Safari Adventure
Big Time Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Budget & mid-range)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $450 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
PL
Email monika | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
In our hearts forever!
We chose a 7 day safari - Nairobi - MasaiMara - Nakuru - Naiwasha - Amboseli -Tsawo East - Diani Beach.
We travelled as a family - with my husband and children - 5, 8 and 9 years old.
Ms Joy - a wonderful woman, our first contact at Big Time Safaris and I knew straight away that despite dozens of offers we would go with BigTime Safaris. From start to finish we felt safe and comfortable, everything was buttoned up, booked and planned to how I wanted it, and I had high expectations of what we wanted to see.
Car - we considered various options and I think we chose a super car for our family. There were blogs saying that a Land Rover would be better than a VAN, but we opted for a VAN and are very happy:
1) When the kids stood on the seats or sat on the headrest - they had a super view and could comfortably watch the animals for hours;
2. the roof opened high - higher than in the LandRover;
3. the VAN is lower and you have a lot of your body sticking out and not just the top of your head so you are comfortable for taking photos;
4. the VAN is smaller - but on a private safari it makes no difference to you because you have the whole car to yourself;
5. a VAN will get you everywhere in the dry season
The VAN is not slower than an off-road vehicle;
Driver and guide - Derick was an amazing driver, he was speeding and always gave us the best place to see the animals, even when there were many other cars - we were always in the 1st row . Right next to the animals. He knew many of the other guides, spoke to them on the phone and established where the animals were.He drove very well and safely on the difficult African roads. The car was cleaned and washed daily, water topped up.We were able to use his WIFI because our cards bought at the airport did not work.
He was always smiling, punctual, kind to our children and helpful a lot - as we changed plans sometimes đ.
Accommodation - we took the budget accomodation version so I wasn't expecting luxuries. We had a real African adventure - we slept in camps and for 7 days it was ok.
If I was going again - I would change the hotel in Navasha to a camp by the lake so I would be aware of hippos at night. The other places to stay overnight I would not change.
My thoughts on the trip:
MasaMara - you need to take a full day safari to the Masai Mara and a picnic by the Mara River to have lunch.This place is magical and I think it's pointless to only do the morning gamedrive and the evening. You have to drive deep into the park, be there all day, feel it, see those thousands of animals deep inside.We saw a lot of predators, hundreds of elephants, giraffes, pumbas, hyenas, antelopes - all metres from you!
Naivasha - crescent Island is just an absolute must. Make no mistake - don't miss out on this wonderful place - go there and walk around the beautiful island with hundreds of animals at your fingertips.
Naivasha - horse riding at the Sanctuary - even if you can't ride - get on a horse and see this magical place in the mountains.There is a stud farm with beautiful horses on the sanctuary grounds and we rode horseback for an hour with the kids rubbing up against the animals.
I will never forget that!
Nakuru - well worth it, but only when there are lots of flamingos, at our place it was empty - much less than the other parks, very dusty,
Amboseli - beautiful Kilimanjaro and a phenomenal hour long parade of 6 baby cheetahs with their mum. A beautiful park with a stately, mysterious energy
Tsawo East - I liked this park the least, next time I would choose TsawoWest
Thank you Big Time Safaris!
ES
Email Ana MarĂa | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We saw the big 5 and he drove great
We were with Solomon (Spanish guide) and Patrick (English guide and driver). Thanks to their experience we were able to see the Big 5 in Africa, as they had contacts with all of them and they notified us by radio. They helped us at all times, they informed us if the prices were abusive in certain shops and local vendors. In short, great.
CH
Email Remo Ipser | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The safari provider with the best price-performance ratio
First of all, a big compliment to our tour guide Richard. He drove us through the six days with his calm and confident manner and was able to show us all the animals (including lions, cheetahs, leopards and rhinos). The hotels: Mara Chui Lodge in the Masai Mara was good, the Lake Nakuru hotel was excellent and the Tremisana Lodge hotel in Amboseli was very good. I can only recommend the Big Time Safari, especially as their prices are very reasonable. Well done! Thank you for the great holiday!
IN
Email Dr Ajay ghangas | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience!!
I recently visited Kenya and had an incredible experience with Bigtime Safari Company. Throughout my trip, I had the pleasure of having Derrick Abongo Akoko as my driver and guide. Derrick's exceptional skills and deep knowledge of the area made my safari and visits to various popular sites truly unforgettable.
Derrick was not only incredibly helpful but also very friendly and professional. He went above and beyond to ensure that I had a great experience, providing insights into the wildlife and culture of Kenya that I wouldn't have discovered on my own. His driving skills were top-notch, making me feel safe and comfortable throughout the journey.
If you're planning a trip to Kenya, I highly recommend requesting Derrick as your driver and guide. His dedication and expertise will undoubtedly enhance your travel experience.
Thank you, Derrick, and Bigtime Safari Company, for an amazing adventure!
Email Daniel | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A nice experience
I book this Safari remotely, after a bit of research I decided to take the safari with Big Time Safaris and I regret it not even a bit. I booked the 6-day medium-range package and it was great value for money, nice lodges and nice food. Big Time Safaris' staff is nice and friendly, we also had a great van driver. All in all good as a very pleasant experience which I may repeat soon!
CH
Email Yvander | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Worst experience ever and very rude manager
Ive done over 15 safaris in my life, been to Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Tanzania.This one here, in Kenya, is by far the worst Ive ever experienced!!! Its all about, squeezing out every single dollar of you and delivering the worst customer service ever. Here's my main points why i cannot recommend anyone to book with this company:
- Safety is not guaranteed
* No functional radio during the whole six day trip (see picture below), meaning not able to contact anyone in case of emergency.
* Safari vehicle in a very bad condition (we got stuck once and had to push the car out and that, is in middle of the national park, surrounded by wild animals).
* One screw of the wheel suspension broke during our game drive, so we lost two hours of game drive while waiting until the car is fixed (see picture), not even a glass of water was offered by the company while waiting.
- Not sticking to itinerary
* Left earlier than promised certain parks, to the extent that we missed to spot the leopard. Considering that we had to rush all the time and having problems with the car, i would have at least expected, to give us half an hour longer while seeing something great.
-brought us to different accomodation than planned (cheaper places)
* Changed the itinerary without giving any options
* Skipped certain destinations like Baboon hill and the Rhino sanctuary without giving any reason, was told is nothing special abt it.
* Food and beverages
We got basically every day the same, the lunch packages were just horrible. One juice, a chicken leg, a rotten banana and a sandwich with one slice of cucumber and tomato (see picture below)
- only 1 liter of water per day per person, even during a 8hours game drive and over 30 degrees
Communication:
According to my inetary, I was supposed to stay one night in Naiwasha. After leaving leaving Lake Nakuru, I was told i have to go to Amboseli first and come back afterwards. Obviously i did not agree on that, because it would mean, to have 5hours more driving instead of leisure time. I simply asked to refund me the money but instead of giving me back a 130 $, i only got back 50$. On top of that i was told, i refused to do it. I dont know... but having the audacity to blame me for refusing to finish the trip is just crazy. The company was not able to stick to the plan. First the manager Steve refused to talk to me and then it took them 3 days to tell me how much the refund is. And not once ive been told a sorry from Steve. Even worse he tried to twist the story and that everything is my fault. Honestly thats just bottom of the barrel excuse.
Conclusion:
On this trip, almost nothing went according to the plan and still the company insists, that they didnt do anything wrong. I really dont see any point why anyone should book with this company. The only highlight was Joseph the driver, he did what he could do but he had a lot of pressure from his Manager Steve. We were rushed the whole trip and had to leave several times earlier than according to the itinerary. I just hope this review helps people, not to do the same mistake as me, to book a nightmare trip with them.
CH
Email Yvandee | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Worst Safari ever
Ive done over 15 safaris in my life, been to Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Tanzania.This one here, in Kenya, is by far the worst Ive ever experienced!!! Its all about, squeezing out every single dollar of you and delivering the worst customer service ever. Here's my main points why i cannot recommend anyone to book with this company:
- Safety is not guaranteed
* No functional radio during the whole six day trip (see picture below), meaning not able to contact anyone in case of emergency.
* Safari vehicle in a very bad condition (we got stuck once and had to push the car out and that, is in middle of the national park, surrounded by wild animals).
* One screw of the wheel suspension broke during our game drive, so we lost two hours of game drive while waiting until the car is fixed (see picture), not even a glass of water was offered by the company while waiting.
- Not sticking to itinerary
* Left earlier than promised certain parks, to the extent that we missed to spot the leopard. Considering that we had to rush all the time and having problems with the car, i would have at least expected, to give us half an hour longer while seeing something great.
-brought us to different accommodation than planned (cheaper places)
* Changed the itinerary without giving any options
* Skipped certain destinations like Baboon hill and the Rhino sanctuary without giving any reason, was told is nothing special abt it.
* Food and beverages
We got basically every day the same, the lunch packages were just horrible. One juice, a chicken leg, a rotten banana and a sandwich with one slice of cucumber and tomato (see picture below)
- only 1 liter of water per day per person, even during a 8hours game drive and over 30 degrees
Communication:
According to my itinerary, I was supposed to stay one night in Naivasha. After leaving Lake Nakuru, I was told i had to go to Amboseli first and come back afterwards. Obviously, i did not agree on that, because it would mean, having 5hours more driving instead of leisure time. I simply asked to refund me the money but instead of giving me back a 130 $, I only got back 50$. On top of that I was told, I refused to do it. I don't know... but having the audacity to blame me for refusing to finish the trip is just crazy. The company was not able to stick to the plan. First, the manager Steve refused to talk to me and then it took them 3 days to tell me how much the refund is. And not once I've been told a sorry from Steve. Even worse he tried to twist the story and that everything is my fault. Honestly that's just bottom of the barrel excuse.
Conclusion:
On this trip, almost nothing went according to the plan and still the company insists, that they didn't do anything wrong. I dont see any point why anyone should book with this company. The only highlight was Joseph the driver, he did what he could do but he had a lot of pressure from his Manager Steve. We were rushed the whole trip and had to leave several times earlier than according to the itinerary. I just hope this review helps people, not to do the same mistake as me, to book a nightmare trip with them.
Email Gabor | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Avoid them !!! Robbed on safari !! No help whatsoever!!
Robbed on safari !
Stay away from them if you do not want a nightmare holiday !
An absolute disgrace to tourism and to foreign tourists
We have been robbed under this tour operator in their chooses hotel.
The hotel was guarded with 4 security, our door was locked but still got the door broken damaging the frame and hit the lock out without anyone hearing anything ?!?!?!?!! The theft walked out with our backpack on his back and the other guys ÂŁ6K camera swinging it in his hand . If you wonder yes 2 of us door got jacked up and no one heard or saw anything.
The owner refused to come and show the CCTV to the police delaying everything! The hotel called HotelCityMax in Nakuru !!
When we finally meet Mr CEO John who by the way is an absolute joke and disgrace to the whole tourism industry and also to tourists! Didnât even call the hotel or came to see us when the accident happened!
Was half way laying in his chairs while he was bullsh*tting us and lying to us constantly!
The way John was behaving, the posture he was maintaining, the way of his speaking, every single gesture he was making made to us very clear that he absolutely does care and we are just a pain in his a.. at that moment and would say anything to get rid of us.
Several times we caught him to lie about what action he took and how he will compensate us . When we challenged him to prove us somehow that he took actions I.e police report , asking the hotel what happened etc he couldnât put anything on the table !
I never in my life meet someone like John in such a high position and still donât care at all especially in a country that heavily relies on tourism!
He was keep telling us for 30 mins how his company operates and all of this filling stories what frankly we didnât care as we had a bigger issue why we were there and wanted to sort it before we leave the country.
Of course no solution came from him ! Even He was not man enough to give me his business card at the end !
Honestly it was scary to see how much someone who is in charge doesnât care at all about the 2 theft that happened under his watch and in his hotel from who is in charge !
At the end we have to leave without any paper or whatsoever. He didnât care if we will return or not as he already had our money and he had no intention to ease up our pain to try to help us . He doesnât care if you return or not !
Very poor customer service and lack of knowledge, Mr big CEO John clearly has no idea what this business is all about
Dear John let me tell you 1 thing it is all about trust reputation and returning clients !
Do yourself a favour and avoid him and his company!
I would highly recommend Super Eagles ! As I didnât have any issues with them ! Always super helpful and ready to help Gents with a fantastic customer service who are truly appreciate us tourist visiting their country and would like us to return .
IT
Email Cristina | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
we suffered a very negative experience and a huge lack of care in our regards
We spent seven days in Kenya with Big Time Safaris, and we suffered a very negative experience and a huge lack of care in our regards. We canât recommend this company for these reasons:
they have increased the price of the tour, we have booked in february, two weeks before our depart from Italy; the increase was of 40% the initial price that we have had to pay cash once arrived
despite the increase they have cancelled a safari included in the initial program
we paid for two days of safari in Masai Mara but we couldnât enter into the park the second day, because the guide didnât know the new rules of entrance into the park and changing the order of activities we missed the safari. We asked not to pay the 80$ per person of the second day of safari we didnât do but they havenât agreed
they booked a lodge where during a shower one of the group experienced an electric shock
the last day we should have a visit in Nairobi and we had to pay the highway toll for avoiding a queue on the normal road; the guide had no money for paying the toll
KR
Email Hyunae | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good
I enyoyed the safari with clinton he was a good guide and i recomend him and this tour company