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
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Trip, But Very Unprofessional
First I'll start by saying that we had an amazing trip, saw many animals, our drivers were good, and Big Time was much cheaper than the other safari trips that I read about online.
However, I'm rating them a 2 because if you sign up with Big Time, you should understand what you may be getting into. They are slightly dishonest, and they consistently try to get more money from you.
It started by us agreeing to a 9 day safari online in advance of our trip. When we got to the Big Time office, we paid, but they made us pay an extra 5% to use credit card... And they do not accept checks. So they immediately violated the contract we agreed on, but after arguing, there was nothing we could do, because our whole trip depended on this safari, and we had no backup plan. So we paid extra.
Then, we learned that our 9 day safari was actually 2 smaller safaris with travel days in between. And despite the contract saying "all meals and hotels/campsites are included in the 9 day safari price," they made us pay extra for our hotel and meals in between the 1st and 2nd safari. They also charged us $20 if we wanted to use their sleeping bags at the campsite, when bedding was supposed to be included.
Now here comes the most ridiculous part. We were encouraged to change our safari plan by a Big Time manager instead of the one we originally decided on. We finally agreed to do the change. After we arrive from completing the safari, he says that we need to pay extra for changing the route! When this was never mentioned to us before! He even threatened to take the money that “we owed” out of the driver’s paycheck if we would not pay. It was completely unprofessional.
To sum up the experience, the actual safari was wonderful. Our drivers were very nice, and the vans were full (8 person van for safari #1 and 4 person van for safari #2), but we still had great views. However, the management uses too many sneaky tactics to get you to pay extra.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari but the driver and car could have been better
I went on a three day Masai Mara trip and the Masai Mara is just awesome. But Tom, our guide: 1) had a pretty old minivan, what made it bumpy sometimes, 2) was distracted on the phone many times instead of looking out for animals and 3) everyone was promised a window seat but we were 9 people the last two days so the van was very crowded.
I know there are other more encouraged drivers with better cars at big time safaris. I would not recomend a safari with this guide (ok maybe he had a bad week... but still...)
Email Greg | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Timo worked very hard to make sure we had a great trip.
I’m a solo Australian traveler. I did the 3 day safari in Massai Mara.
Timo was our driver. He did a great job.
A truly amazing experience.
IT
Email Chiara | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Affordable and reliable Safari tour
I and my boyfriend did the 7 days Safari tour in December 2019 and we are really happy with the experience. It was our first Safari.
We saw a lot of different animals and environments, doing several interesting extra activities (we suggest mountain biking in Hell's Gate, boat tour in Nakuru and The Masai Village visit). Our driver/guide Jeff was exceptional: he was friendly and helpful, with long-standing experience. Please note that some accommodations/meals in the budget safari (the one we chose) are quite basic and sometimes a bit wild (like the tented camp in Amboseli)... but of course, that's part of the adventure ;)
Also, it was positive to us the fact that communications with Big Time Safari Ltd, before our arrival in Kenya, were constant and clear: Martha has been very patient in answering all our questions, satisfying our requests (like the presence of vegetarian meals) and evaluating with us different Safari tour options.
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.