Africa Odyssey Anmeldelser 

Tailor made suggestions with imagination but accurate info! Amazing adventure away from busy places. Very helpful support in all paper work. It is the second time I travel with them and I will do it again

This is the 6th time we have travelled with Africa Odyssey and they have always given excellent and honest advice. They have great experience in these countries and are excellent at organising transfers etc. Would highly recommend.

As the title of the review suggests, we felt that Africa Odyssey was always there for us during our trip this past festive season to Kenya & Zanzibar. This started from the get-go during the research phase of our trip, where in hindsight, I probably contacted too many travel agencies. When it became clear that there wasn’t that much difference in price in the luxury safari world, the differentiating factor was service, and that’s how Africa Odyssey won our business. Our travel consultant, Sam, was always prompt and efficient with his replies. And when he was out of the office on travel, his colleagues were always quick to step in and respond in his place. Sam’s vast travel experience on the ground in Africa was incredibly useful. We described what we wanted and Sam did the required research to provide several worthwhile options. What was particularly impressive were the photo books which Sam provided — his skills as a photographer shined through in this regard as the photo books really helped to visualise the various options. This was something that was very unique and helped Africa Odyssey differentiate itself vs the competition. After we booked the holiday, Sam also provided very useful information when it came to visas, vaccinations, tipping and other practical manners. Per usual, his responses were always prompt and insightful, reflecting his extensive experience on the ground.

In the end we were extremely happy with the safari lodge that we chose, Hemingway’s Ol Seki in the Naboisho Conservancy, from the various options which Sam proposed. It ticked several boxes for us — namely a smaller, intimate lodge, luxurious accommodation for our family of 4 and a private dipping pool (not that common in Kenya as we found out!). And when we actually arrived, it did not disappoint, as service was brilliant as we really felt pampered by Ol Seki’s incredibly amicable manager, Debbie, and her “extended family” of extremely friendly staff. It was a real joy spending the festive season with the Ol Seki staff, who really made us feel at home. The highlight for my kids — aside from the game drives w/our extremely affable & knowledgeable tracker, Rapha — was our private chef, Masha, cooking 3 meals a day in our villa which our usually picky kids devoured (it’s been tough for the kids to adjust back to the reality of meals prepared by us at home!). Perhaps most importantly, the game-viewing was spectacular in the Naboisho conservancy, with an abundance of animals, in contrast to what we witnessed during our brief visit to the Maasai Mara, where there seemed to be more vehicles than wildlife. Sam’s recommendation of a hot air balloon ride also ended up being a stroke of genius. We were able to overcome my wife’s trepidation of heights to partake in this unforgettable experience — not to mention that it “clears the way” for us to do this in the future in other destinations, now that my wife’s fear of hot air balloon rides has been alleviated. Sam’s recommendation to append Zanzibar to our safari trip as the beach component of our holiday also reflected his vast travel experience in the region. While our time in Zanzibar wasn’t quite on par with the unique experience at Ol Seki, it was indeed a solid recommendation.

During the trip we did experience a couple of hiccups, as will happen on any holiday. However, Sam was there to provide timely assistance in resolving the issues, despite the fact that it was the festive season. For that we were very grateful as his intercession ameliorated what could’ve been a couple of very stressful moments.

For all of this I cannot recommend Sam and Africa Odyssey highly enough. When you choose Africa Odyssey you are tapping into the staff’s in-depth knowledge that comes from their extensive travel experience the region. I’m sure my kids will be pestering us to go on safari again soon, and we’ll no doubt turn to Africa Odyssey again when that time comes.

Edwin
London

We have just come back from an amazing safari & beach trip to Kenya which was our second booked with Africa Odyssey. Sam Hankss is just brilliant to work with, he really made sure to understand what we were looking for & was happy to have multiple calls when we were undecided between different camp options.

The holiday itself met & exceeded all our expectations, 4 different accommodation stays were all fantastic and the transfers were seamless. We never had to worry about anything except enjoying ourselves and looking for the next sighting.

I highly recommend Africa Odyssey - they are experts and take all the worry out of planning a big trip like this.

I used the same team for my Honeymoon and I didn't have a second though about using them again.
Sam took us through the whole journey and give us a breakdown of what would work for us, instinctively knowing the area and the type of holiday we were after which made life so much easier.

Our 2nd trip with Africa Odyssey - again it was fantastic. We were looked after from the moment we arrived in South Africa to the moment we left. The 2 safari lodges we stayed in were ideal, comfortable with friendly but professional staff. As for the safaris - we cannot believe our luck in seeing leopards every day but one. We also experienced a wild dog hunt - so exciting! Everything we hoped for and more, so a huge thank you to Sam at Africa Odyssey -

We’ll be forever grateful to Africa Odyssey and in particular to Sam Hankss for helping plan and then deliver what was probably the best holiday experience we’ve ever had.  This was our first safari experience and it seemed especially important to get it right.  The gamble we took in working with a smaller ‘boutique’ operation with a very hands-on approach paid off spectacularly well: the holiday, spanning safari camps in Botswana and an amazing small hotel on an island upriver from the Victoria Falls, was perfectly calibrated to what we, as a family of six, were all hoping to see and experience. 
 
We don’t often write reviews, but wanted to do so on this occasion to note that Africa Odyssey and Sam often went above and beyond what we expected, for example organising a helicopter transfer from one camp to another, and frequently checking in with us along the way.  We sensed that they had been quietly pulling strings behind the scenes to make sure that everything ran smoothly.  We’d also like to say a big thank you to the fantastic teams at Rra Dinare, Splash and Zindabezi – hopefully we’ll meet again!

This was our third trip with Africa Odyssey and I can't recommend them enough - Sam in particular is amazing to work with! Great recommendations, makes sure every detail is thought through and taken care of, excellent communication... I can't wait to plan our next African Adventure with AO/Sam!

We highly recommend Africa odyssey. As we spend an unforgettable stay in Kenya and Tanzania for an amazing safari thanks to Sam for his reactivity his availability and to always reach our expectations. Every thing was perfect ..

Seamlessly planned our 10 day honeymoon! We had transfers, 3 different hotels, multiple full day tours and everything ran so smooth and we felt safe the entire time for our first visit to South Africa.

Excellent service from initial enquiry to the holiday. Thoughtful collation of places to stay and safari location satisfying all of our party. Have already recommended Africa Odyssey far and wide.

Excellent communication all the way through. Transfers and drivers to and from airports. Charter bush flights. All handled efficiently.

Extremely competent, trustworthy company. Every detail for my trip was planned to perfection. The support was exceptional. I hope to work with them again and highly recommend them.

The last holiday on my bucket list and travelling solo for the first time. From the beginning of my contact with Sam Hankss he was nothing but helpful and attentive. He is a real expert, he listened to my requirements and as a result created an itinerary that was perfect for me. I have had an amazing time. All the hotels, tented camp, flights, drivers etc were excellent, everything worked like clockwork and I had quite a difficult itinerary travelling to Tanzania and then to Uganda.
He kept in regular contact from the time of booking to the beginning of my holiday making sure I had completed all the necessary visas etc at the relevant times.
Thank you Sam. Africa Oddyessy is outstanding.

Dave helped us to make our dream trip come true. From his hotel/camp suggestions, logistics organization (planes and transfers) planning, and precious advices, everything went smooth and we didn’t have to worry about anything. His expertise was the best thing we could ask for, all the details were planned perfectly and a difficult organization became easy. We are grateful for making us living this dream in the best way possible. Would recommend Dave and Africa Odyssey to everyone planning a safari trip!

We had a FANTASTIC trip to Uganda, we were up close and personal with chimpanzees, gorillas, golden monkeys, elephants, and hippos, as well as other mammals. Sam at Africa Odyssey was fabulous, creating a wonderful itinerary in many national parks. My 2 favorite parks were Murchison Falls National Park and the best was Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda. Our guide Bahati was fantastic as well as all the guides in the national park. I would highly recommend Africa Odyssey! They are a 10!

Holiday of a lifetime. From start to finish Sam Hankss was nothing but helpful and attentive. We booked a trip with African Odyssey 15 years ago and the service is still just as good. The team are real experts, they listen and as a result booked an experience that was perfect for our family. Transfers, pick ups, camps etc all seamless. Thank you Sam - I can't wait to plan another trip!

Sam at Africa Odyssey helped us plan a dream trip to South Africa! He was helpful, responsive, and listened to what we asked. We loved our stay at Inyati Game Lodge in Sabi Sands! We would have never found this place if it were not for Sam. He provided helpful guidance and communicated well throughout the planning process. I wish we could have seen more information (itemized information) about the cost of all the components of our full trip, but I think what we paid was fair.

The trip overall was seamless thanks to the care AO put into planning every detail. Our guides were all wonderful. We cannot wait to return to SA!

Everyone was there to meet us. All the flights were on time. All the lodges we stayed in were super. We had a wonderful time not worrying about logistics.

Africa Odyssey has planned 2 separate African safaris for us over the past two years. They customized everything to our every whim. Private tours, fantastic lodges, guides to hold out hands when that was needed, lounges at airports, VIP airport greetings, personal drivers, and even charter flights. All this planning was done with a professional and friendly deminer at every contact. Every communication was prompt clear. On both safaris we visited multiple camps, and ALL details were coordinated perfectly. We never missed one single connection or wanted for clearer direction on what was planned next. The prices were competitive, and even lower than some other bespoke travel agencies we have used in the past. Thank you AO!! I could go on and on, but you get the point. Africa Odyssey was perfect on both African safari trips. They have earned our loyalty, and they will be planning our next African trip too. We were lucky to have found African Odyssey, you will consider yourself fortunate also. Have a great trip!! Seth & Jeannie