Big Time Safaris
- Office 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)
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
OM
Email Jenitha | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable, Well-Planned, Good Service
We travelled to Kenya with family (4 Adults & 2 Children). Thanking Martha for making the experience a good one. She was quick with her responses, provided all the necessary information we required and quite helpful. It was a great trip and within budget. I would highly recommend this company and Martha as a point of contact. The only minor issue we had was with our guide in Masai, he wasn't very interactive but he did a good job on the safari, took us to the right places, made sure we had the best view possible and we saw the Big 4 (we just missed the Rhino).
SA
Email Aju | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good and professional
Very good and fast response with us our tour organiser mrs Martha she is doing her best
IN
Email Prashant | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Quite reliable Punctual, Stay as per the program sent by Martha. Guide Joseph was very enthusiastic
Communication was prompt and Martha was always available for telecom. Last day we could have gone for half day Safari as per the program. Food at all the lodges except A A Lodge Ambosali was good. Sopa Lodge at Naivasha was the Best. A A Lodge Masai mara was good.
PT
Email Pedro | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice experience on a 10 days Kenya and Tanzania Safari
It was our first time safari in Africa and for a budget option it fulfill our expectations. Everything was planned and discussed by email with Martha. There was an issue with a bank transfer that bounce back after a month but it was easily solved with them. Some planning details, like pick up times were arranged locally via whatsapp. Although our point of contact was always Martha, the safari in Tanzania is provided by a 3rd party company which can lead to some misunderstandings.
The safaris were amazing, spanning over Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. A mix of breathtaking landscapes, rough off road moments in pursuing wildbeasts sights and relaxing moments immersed on the savannah was our daily routine. Seronera camp in Serengeti was the top of our wild experience with a lot of wildlife surrounding our tents. Our drivers/guides, Geoff (Kenya) and Emmanuel (Tanzania), were very skilled and provided us awesome moments and fantastic shots. The groups we joined in Kenya and Tanzania were great, making our experience even better.
Truly recommend it for those with short budget who are looking for a safari with a bit of adventure!
US
Email David | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had a fantastic driver/tour guide. He was extremely knowledgable and became a good friend.
The experience was great. Our tour guide John Wanjau was extremely knowledgabe and very concerned about my wife and myself having a joyful experience. John does an excellent tour. I would highly recommend him as a guide. The only negative we experienced during our 9 day safari was the tent camp where we stayed in Amboseli could have been better.
Email Eli | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience but you can probably get better value for money
I went with a friend to a 4-day budget safari which included 3 visits at Masai Mara reserve and one at Lake Nakuru. The price included pick up and drop off from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the safari and back to the hotel and to the airport, which was great. The car was a bit run down and we were sharing with 4 other people. At Masai Mara we stayed in pre-pitched tents with private toilet/shower at Miti Mingi Eco Camp, which was okay but there were no hot showers as advertised; we had an issue with rain in our tent and we were promptly changed to another one. At Nakuru we stayed in at City Max hotel, which was quite in the middle of nowhere and the wifi signal did not reach the rooms, but it did the job. Our driver Richard was very knowledgeable and could virtually answer every single question we asked him. He found all the animals almost on the first day and we ended up seeing everything we wanted to see. Unfortunately, the weather was not with us so on the 3rd day, the driver suggested to skip the 3rd visit at Masai Mara and stop at Lake Naivasha to do an activity at an extra cost, which we refused to but agreed to stop there for a walk; however, when we got there he advised that the weather was not good enough and we drove straight into the hotel without actually doing anything at all, other than driving, which was a bit of a waste of a day; a back-up plan would have been appreciated. My friend and I finished our safari earlier than some other people in our group and were put in a different car to go back to Nairobi. There, we learnt that the people from that other car had paid less for the same type safari (with a different operator), done more things (the activity at Lake Naivasha that was offered at extra cost was offered for free to them) and had a much better car so it annoyed us a bit but that's life.
In short, I had a great time in this safari and I saw all the animals I wanted to which was amazing but if I were to do another safari I would probably do a bit more of research and negotiate the price better.
Email Fazal Mohamed | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari visits, transportation etc were very good, but camp facilities were very below average
We were a group of 8 family members. The Planning Phase of the tour was good with proper communication from the team . The Safari rates were reasonable. The Airport pick up and the transport arrangement from Nairobi to Massaimara was very well coordinated. The game drives were also very well coordinated and we got opportunities to see many animals. Driver took special interest to take us all around.
However, the condition of the accommodation provided in the Camp in Massaimara was very primitive. Though the camp is well laid out, it was very over crowded and the staff found it extremely difficult to serve food properly. The individual tents were very poorly maintained, especially the 4 tents we got. The furniture including the cot was in bad shape, the bathrooms were not clean, flush was getting blocked, there was a bad stench during night in that part of the camp. All these were reported to the notice of Mr. Joseph in the camp who apparently was in charge of accommodation. He managed to change the cot but nothing more could be done though we requested for a change of tent that was not possible due to the large number of guests in the camp.
I personally feel a lot could be improved in the tents like, clean toilets and drainage, a mirror in the bathrooms, functional water taps, some toiletries like soap shampoo etc. There is definitely a need to check the condition of cots in each of the tents.
It will be Wonderful if a small cultural show by the local folks are organized every evening near the camp fire area. That can make the evenings lively and memorable. There is also a need to improve the food quality. All these may be facilitated to the customers even if it is at the cost of 10 or 20 USD more on package cost. These small deficiencies negatively impacted the overall experience which otherwise was a wonderful Safari at a moderate price.
Email Claire | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience and nice staff
we have our own group and signed up for a 9 days safari tour for both Kenya and Tanzania. the communication with Martha was very effective and she replied to our queries with no delay.
As it's a budget tour, we didn't expect much for the accommodation, most of tour was camping, the camp site is clean and well set up, most sites even had hot water for shower, meals were considered quite good given it's cooked in national park with limited resources. Camping at Ngorongoro is freezing cold during night but we were not well informed, so all of us couldn't sleep on that night, but animals visiting made up some of the bad feeling. hotel in Arusha was quite terrible, but no harm done for just two nights stay.
both our tour guides were very good, 4wd in Tanzania was very nice, only the road to NP was very bumping, which couldn't do much about it.
overall the safari was amaizing, saw lots of animals, all big 5 we had spotted, Big time's service was very professional, the tour was at great value for its cheap price.
AE
Email Louise | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The safari was fantastic- we got to see everything we dreamed of and our guide was great.
The office staff were helpful with answering g questions prior to the trip. We were pleased to be picked up from the airport, even though our safari didn't start until the next day. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. Be prepared for bumpy roads and fast driving! The camp we stayed at was suitable. The beds were not the most comfortable but it was nice to have water and some electricity available. The food was good and all staff members were friendly. The safari was amazing! We were not disappointed. We got to see everything we hoped for and more.
IN
Email Dipanka | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good timely and enjoyable trip
The guide in the safari tour to Masai Mara was knowledgeable about the place. Stay in Masai Mara camp could be improved as there was no electricity throughout the night. Reached back Nairobi safely and on time. Nice journey.