masai mara
Bigmac Africa Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Member Of:
- Kenya Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CA
Email Dean | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Trip to Amboseli National Park
Michael was a very good driver, and an excellent guide. He was friendly, helpful, and accommodating throughout the trip. He is knowledgeable about the park, the birds and animals, and their habits.
The accommodations (Kibo Resort) were comfortable, and the meals were first rate.
We very much enjoyed our three days with Michael in Amboseli National Park.
Email Josette | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We had amazing wild life experiences with a very knowledgeable guide.
Magdalene was very kind and helpful and arranged a well organized safari for us, 3 couples at Sweetwaters Olpejeta. Thank you to our excellent guide and driver Antony ! Because of his knowledge and ability we were close to the wild life and could even see a lion with her cub in her mouth and a little one running behind. We highly recommend this safari
DK
Email Alan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good safari for the price!
The safari was just amazing! 5 days with great experience.
From the begging Magdalene was easy and kind to communicate with and she help us with everything even things after the safari.
The drive game was very good and we saw all the animals. Our guide had a big knowledge about the parks and animals.
Definitely value for money.
DE
Email Betty | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best safari ever!
I searched through the internet for a reputable company to book our family safari with. I landed on Bigmac Safaris and after interacting with Magdalene I felt safe. The safari was fantastic, our guide James was the best, he sawed us the big5 and many other animals. He explained alöt about animals. Also the 4x4 Jeep is the best, it was quite comfortable. I would recommend bigmac africa safaris anytime.
US
Email Upset customer | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
CHEATS AND LIARS
I had a safari tour with my family and from the United States through email communication I felt as if though I was booking with a reliable and trustworthy company. I had communication with Magdalene. Our driver Steve tried to cancel part of our safari tour in order to try and pocket the entrance fees we had already paid the company! He confronted us during our family dinner to try to talk us out of it! How disrespectful and unprofessional! I never felt so insulted in my life. I contacted Magdalene who informed me I would be refunded and once I replied to confirm yes send me back my money I never heard one word back!! Do not trust this company. You should not have to go through this when visiting an unknown third world country. Of course safari is a great experience but you can experience all the wonderful things with ANY other company who has reliable staff and drivers, there are so many which shouldn’t try to cheat and steal from you! I tried to be calm about it but after all, I highly discourage anyone from booking with BigMac!
Reply from Bigmac Africa Safaris
Posted on Sep 29, 2021Hello Joyce,
Thank you for taking your time to give your feedback.
But i don't understand why now the review is different from the one you wrote on TripAdvisor.
As per our conversation earlier, all the park fees were paid and we have the receipts hence company owes you no money. You even wrote to Pesapal that you want a refund of the money you had paid as deposit lying to them that we had overcharged you and we owe you $240. You went on to say that we don't know how to use their system hence why you want them to refund directly to you. this is a week after you have finished the safari and gone back to your country.
You have mentioned 'the driver tried' to cancel your safari' but he didn't cancel, you did all the game drives as per the itinerary but the last one was little shorter.
I will copy paste the reply i did on TripAdvisor below:
Dear Joyce. Thank you for the chance to serve you for your 5days Amboseli-naivasha-nakuru- masai Mara which started at 3pm at the airport hence quite rushed according to the number of parks you wanted to accomplish(some which were squeezed into the initial program) We also thank you for taking time to review us and expressing the dissatisfaction, we really regret for not meeting your expectation.
its unfortunate that we were in contact on whatsapp and you never informed this until after a few days when you went back to US despite telling you to contact me incase of anything. Also, in your email you sent, you had indicated below but am surprised you omitted it here: " I want to thank you so much for your kindness throughout the booking process and for the great gesture at Amboseli Lodge with the birthday cake. All the accommodations were wonderful with very kind staff and comfortable lodging. It was wonderful to work with you."
Point to be taken: the tickets are always paid on the first day for the number of nights you will be in the park so that you don't queue every morning, the tickets for the whole 2nights were paid and i have the receipts with me as mentioned to you earlier. He couldn't be allowed in the park even for a few minutes without payment for the second night on the third day, also, masai mara park management take such offenses very seriously and have very heavy & strict disciplinary measures on its clerks including jailing them and banning drivers from the parks, and hence even the clerks cannot collude to allow him without paying.
Regarding gates, Masai Mara has many entry & exit gates hence drivers don't necessarily leave from the same gate they used to get in especially when there is one close-by. i understand on the first day you arrived at masai mara from nakuru is was almost park closing time hence he used the nearest gate to ensure you get a game drive but he left on a different gate.
As i mentioned to you earlier, i had to outsource the Spanish guide (Stephen njoroge) from another company when you said last minute that you need your mum not to miss anything hence we provide a Spanish guide whom we didn't have at the moment as all of our own were engaged. But having outsourced does not mean bad service since he was representing Bigmac and for this we really apologize for not meeting your expectation and for him not meeting our standard of quality. Doing a game drive on the last day for shorter time and not talking to you (which he gave an excuse of being extremely exhausted for the rushed and very tight itinerary) is however not acceptable and its so unprofessional, we sincerely regret this.
The driver having misconducted, the company has dismissed him, we have also launched a complain to the Kenya tourism board for action. Once again thank you for choosing us and i promise that if you give me another chance to serve you or your friends, i will do better
US
Email Anonymous | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Time in Amboseli!
We had a great time using Bigmac for our Amboseli safari! Anthony was an amazing, knowledgeable tour guide that showed us so many great animals and went out of his way to help us set up some great photos! He even got us up close to some lions, which are very rare in Amboseli. Communication with Bigmac was also great while we were planning. Every email was answered very quickly and payment could not have been smoother. The itinerary was also very detailed. The only reason this wasn't five stars is because the lodgings they use at AAA were a tad rustic and the service there, while friendly, left a little to be desired. The other small issue was that in transit to and from Amboseli, when we stopped for a restroom break, it was always at some roadside gift shop with very pushy sales people. Other than that, things were pretty perfect! Bigmac did a great job with nearly every aspect of our trip and really was the high point of our Kenya vacation.
US
Email Tim W. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Budget Safari Experience
Bigmac met and exceeded all expectations I had for my first African Safari! Across 5 game drives at 3 different parks, we saw more than 50 species of animals and birds and also visited a Maasai village which was a very unique and enriching experience. We had an EXCELLENT driver/guide Johnny who was knowledgeable, personable and a great driver - we were one of the few vehicles that never got stuck in the muddy paths of Masai Mara after unusual dry-season rainfall. Communication was good at all points, Magdalena at the office has excellent customer service.
Pros:
- Johnny knew Masai Mara National Reserve "like the back of his hand" and found so many animals, and his patience during our full-day drive rewarded us with our first lion sighting, a dream come true for me. He did everything he could to make sure we were happy and enjoying ourselves.
- The touring vans had outlets for charging small electronics! This was totally unexpected and a huge bonus.
- Price!!! For what we experienced this safari is a TREMENDOUS value, great for first-time visitors wanting a taste of Kenya. Everything is included, the only extra money you need to bring is for souvenirs, snacks (many gas station stops along the way) and tips for waitstaff and the guide.
Things to be Aware Of: (None of these are the fault of Bigmac, just FYI)
- The drives between parks are long and torturous, from 4 hours (Nairobi to Masai Mara) to 7+ hours (Nakuru to Amboseli). The van isn't the most comfortable especially if you are a larger person like me, but be sure to bring some music and good headphones to pass the time. But the positive of traveling by road is you get to see all of Kenya, how people live and the vast difference between the run down strip malls and the beautiful countryside.
- The drive into Masai Mara is EXTREMELY bumpy, and rough! It's about 75-90 minutes of herky-jerky toss and turn driving. If you are easily motion sick it may be an issue, but it's the only way into the reserve by road!
- The food is mediocre and fairly similar day-to-day, served buffet-style at all of the lodging locations. Usually 2-3 vegetable/potato options and 2-3 meat stews or curries and a soup. AA Amboseli Lodge had by far the best food and most variety.
In conclusion this safari was the greatest and most memorable experience of my life, you will not go wrong if you choose Bigmac Africa Safaris!
Email malcolm | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Masai Mara with Big Mac
Firstly, Magdalena, the coordinator for big Mac was super efficient at dealing with any inquiries or information required and the whole operation went all according to plan.
We were picked up at the airport late at night and driven to our overnight stay at the hotel and picked up promptly in the morning to go to the mara.
Anthony, our driver was very informative and friendly and he was very well connected with other guides as we saw the big five on two consecutive days. Anthony was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble for him to make our safari memorable.
The accommodation was excellent at the Masai Mara Game reserve - excellent service and friendly - worth staying for at least three days, I in fact stayed for 4 days.
The Masai Mara is an excellent destination for a Safari.
Thank you Magdalena and Anthony for a great holiday
PL
Email waldam | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything as expected
Great, fast communication. We started quoting for safari just 2 weeks before the safari and there were no problems. Despite low season there were many animals (lucky especially with lions and cheetahs).
We were a little bit dissapointed with food at Rhino camp but it is not the fault of the tour operator. Everything was as in itinerary.
US
Email Corey | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Value for Private Safari
Our 4 day private safari was great. We really loved our guide, Amos. He was super friendly, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable. We felt the Safari was a great value, and definitely worth every penny. We really enjoyed the Land Cruiser upgrade-I think that makes a huge difference in the comfort and overall experience.
The only thing that could have been improved is if we had spent a bit more time at Lake Nakaru our final morning. It felt a bit short. We didn’t know what to expect but found Nakaru to be very photogenic and filled with great sights.
Also Jarika Lodge in Nakaru was a bit noisy until midnight or so, as they put us on second floor right above noisy lobby and parking lot. We asked to change rooms twice but they refused. It’s also not the best location in Nakaru as there’s nothing to really do around there. But we understand this was the budget option. The food there was good and especially the waiter Ben was one of the friendliest people we encountered.
We really enjoyed Jambo Mara aside from several power outages but understand that it is hard to maintain generators in the remote area. The staff was really friendly and the food was fine.
We will definitely recommend this trip. Thanks for all your help, Magdalene!