Big Time Holiday
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 1994)
- Tour Types:
- Budget camping tours where clients assist with camp chores
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $110 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
AE
Email Saif Mirza | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best company to deal with !
Fantastic response to queries, affordable rates, excellent staff, fulfilled all promises.
Had an amazing time with my family.
Efficient and friendly tour manager - Mr Allan Milambo.
Knowledgeable and friendly guide/driver - Mr Stanley.
KW
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, courteous and efficient customer service!
From my very first inquiry to my return flight home I was especially pleased with Big Time Holiday’s professional, courteous and efficient customer service. They were able to customize my vacation to my requirements and budget and were able to offer me some package options very quickly after my inquiry. The staff was professional, warm and welcoming. I felt very at ease when I left for my safari to Kenya. They were able to answer all of my questions and helped me through the process of preparing for my trip. Big Time Holiday helped to make my journey in Kenya an unforgettable one. It was a trip of a lifetime. I was extremely satisfied with the service they provided and have already recommended them to family and friends. Looking forward to booking with Big Time Holidays in the near future for another great safari experience :)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical Safari by Big Time Holidays
My Family and I made arrangements with Big time holidays to visit Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru national park on 15th January 2014 to 19th January 2014. We were warmly welcomed and picked at the airport by George, who was also our guide during the safari.
Big Time Holidays was superb, provided advice as to right parks, hotels and restaurants. Allan, a travel consultant of this travel company was friendly, extremely knowledgeable and his suggestions were spot on point. He also negotiated great rates for the safaris. The flexibility and capabilities to make activity changes without problem as we went along our safari was such a bonus. We felt so warm and welcomed not only in the planning stages but also throughout our safari with the company.
The attention to finding a perfect safari by our travel consultant was fantastic! From the specific activities to the hotels, even down to the personality of the guide, we felt this trip was created especially for us. The guide, George was wonderful! He made the safari perfect, fun and easy... we felt that every detail was covered so we could relax and enjoy. We knew that if we were scheduled to be picked up, someone would be there. It allowed us to travel throughout the wonderful country of Kenya care free.
They also arranged a very special, memorable and fun birthday celebration for my son Iverson at the Maasai Mara. It was wonderful! It totally surprised him and the staff was so much fun. We had a magical and amazing safari. The company gave us truly a life changing experience.
Big time holidays did such a wonderful job with details and I will always travel with them and have already recommended 5 friends.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most comfortable, memorable, and enjoyable safari experience!
Big Time Holidays set the stage high with the experience that we had. Allan Milambo and his crew made sure our experience was unforgettable, comforting, and above all, real. George was amazing in his skills as a guide, as we shared many stories about the past, our own lives in general, and about the tour. The hospitality displayed by Allan, George, and overall Big Time Holidays was spectacular. Never for one moment did we feel concerned, manipulated, or taken advantage of. I would highly and without question recommend this company to provide you with the ultimate safari experience! Thanks Milambo and George .... never will we forget our experience!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First safari trip turned into one of our favorite vacations!
I traveled as a group of 4 females to Kenya and heard about Big Time Holidays through coworkers. They spoke very highly of the exceptional service they received and we were not disappointed! Allan, Simon, and George met us at the airport and gave us a huge welcome upon our arrival. They greeted us again the next morning when we left for our safari. Our camp was beautiful! We stayed in 2 person tents that were warm, had hot running water, flush toilets, and mosquito nets. We enjoyed breakfast, lunch, and dinner from an excellent chef while were at the camp, as well. George guided us on our safari for the next 3 days and we were impressed with his knowledge and explanations of everything we saw. George wanted us to see as much as we could in our relatively short time in the Masai Mara Reserve. We have never had such an awesome experience as getting so close to wildlife normally only seen in zoos or on television, as well as seeing animals that we didn't even know existed! This trip was definitely at the top of everyone's favorites list. We would not hesitate to recommend Big Time Holidays to anyone looking to visit Kenya. George and Allan were as friendly and helpful as people come and gave us a most pleasant experience!
Email Yann | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very nice safari
We had a very good driver and guide (Simon). We didn't expect to see all these animals. We are very satisfied. Only two litle problems : water was included but we had to ask for it at the begining of our travel, and during the meals ; the camp was not very confortable but with that price (low), we couldn't expect for moren and we have eaten well. The program we had signed for has been respected.
CA
Email Chris | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Big Time Disappointment - Big Time Holidays Ltd. - COMPANY NOT RECOMMENDED
We scheduled a safari through Charles (Allan) Milambo with Big Time Holidays and ultimately wasted an entire day of our two day safari trying to sort out mass confusion due to lack of communication and general incompetence. It started with failed attempts to locate Charles (Allan) who was supposed to pick us up from Kilimanjaro airport. After an hour of waiting at the airport pick-up area and actively trying to reach Charles (phones did not connect through and no response to emails), we finally concluded we were scammed and decided to salvage what we could of our short stay in northern Tanzania. Consequently, we were out of pocket monies that were spent on taxis, meals and advice from other tour companies (note: meals and rides were all supposed to be covered as part of our service). Imagine our surprise when three hours later we do hear from Charles (Allan), who indicated that another driver had been sent to pick us up from the airport (not him - why were we not informed and provided with the new drivers contact information?) and had been waiting for us this entire time (where?? We spoke to every driver in the airport's pick up area multiple times and no one there was looking for our family, was going to Ngorongoro Crater, or was affiliated with Big Time Holidays. We did, however, have many people offer to take us instead).
Our three primary frustrations are listed in detail, below, for anyone wishing to proceed with caution:
1. Services not met
Simply put, the clearly articulated services and costs for services agreed to were not met; namely, pick-up from the airport, staying at the on-site Rhino Lodge from which animals can be viewed*, enjoying a full afternoon and full, early start morning of safari, visit to Olduvai Gorge, and all meals. Notably, early in our email conversations, Charles explicitly stated that “Ngorongoro Crater alone needs two days to see everything.” Online reviews and a general internet search did not indicate any reason to suspect sub-par service.
*a few weeks prior to our trip, we were informed that we were on a waiting list and that a reservation elsewhere was made; we were not informed that this new site was over an hour away; nor was it confirmed that this plan B had become our plan A
2. Questionable ethics
There are three parts to this. Firstly, a few weeks after our initial deposit was made, Charles requested an additional 295 USD for services. When asked for more information on the surcharge, his email indicated that “his hands are tied up on this” and that there will be “no more extras”. After looking into the situation more, including contacting the Ngorongoro Conservation Agency and friends in Kenya, there was no information to substantiate the increase, and we communicated as much to Charles. He then responded - on the same day - “Don’t you worry about it. We have already solve the situation. The plan remain the same” (Note: he did not answer the majority of our questions asking for clarification in the back and forth leading up to this 'resolution').
Secondly, Charles specified early on that he would be our driver (“I will devort [sic] my self to a company you on this trip always to keep standard.”) We expected all along that we would be working with him and did not receive any communication indicating otherwise (we would have asked for the driver’s contact number if this were the case). (note: this piece is directly related to the confusion outlined above)
Thirdly, there was a clear unwillingness to acknowledge the stress and reduced services of our actual situation on Day 1 of our trip. During a phone conversation mid day when we finally managed to get a hold of one another, Charles claimed that he had met all the stipulations of our agreement and refused to compensate us in any way, stating that he had sent three separate drivers to find us to fulfill the agreement and that it was our fault (?!) for not finding the driver at the airport.
3. Money out of pocket and undue stress
One of the reasons we prearranged the safari with airport pick up and drop off, as well as meals and 50% down-payment on what we consider a large sum of money (please note: most companies ask for 30%; we however felt that we could trust Charles based on early interactions), was so that we could arrive in Kilimanjaro and simply enjoy our experience as a family – the youngest of our three kids being two years old. The opposite happened. Not only did we spend a substantial amount out of pocket for additional transportation, international phone calls, food, and bank fees, in the actual unfolding of events during our brief time in northern Tanzania, we experienced a substantial amount of stress from not knowing where our driver was, to suspecting that we were scammed, to finding an alternate solution and being asked for about 1.6 times our original costs (i.e. being taken advantage of in our desperate circumstances), to spending almost an entire day sorting the situation, to not receiving the full services agreed to.
In short, my wife and I do NOT recommend this company to anyone looking for a hassle-free holiday. We would have accepted reasonable compensation for our troubles, but that was not even considered.