Africa Odyssey Reviews 

Wanted to celebrate my 80th birthday with a "no worries" vacation to Africa where we had never been and Sam Hanks at Africa Odyssey put together the perfect two week Africa "sampler". His careful orchestration of every detail left us free to totally enjoy every moment, Would highly recommend him and AO.

incredible trip! We absolutely loved every part of it and had the most wonderful family experience. Everything went very smoothly, and we truly appreciated all the attention to detail

We had an unforgettable family safari with Africa Odyssey, and I’m especially grateful to Amelia for helping us plan it with such care. This was a reunion with my dad and two sisters, with all of us coming in from three different countries, so the thoughtful planning really mattered.

When I first reached out, I was considering Tanzania, but when we switched to Kenya, Amelia was immediately on it. She put together exactly the kind of classic safari we were hoping for, with a beautiful mix of comfort, adventure, and extraordinary wildlife.

Amelia was attentive to detail from the beginning. She took time to understand our family’s preferences and needs, including my dad’s mobility concerns, and contacted the camps ahead of time to make sure everything would be manageable and comfortable for him. She was also kind and patient with our many questions, helped accommodate my sister when she joined the trip later, and made sure she felt comfortable traveling while about 20 weeks pregnant.

The operators on the ground in Kenya were excellent. From the moment we landed to the moment we were past security on the way home, we felt genuinely looked after. They walked us through each step, which made the whole trip feel smooth and far less stressful.

We stayed at Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp and Elewana Amboseli Tortilis, and the service across both camps was wonderful. We met many seasoned safari travelers along the way, which only reinforced how well Amelia had matched the itinerary to the kind of trip we wanted.

The wildlife sightings were incredible, including big cats, baby elephants, and one of the great highlights of the trip: meeting Esau, the super tusker. I also celebrated my 30th birthday at camp, and “Jambo Bwana” is still playing in the back of my head. Any small hiccups were handled quickly, and we came home deeply grateful, with photos and memories we will treasure for a lifetime.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Africa Odyssey, and especially Amelia, to anyone planning a safari, particularly if you are new to this kind of travel or unfamiliar with the region. You can trust that you are in expert hands.

The choice of camps and parks was perfect. Each place a unique jewel. Arranging the connections was flawless. We had an exquisite experience throughout. The staff at African Odyssey was knowledgeable and responsive. Five stars!

I cannot fault the way Africa Odyssey organise the recent trip my wife and I made to Fan Jove Island in Tanzania. They were very helpful from my initial inquiry followed my them booking our accommodation and the necessary transfer flights. When one planned flight was cancelled they immediately contacted me, arranged an earlier flight plus made arrangements for us to be looked after during a much longer stop over at Dar es Salaam.

Everything was booked quickly, our tour operator, Amelia always responding very fast , always kind and polite , nothing was a problem.

Africa Odyssey was recommended to me by a good friend here in the States who has been on many safari trips. It was our first safari. We simply could not have done this trip without Ted (and his team's) expert advice. The itinerary that he recommended and the camps he suggested were simply perfect. Africa Odyssey helped with all our air and ground connections to make it a seamless, once in a lifetime adventure. I would highly recommend Africa Odyssey to anyone contemplating a safari trip to Africa (indeed, I recommended them to another US couple I bumped into on our way home from Africa just last week).

Ted Archdale of Africa Odyssey made our trip more than great. It was perfect!! We have used Ted for a number of trips over the years, and he has never stumbled. Not once. Everything was planned to perfection, and the lodges he recommends are always exactly what we hoped for. He's never met us in person, but it's like he really knows us. On this last trip, we had some flights get cancelled, and Ted was right on it and fixed everything in no time at all. Our travel experiences under Africa Odyssey/Ted Archdale have all been pure magic.

Africa Odyssey put together an absolutely amazing safari experience for us. Sam Hanks was just the best. We had the trip of a lifetime, and the guide we were teamed up with was like an old friend by the end of it. Thanks so much, Africa Odyssey!!!!

Africa Odyssey came highly recommend for a close friend that has been using them for 15-20 years. The overall trip was wonderful, and everyone enjoyed it thoroughly. Travel, transfers accommodations, tours etc arranged by Odyssey were wonderful. The local agents, drivers, guides, camp staff were all amazing. What did Odyssey stand out, is that in the planning process they were always quick to respond to questions, gave plenty of options, and were able to stay in budget. The trip they put together for my family was probably one if not the most memorable one any of us will have.

We had an fantastic experience booking our safari through Africa Odyssey. Ted organised the most unforgettable trip to Kwandwe Game Reserve for our group of 8 people (two families with children ranging from 4-13 years), and everything was seamless from start to finish.

The planning was easy and stress-free, and the itinerary worked perfectly for travelling as a group. Kwandwe exceeded all expectations- beautiful setting, exceptional game viewing, fantastic guides, and outstanding hospitality. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I honestly couldn’t recommend Africa Odyssey enough. If you’re considering a safari or African adventure of any kind, they are the team to trust.

Faultless from start to finish. Sam H who helped put together our trip was just fantastic. We travelled as a family and the lodges and parks he chose were perfect for what we were looking for (he even made a short video for our kids before they left for Africa for the first time, it made it just so special for them!). Would highly recommend them, it is not cheap but it is good value for money (the places we stayed were very very good). Would not hesitate to recommend them and use them again. Sam H especially is a real gem he has a passion for Africa which really shines! Thank you so much! We will be back!

The trip was designed just for us and it was perfect. All the details were taken care of flawlessly and the pre-trip communication was excellent. The Kwando camps were each a little different and provided a variety of experience.

When planning a trip to Tanzania, I knew I wanted to use a travel agent. I don’t remember how Africa (Tanzania) Odyssey came to my attention, but I am so glad it did. After checking with Trustpilot, I contacted the company, and soon began planning the trip with Dave Fuller. He was clearly very familiar with all the camps in southern Tanzania and recommended several for me to look at online. The itinerary came together quickly and I could not be happier with the camps we visited. Dave arranged all the internal flights and coordinated with the camps. It could not have gone more smoothly. All the details were handled by Dave. All we had to do was get ourselves there. After this experience, I would not hesitate to call on Africa Odyssey again.

First experience with Odyssey
Everything went smoothly, transfers, drivers….
The choices of the different camps we stayed in.
All our emails with questions were promptly answered
and the chat we had, very nice and professional.
We left our based country with no stress.

My son and I went on a trip of a lifetime in September 2025 to celebrate his 50th birthday. I wanted to fulfil a dream for both of us to mark the occasion but I needed help to plan our adventure, I contacted Africa Odyssey and spoke to Amelia which was lucky for me, all I knew was we wanted to go to Africa no idea where and see lots of animals. Amelia suggested Zimbabwe and South Africa she planned an amazing adventure, we saw too much to list, every day was busy. We stayed in wonderful accommodation, met fantastic people, the guides were very knowledgeable and the whole thing was faultless end to end I knew it would be life changing but it was more than I had hoped for. My son and I have such wonderful memories. Thank you Amelia and Africa Odyssey, I definitely will be calling you again for another Adventure.

We had quite the epic safari arranged by Sam Hankss from African Odyssey. Whilst we were based outside the UK (Australia) I found Sam to be professional and prompt via WhatsApp and emails.

The place Sam arranged was called Chitwa Chitwa and it was outstanding and very happy he recommended it. The staff and safari guides were amazing and made our safari quite memorable. Special mention to Jay Jay who was our safari guide. He did a great job. The accommodation was second to none and the two-bedroom lodge Sam booked was amazing. We cannot thank him enough for booking Chitwa Chtiwa. It was beautiful and the staff were amazing with our 12-year-old boy.

We managed to see all the animals including large male lions, a lion pride with 3-month-old cubs and some younger male and female lions. We saw all the big 5 as well as baby rhinos and hyenas, giraffes, and hippos etc. Elephants came right up to our private swimming pool. The highlight though were the many leopards we encounter, almost daily.

Everything went smoothly and there were no issues at all. From the time we arrive to the time we left we were looked after, felt safe, and the amount of food was abundant.

Highly recommend African Odyssey and Sam Hanks

We had a great overall trip with Africa Odyssey! The experience felt truly luxurious — everything was thoughtfully arranged and seamless from start to finish. The package was complete and very convenient, and the team was always responsive to our questions. They customized our itinerary perfectly, tailoring it to our needs and requests. Sam, our agent, was very knowledgeable and gave excellent recommendations — not the usual ones, but well thought out choices that made the trip unforgettable. We were able to see everything we wanted and even more. Highly recommended for anyone planning a safari or adventure in Tanzania or South Africa!

My lifelong dream was going to Africa on safari. This year for our 30th Anniversary we lived that dream!
Thank you Sam Hankss and Africa Odyssey- our trip was absolutely seamless. Everything was so well thought through and planned all we had to do was show up. Brilliant camps in Kenya & Tanzania, with truly amazing guides & drivers who ensured we had fun & saw so many animals; a hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti that was beyond breathtaking. All this magic was followed with a few days in Zanzibar on the beach (paradise).
Sam was there every step of the way with ideas, encouragement and support. I knew when we arrived in Africa all would be pretty perfect and it was.
The memories (& photos) we brought home with us are more than we could ever have hoped for.
We decided on day 2 at the first camp, we will be back and planning again with Sam and Africa Odyssey. You have our trust and high recommendation.

What an amazing experience. We had 5-star accommodations in the wild! Sam Hankss worked with us to create a safari that met our needs and gave us adventure. We were handed off from one team of helpers to the next, assured we would get to each destination safely.