Compass Odyssey

08/12/2025

Senalala Safari Lodge is our preferred choice of accommodation in South Africa's Greater Kruger safari region. Our previous travellers who have stayed there will especially appreciate this great sighting direct from the lodge's deck. Note also the lovely and green bush, thanks to some good early rains the past month or so. Thanks for sharing, Corlia @ Senalala.

28/11/2025

A DIFFERENT KIND OF (BLACK) FRIDAY
Buy some gin today, and you'll be doing do some good.
DISTILLED & BOTTLED IN THE OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA
Our US-based friends can buy online.

Let’s sip consciously & give meaningfully.

23/10/2025

GOT FIVE MINUTES?
Make a cuppa, find a comfy spot, and be touched by our latest blog post. Thank you again, Lauren for letting us tell your story.

TRAVELLER STORIES The healing power of wild places Lauren photographing a rainbow over Victoria Falls. In the quiet stillness of the Okavango Delta, Lauren turned 30. She celebrated the milestone not with a party or presents, but with an early morning guided bush walk followed later by a stunning su...

15/10/2025

Congratulations to Wim van den Heever for winning the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year. The image was taken at the diamond ghost town of Kolmanskop, which can be visited during a Compass Odyssey journey in Namibia.

Our Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 is Wim van den Heever!

Wim won our Grand Title for this haunting scene of a brown hyena among the skeletal remains of a long-abandoned diamond mining town.

With sea fog rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean, Wim chose this spot for his camera trap after noticing hyena tracks nearby.

“It took me 10 years to finally get this one single image of a brown hyena, in the most perfect frame imaginable.”

The rarest hyena species in the world, brown hyenas are nocturnal and mostly solitary. They are known to pass through Kolmanskop, Namibia, on their way to hunt Cape fur seal pups or scavenge for carrion washed ashore along the Namib Desert coast.

📸 ‘Ghost Town Visitor’ is the winner of ’s Urban Wildlife category and won Wim the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025.

Don't miss our new exhibition where you can see Wim’s incredible image and more in-person, opening this Friday 17 October at the Natural History Museum, London: https://brnw.ch/21wWCG4

30/09/2025

TOURISM IS HELPING UGANDA’S ENDANGERED MOUNTAIN GORILLAS MAKE A COMEBACK
This is a good news story that Compass Odyssey is particularly proud of. All of our gorilla treks take place in this park, and our travellers always stay 2-3 nights in a local lodge overlooking the park.

In Uganda, the economic benefits of tourism have turned gorilla poachers into conservationists, married women into porters and rangers into spokespeople for the great apes.

18/09/2025

THIS CHRISTMAS, SWAP SHOPPING MALLS FOR SAFARI SIGHTINGS
Our latest newsletter is out and includes some suggestions for a festive season safari (it might be easier/cheaper than you think) as well as the launch of our first video, featuring our very own Darren (Crusty) Humphrys.

Summer has arrived here in the bush, and we are waiting for our first rains of the season. At Compass Odyssey, life has been busy with many travellers visiting during this high season, along with the usual flow of planning new itineraries. 

26/08/2025

THE LAST RHINOS: A NEW HOPE
On 24th August 2025, National Geographic premiered The Last Rhinos: A New Hope, now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
The death in 2018 of Sudan, the last male northern white rhino, became the catalyst for one of the most daring conservation efforts ever attempted. This moving film follows the journey of Najin and Fatu—female northern white rhinos and the last of their kind on Earth—and the remarkable people fighting for their future. It captures the urgency, the setbacks, and the triumphs of creating the world’s first surrogate rhino pregnancy.
The film explores the intimate bonds between Najin, Fatu and their caretakers, and the cutting-edge science behind the rescue project and creation of embryos that offer a lifeline for the species. It also recounts the devastating loss of surrogate rhino Curra, and the heartbreaking yet astonishing discovery that she was pregnant. From this tragedy, hope emerges, and the mission continues.
Viewers will see a pioneering blend of science, collaboration, and dedication that offers not only hope for the northern white rhino, but also a blueprint for saving other species standing on the edge of extinction.
Filmed at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya’s Laikipia safari region, our Compass Odyssey journeys can include an encounter with Najin and Fatu. It’s an un-matchable opportunity to get up close to perhaps the two most-rarest animals on Earth and learn their remarkable story from the dedicated keepers who care for them round-the-clock. Every penny from your visit supports the efforts to rescue this species from the brink of extinction.
The Last Rhinos: A New Hope is more than a film about conservation—it is a story of courage, resilience, and the extraordinary lengths humanity can go to in order to make things right. We invite you to watch and to be inspired.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1987932558660486

19/08/2025

TODAY IS WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY DAY, offering "an opportunity to appreciate the art of capturing moments and to recognise the impact of photography on our lives."
We give humble thanks to all of our travellers that have sent their favourite safari images to us. Flipping through your selections is easily one of the best parts of our job! In no particular order, we appreciate and recognise the following incredible (and unedited) images from some of our travellers.

16/08/2025

HOT OFF THE PRESS
After two (or was it three?) cancelled/delayed flights from the U.S., travel mates Dave and Yury finally arrived in East Africa this week and have just contacted us from their first stop - sunny Samburu in Kenya's north, where they are staying at Saruni Samburu, offering one of the most dramatic and awe-indpiring vistas of all our accommodations in Africa.
In Dave's own words:
"We have absolutely, positively loved our time here. The location, the guide Emmanuel, and the staff have all been top-notch, exceeding expectations. I have taken about 12,500 photos in three days, 90% of which are probably birds. I may have a memory card problem!"

Next stop...the Masai Mara.