We have been working across Africa for over 20 years, developing a network of failsafe contacts and creating the neatest and most effective itineraries to suit your interests and requirements.
Over 20 years experience
We have been crafting unforgettable tailor-made trips to Africa since 1998! In fact, we were the first ever online UK tour operator to do so... Our experience really does speak for itself!
Transparent pricing
Want to see a breakdown? Just ask! We will never be more expensive than booking direct with the lodges, and often we are cheaper. Our long-established relationships with safari lodges in Africa mean we can negotiate excellent rates, resulting in savings for you.
Owner run & 100% independent
We are not driven by high targets or commission based sales which other bigger companies could be beholden to, so we only send you to lodges which we think you'd love. We are proudly 100% tailor-made.
Expert knowledge
We will never send you to a lodge which we have not been to. Our small team are some of the UK’s leading Africa safari and beach experts, and we send them back year after year to ensure their knowledge is still exceptional and fully up to date.
24/7 assistance
Help is available around the clock on an Odyssey trip. So if there is an emergency on the ground in Tanzania then we are only a call away.
Financial protection
We are ATOL bonded. This means that if in the unlikely event that something happens to us, your money is safe.How it all works
Speak to an expert
When you are ready to begin planning, please do pick up the phone and chat to one of our expert team. Every Odyssey consultant has travelled throughout Africa extensively or lived there, and we have personally vetted every single property we recommend.
We begin crafting and eventually finalise your itinerary
Once we know a little more about you, we will get to work on some sample itineraries. Then, it is simply a case of tweaking and tweaking (or completely changing!) your trip until you are 100% happy. To confirm the space at the lodges, we require a 20% deposit, with the final balance due 12 weeks before you travel.
Preparing for your trip
Once you have paid your deposit, we will be with you every step of the way until your departure. We will send you a link to our App which has maps, locations, pre-departure information (including packing lists) a countdown to your trip and even the weather forecast. We are always at the end of the phone or on emails to help answer any questions you have in the run up to your trip.
Enjoy!
In the unlikely event that you encounter any problems on your travels, then simply call our emergency 24/7 number and one of our team will be on hand to help. On your return, please do get in touch and let us know how everything went – we love hearing about your experience and staying in touch.
Marc Harris
Managing Director
Following years of travelling and exploring, Marc started organising safaris for clients in the mid 1990s. Specialising in the then lesser-known safari regions, he set up Tanzania Odyssey; a focused, specialist company providing the very best itineraries and safari support in Tanzania. With a natural flair for itinerary planning and a keen passion for the finest safari and beach experiences, of which he continues to test assiduously, Marc is a natural perfectionist. His unrivalled zest for world experiences makes him a sturdy helmsman for all of your Odysseys. Marc's Africa knowledge is decades in the making and he also specialises in the Indian Ocean locations of Seychelles and Mauritius. Now a judge of The Good Safari Guide and a director of the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA), he is one of the most respected safari consultants in the world.
Contact Marc Harris >
Contact Marc Harris >
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Ted Archdale
Manager
After years of travelling, most notably across India on a Royal Enfield motorcycle, Ted joined the Africa Odyssey team in 2010 and instantly became an invaluable asset. Having completed a degree in Anthropology, specialising in the study of primates, Ted furthers his knowledge with real, on the ground experience. Being a careful itinerary planner, Ted has a genuine passion for travelling and exploring which enhances all our client experiences. Recently, Ted has made some enviable fact-finding trips to Western Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana and Zambia which not only provided some incredible wildlife sightings, but also a depper insight into the lesser-known regions of these countries.
Contact Ted Archdale >
Contact Ted Archdale >
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Dave Fuller
Senior Consultant
Dave's love of travel and exploration was always with him; through his twenties he explored the majority of Asia and Latin America, and Africa was next… With nothing but a one way ticket Dave made his way to South Africa, through Mozambique, into Zimbabwe and ending up on the shores of Lake Malawi. Dave’s passion for Africa started here and his travels later took him to Tanzania, where he fell in love with the wild parks of the South, and extensively through Botswana and Zambia. As well as being a Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia specialist, Dave heads up our Asia Odyssey arm, having spent months exploring India, China and South East Asia. Though it hurts to say it, he is probably the best travelled of all of us and 20 years in the travel industry have helped Dave turn itinerary planning into an art form.
Contact Dave Fuller >
Contact Dave Fuller >
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George Hannan
Consultant
Having travelled extensively his whole life, George has explored many countries across Asia, Europe, Australasia, Africa and North America but it was the East African safari bug that really bit. Always having had a passion for wildlife and conservation, he has worked in travel since leaving university and this passion shines through everything he does. A particular specialist in the Serengeti, we’re fairly sure he knows several of the great migration’s wildebeest by name and his latest trip has taken him from the Plains of the Masai Mara to the mountains of Rwanda. A real sucker for luxury but at home in a tented camp, George is your guy for a perfectly tailored itinerary to East Africa.
Contact George Hannan >
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Kitty Chrisp
Consultant
Kitty’s passion for all things Africa began on a horse riding safari in Kenya when she was 12, and ever since she was itching to get back to explore different countries on the continent. Since then, she has managed to return countless times through working and living in Zambia, Tanzania and Rwanda as a safari lodge hostess and videographer in between and after her university studies. Having also visited Tanzania and Botswana extensively as a guest, Kitty has an exceptional knowledge of how camps work from behind the scenes to the front line, meaning she has an unrivalled ability to sort the truly special camps from the good ones. Delighted by a superb safari, but equally delighted by a superb gin and tonic, Kitty has made planning relaxing yet exceptional safaris her very own.
Contact Kitty Chrisp >
Contact Kitty Chrisp >
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Sam Hankss
Consultant
After travelling to the continent of dreams with his family, Sam decided one holiday was not enough. After finishing his studies, Sam became a safari guide in the Greater Kruger where he led and educated guests in a variety of lodges. A passion for wildlife photography also grew during this time and has resulted in his own photographic website coming to fruition. A love for writing has also led to inclusions in several publications in South Africa as well as looking after our own blog and website pages.
Sam specialises in all things East Africa, from the gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda to the mighty elephant tuskers of Amboseli and the migrating herds of the Serengeti, but away from East Africa it is South Africa that holds a special place in his heart. The Greater Kruger is a home-away-from-home and with a sense of adventure and travel in his blood, there will be plenty more destinations explored in the coming years.
Contact Sam Hankss >
Sam specialises in all things East Africa, from the gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda to the mighty elephant tuskers of Amboseli and the migrating herds of the Serengeti, but away from East Africa it is South Africa that holds a special place in his heart. The Greater Kruger is a home-away-from-home and with a sense of adventure and travel in his blood, there will be plenty more destinations explored in the coming years.
Contact Sam Hankss >
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Gail Hennessey
Finance and legal
Gail travelled all over the world as a child and had lived in eight countries (from Norway to Brunei via Hong Kong and Syria) by the time she was eighteen. She experienced her first African safari at the age of nine, and the safari bug bit deep! After studying law at university she spent twelve years as a corporate lawyer for a major firm in the City of London before taking a career break in order to spend more time with her young children. Travel is her favourite topic and she is rarely happier than when planning, talking about or going on a big family adventure. She looks after business development, advises on legal matters as well as puts together itineraries for families to South Africa.
Contact Gail Hennessey >
Ed Davison
IT Manager
Ed is our resident IT specialist and web-support master. His talents lie in the digital realm, but naturally he took his honeymoon in Tanzania (some say he had little choice!). Ed's area of expertise is computer technology, and while he will not be the one to work through your itinerary - he is an invaluable member of the team and is always glad to add his tuppence worth to presentations.
Contact Ed Davison >
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Work for us
Affrica Odyssey is a boutique tour operator specialising in safari and beach holidays across Africa. We are always on the look out for exceptional graduates with a real passion for Africa, as well as seasoned senior consultants.
Current Vacancies
Intern
Over the years the majority of our staff have started their careers at Africa Odyssey as an intern. We are always looking out for talented people who have a passion for Africa and are looking to start a career in luxury travel.
The ideal intern candidate would be a recent graduate with good A Levels, attention to detail, the ability to work with urgency and accuracy and a passion for Africa. The role is on a monthly rolling basis and the intern would work on all aspects of the business, including website, advertising, PR, administration and accounts as well as learning about the booking process and tailor-making trips to Africa.
Please send your CV and covering letter to Ted Archdale at [email protected]
Africa Travel Consultant
We are currently looking for an Africa Travel Consultant, either with or without experience of working in the travel industry but ideally with experience in sales. We offer full training in our offices in Putney as well as an extensive educational trip to East Africa initially, over time picking up new destinations with more educational trips.
The main responsibility of this role would be tailor-making itineraries and driving sales but the role is very varied and you will be expected to get involved in website, advertising, PR, administration, accounts and marketing.
Salary will depend on experience and is above market rate.
Please send your CV and covering letter to Ted Archdale at [email protected]
Current Vacancies
Intern
Over the years the majority of our staff have started their careers at Africa Odyssey as an intern. We are always looking out for talented people who have a passion for Africa and are looking to start a career in luxury travel.
The ideal intern candidate would be a recent graduate with good A Levels, attention to detail, the ability to work with urgency and accuracy and a passion for Africa. The role is on a monthly rolling basis and the intern would work on all aspects of the business, including website, advertising, PR, administration and accounts as well as learning about the booking process and tailor-making trips to Africa.
Please send your CV and covering letter to Ted Archdale at [email protected]
Africa Travel Consultant
We are currently looking for an Africa Travel Consultant, either with or without experience of working in the travel industry but ideally with experience in sales. We offer full training in our offices in Putney as well as an extensive educational trip to East Africa initially, over time picking up new destinations with more educational trips.
The main responsibility of this role would be tailor-making itineraries and driving sales but the role is very varied and you will be expected to get involved in website, advertising, PR, administration, accounts and marketing.
Salary will depend on experience and is above market rate.
Please send your CV and covering letter to Ted Archdale at [email protected]
