Come As Guests, Leave As Family.
Odyssey Safaris
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2002)
- Member Of:
- IATA, APTA & KPSGA
- Tour Types:
- Custom luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $12,120 to $17,315 per person per day (MXN, 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
Email Sue Kabel | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
Our safari with Odyssey was beyond anything I could have imagined. We received exceptional service from the time we booked until the moment we arrived home. Our guides, Simon, Charles and Erastus were great!! They drove us safely, while answering our questions and looking for wildlife. They were very personable and experienced, which made the trip so much fun. We saw elephants, lions, leopards, baboons, zebras, monkeys, gazelle, rino, hippos and more. We also experienced beautiful sunsets, rainbows and lightning. Our guides explained the culture of the Kenya people and tribes. They also knew every bird, species of animals and what they were doing. I was amazed!
All the bookings and flights were taken care of promptly and professionally by Mark and Elliott.
I would and have been recommending this trip and company to my friends and family.
Thank-you Odyssey for the experience of a lifetime!
Email Kathy Shepard | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bucket List Trip
I have dreamed of going on an African Safari for most of my life. Fortunately, I was able to travel to Kenya and Zanzibar this Spring with my beautiful daughter. We selected Odyssey Safaris for our adventure and are happy we did. Our travel coordinator Beatrice covered all the details and kept us well informed. Our guides Jackson and Stephen were terrific. Whether it was in Amboseli National Park, Lake Naivasha or the Masai Mara Game Reserve, they knew exactly the right locations to catch sight of the magnificent wildlife. I am thrilled to say we saw all of The Big Five...elephants, rhinos, cape buffalo, lions and leopards among so many others. Our accommodations were all first rate, my favorite being the Ashnil Tented Camp. Our "room" looked like something from a Hollywood movie! The added touch of a welcoming hot water bottle on the bed after a long day was just splendid. The buffet meals at all the hotels were plentiful and delicious (though I did not care so much for the two or three boxed lunches). Staff were friendly and accommodating. Our side trips to a Masai Village (loved the singing, dancing and handcrafted bead jewelry) and hiking on Crescent Island (up close and personal with giraffe, zebra and other animals) were also highlights. We extended our trip for a three day visit to the beautiful Tanzanian Island of Zanzibar where we visited the UNESCO World Heritage site, Stonetown, the birthplace of Queen's Freddy Mercury and an incredible organic spice farm. Our hotel, the Blue Bay Beach Resort served a delicious fresh fish dinner on the beach by the Indian Ocean. Just terrific. Overall, this was a trip of a lifetime and I highly recommend Odyssey Safaris.
Email Rochelle | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Odyssey created a magnificent vacation experience for my family that far exceeded our expectations.
From my first conversation with Mark and Lucy, I felt like my family was in good hands with a supportive, caring team. My many calls and emails were answered promptly. Mark, who bore the brunt of my novice questions, answered all my concerns with patience and good humor. Even during our trip, when I had a question, I received a very quick response from an Odyssey team member in Kenya, as well as an email from Mark. This, to me, showed that Odyssey was on top of every aspect of our trip and had our back.
From the moment we touched down in Kenya to our departure at Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania, our drivers/guides took care of all our needs. Charles, our driver/guide in Kenya met us with a bright smile. He was an exceptional guide and driver who had a great sense of humor. I'm sure our trip was enhanced because of Charles. We feel very lucky to have met him and have him show us his country. Charles was able to find a leopard as soon as we entered our first game drive. We joked, that everything else is downhill now. This was not true, every game drive was incredible. If we get to return to Kenya, Charles has to be our driver/guide.
Charles passed us on to our Tanzania driver/guide Gibson at the Kenya-Tanzania border. Gibson had big shoes to fill, and he did just that. Gibson was another excellent guide/driver. He was very accommodating with our schedule and needs and was very knowledgeable. I would definitely request him again if we are ever lucky enough to travel back to Tanzania. I was very touched when he presented me with a gift at the end of our tour.
All the lodges or tented camps we stayed in were good to great. Be prepared to not have wifi, hot water or even electricity at some of the places during certain hours (mostly overnight). It was kind of liberating to be disconnected for a time. Most of the place we stayed had amazing views. I do have some favorites, but they were all very nice. Most meals were buffet style, which my family enjoyed. While I didn't mind the few times we had a pre-packed picnic lunch, my husband would have liked to have been given more of a choice of options.
We spent long hours in our safari truck driving from one location to another, but I would never trade the six-hour drives for an internal flight. We were able to experience so much more while driving, getting to stop along the way and meet some local Kenyans. We also got to really get to know our guides. The drives passed quickly due to so much to see.
We did do a few extras while in Kenya. While in Nairobi, we had previously fostered a baby elephant at The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. We were able to meet all the baby elephants and watch as the came in for the night. I highly recommend this experience. We also went to the Giraffe Center. While we enjoyed feeding the giraffes, this is something we've done in the US.
While staying at The Sopa Lodge in the Maasai Mara, we scheduled two private bush meals; one dinner and one breakfast. Both of these experiences were great and something we were glad we got to do.
If we got to do this same trip again, the one thing I would do differently would be to add a few days, in the end, to relax in Zanzibar. This was a once in a lifetime experience for us and it exceeded all expectations. I will be recommending Odyssey Safaris to anyone who is interested in going on Safari.
Email Melody | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our trip with Odyssey Safaris far exceeded our expectations.
Four of us had traveled in Kenya and several other African countries, but
it was a first for the friends who accompanied us on this trip. All of us agree that it was an outstanding trip. The driver\guides were experienced and delt with unexpected events like weather and road conditions efficiently. They were very knowledgeable about the parks we toured. Their ability to find wildlife and get us close to
the animals for optimal viewing was remarkable. The accommodations were beautiful, each offered unique architecture and outstanding service. Everyone was friendly and it opened the opportunity to meet local residents. Odyssey Safaris worked with us and went out of their way to help all eight of us from various states plan our trip. This trip was equal to other more expensive trip we had taken. We highly recommend a safari with Odyssey Safaris.
Email Dan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had the most enjoyable travel experience from the beginning to end.
Initially I was unsure of the of what to expect from this type of vacation but Odyssey squelched any questions and doubts I had in making such a trip. From my very first communication with the company, I was impressed with their professionalism. Once we arrived everything fell into place and ran smoothly. Our driver was over the top good in all aspects making our trip a wonderful experience. The lodges we stayed at were fabulous and the staff at all the locations were so helpful and courteous. I can not say enough of this safari as we saw all that there was to see and I would highly recommend anyone to try this outfit.
Email Tracy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I got my money's worth on day one and the trip just kept getting better.
I booked my trip through groupon and it was a fantastic deal. The accommodations were amazing, the food was great, Kenya was a gift, our guide (Francis) was the best and deserves a raise. I can't recommend this tour company and this country/safari enough. It was the rainy season which meant more adventure (be prepared) and fewer tourists.
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.
Email Brenda and James [Les] | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
First class Odyssey Safaris enabled us to see African wildlife in their lovely natural surroundings.
Fun and different and one from our "bucket list"! Everything about this safari exceeded our expectations. We were very impressed with the expert handling of any concerns both before and during the tour. Each day went very smoothly. The lodges where we stayed were really comfortable and delightfully unique with service that was friendly, welcoming, and professional. We appreciated the good food too! We enjoyed the company of all the people in our group [fifteen, including us]. Our very competent driver/guide Simon went out of his way to give both us and the other couple in our land cruiser a great "safari experience" [We loved the land cruiser!] Simon provided us with expert information about the numerous beautiful animals we saw [ the cheetah was one of our favorites], with plenty of photo opportunities, as well as information about Kenya in general. We learned a lot. He made plenty of "comfort" stops along the way and time to souvenir shop! We thoroughly enjoyed the well-planned optional activities : the Masai village in Amboseli, the boat ride on Lake Naivasha, and the elephant orphanage in Nairobi [where we "adopted" a baby elephant]. This was a great and unforgettable experience. Thank you!
Email Pamela Witzmann | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most outstanding trip we have every had ,as the accomodations, food and Safaris were spectacular
This was a trip of a lifetime for us, and by choosing Odyssey Safaris we were not disappointed. The accomodations were first rate ,the food
was always delicious and presented well, even the boxed lunches. The Safaris , however were the main thrill. We cannot say enough good things about our driver Simon. Not only was he a very careful driver, but attentive to our needs and was a great source of information.
All of our arrangements were prefectly timed and smoothly made. Odyssey did a wonderful job of making these arrangements so hassle free.
We were treated to some of the most outstanding views of this country and were never disappointed in the wild life we were able to observe in it's natural habitat. We cannot say enough about how welcomed we felt by the Odyssey staff, all of the hotel staff and the peopleof Kenya and Tansania overall. It was a such a memorable trip.
Email Taylor | under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was amazing!
I have always wanted to go on a safari and Odyssey Safaris provided everything I dreamed about. My favorite place was Masai Mara when we got to stay inside the park. The itinerary of our trip was so clear and all of the hotels were beautiful. I really recommend this trip!