipating your every need. If you are going to Africa, go African Odyssey.

Recently my wife and I went on our first African safari, which included 3 camps in Botswana. Africa Odyssey suggested which camps to visit for best game viewing and which met our budget; made the camp reservations and managed/coordinated the small plane transportation required between camps. Our safari experience was above our expectations in terms of the quality of the guides/game viewing and staff, food and accommodations at the camps. Further, the small plane transportation between camps and then back to Maun, Botswana, was timely and without any "hick ups".

Africa Odyssey provided important and significant pre-safari information which included a great website. We felt prepared and knew who to contact in case of an emergency or problem.

We plan to return to Africa in the near future and will definitely use Africa Odyssey again for safari trip suggestions and coordination and reservations.

This was our 2nd trip with Africa Odyssey. They did such an excellent job the first trip to Tanzanua. Called them for trip to Kenya and the camp locations in Maasai Mara Kenya were amazing and the staff and guides were awesome. The meet & greet worked to ensure we got to camps on time Would highly recommend them for travel to Africa or anywhere! Dave was very informative & helpful.

My sister and I went on safari together. We were effortlessly guided and booked through Africa Odyssey. Not one issue regarding flights and transfers and the camps selected for us were perfection. Selinda Explorers, Duba Explorers and Sindebezi...All camp staff and guides were so lovely and kind, food was amazing and the animals and all wildlife did not disappoint. Thanks Sam for a never forget experience. Cant wait to do it again! Jan

Africa Odyssey surpassed our expectations in helping us develop our South African safari of a lifetime! We contacted and spoke with several safari travel agencies at the beginning of our planning and quickly determined that AO by far offered the best service. Based on our desire to see and photograph as much wildlife as possible we were teamed with Sam Hankss who has been a safari guide in the area and is a talented photographer. Sam was able to help was identify individual private reserves that would allow us to see different habitats/wildlife and provide excellent photo opportunities with minimal distractions (other jeeps). We worked together to identify lodges that offered a variety of experiences (tents, fenced/unfenced, and a little luxury) while staying within our budget. Our itinerary was so fantastic that my brother decided to join us for part of it, and Sam was able to make that happen on very short notice! Sam helped us through the entire process and made sure we were well informed and taken care of - everything was handled by AO including arrival in Johannesburg, the internal flights, and all the transfers between lodges and airports…we just relaxed and enjoyed our trip. There was one discrepancy on our itinerary that the lodges had changed after our booking and Sam/AO was quick to step in and take care of it immediately by contacting each lodge in advance of our arrival and ensuring that there was no change in what we had booked.

The trip itself was fantastic. We spent four nights at three different private reserves outside of Kruger – Timbavati, Manyeleti, and Sabi Sands – and were able to see and experience more than we had expected. Each location offered something a little different and our species list grew with each area. The guides were awesome and so knowledgeable and excited to talk about the wildlife. We saw all the big five plus so many more including cheetah, monkeys, hippos, crocs, hyenas, zebras, giraffes, lots of antelope (impala, waterbucks, kudu, nyala, etc), and a variety of birds! Plus, we were able to see a large lion pride with several cubs. Although, the Africa Wild Dog was able to elude us this trip, it will be on the top of our list on our next AO African safari 😊 Needless to say it will take weeks to review all the wonderful photographs we took and compile a photobook worthy of our trip.

I highly recommend Africa Odyssey – you won’t be disappointed! We have already reached out to them for assistance with planning a trip to the Amazon rainforest.

Fantastic customer service. All the team know Africa and the individual lodges really well and can give great advice. They also went above and beyond when dealing with very difficult airline changes at the last minute (on the phone on Boxing Day!). I wouldn't use anyone else (and I travel a lot!)!

Fantastic service from start to finish, cannot recommend Africa Odyssey enough

We had fantastic holidays in Uganda. Everything went smoothly and in particular my dietary restrictions were all well noted by different lodges. Dave, our safari consultant was professional and helpful. He listened to our preference and always quickly responded to our questions/concerns. When we wanted to do a gorilla trek in Mgahinga National Park, Dave suggested to add another golden monkey trek into the itinerary because he knew well that our trip this time was primate-focused and this species only could be seen in Mgahinga. Thanks to his advice the golden monkey turned out a highlight of the entire trip！
This is the second time we travelled with Africa Odyssey, their expertise and passion bring our safari experience quite unique and unforgettable. We highly recommend them!