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
NZ
Email Mike | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great affordable safari experience
Communication with Agnes at BTS was first class. Emails sent to BTS were responded to immediately and all questions and were addressed professionally. Agnes was even kind enough to assist us with getting a sim. I had every confidence that had something gone wrong on safari that she would be able to assist.
The safari itself was excellent. Well worth the price, which was extremely competitive. Our guide Joffrey was incredible - we saw a lot of animals. Accommodation and food was far better than expected considering we had booked the budget option.
All in all it was a great experience and would book again with BTS!!
TW
Email Malcolm Guo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful trip ！
It’s a nice trip. This is my first time to travel in Kenya. I choose big time safari and Martha was always enthusiastic to help me. Including the picking between airport to hotel, seven days national park safari. Our guild, Maxwells, is also a very nice man. He was responsible for our safe, searching for wild animals. Many thanks for this trip.
KR
Email Sungho | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Steve, he is kind and jolly guy, thanks to him we had great time in Masai mara
The driver Maxwell
He adjusted time schedule
And we liked it
For the second day we fully enjoyed game drive
We saw every animals there
FR
Email Clara & Maxence | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wonderful once in a lifetime experience thanks to Big Time Safari
We booked a three days budget in Masai Mara via Big Time Safari, and from the beginning we have been well taken in charge by the team.
Concerning the services, the driver took us at our house and took to us to Masai Mara, he was very niceand compliant. The food served -typical kenyan meals- was excellent and illimited. The accomodation was peaceful and comfortable.
The safari itself was amazing!
They took charge of everything (even water bottle) and offered us ourbest experience so far, we totally recommend them!
AR
Email Analia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
7 DAYS SAFARI: Masai Mara - Lake Nakuru - Lake Naivasha - Amboselli
I wanted to thank Big Time Safari and especially to Agnes for everything they’ve done for arranging my Safari :)
It was such an unique and unforgettable experience. Everything has, honestly, exceeded my expectations.
Lodges in Massai Mara and Naivasha-Kongoni have been my favorites!!!
Lake Nakuru could be better, I guess there were a lot of guests, and it’s quite ruin down.. but location is amazing ! and AA Amboseli was very good, as well (very friendly and helpful staff)
I also want to particularly thank Felix, my guide. He has done an amazing job and he took a very special care of me and the group. He has made my experience even more enjoyable.
I have heard many stories and bad experiences from other people who booked with other companies, and I must say that I am very happy that my experience has been such a success! :)
Thanks once again!!
Wish you all the best!
Hope to get in touch again for future travels
Warm Regards
Analia
SG
Email Chaitanya Aggarwal | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Martha is the best; Great experience, will use this company again
I planned my safari in Kenya and Tanzania with Big Time Safaris. Big thanks to tour manager, Martha, who was very responsiveness, provided great support during planning, bookings, actual trip and upon return. Overall, great trip within budget. I would highly recommend using this company and especially Martha.
I was able to customize my entire trip itinerary and the places I wanted to stay at well within budget. Great support throughout.
The only minor hiccup was communication from the Tanzanian company that Big Time outsourced to but nothing major.
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.
The Absolute Best Trip EVER!
Big Time Safaris offers budget safaris but I cannot imagine a better tour company at any price. I am a traveler and have enjoyed many tours but have never received such caring, thoughtful service as I did with Big Time.
Martha in the office went above and beyond to help me with even the most minor details. Boneface, a delightful young man and great driver, welcomed me at the airport and then picked me up at my hotel to take me back to the airport for departure. And then there was James, our guide/driver throughout our safari tour. He was so outstanding that our group dubbed him James Bond for his prescience, thorough organizational abilities and talented leadership, and ultimately for his dexterous driving skills.
If you're looking for a true safari experience and don't expect frills or ostentation, Big Time Safaris is the only way to go!
IN
Email Karthik | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good service and great value for money!
When i was doing my initial search for a safari operator it wasn't easy to zero in on one. After researching quite a bit on the internet I decided to go with Big Time for my 12 day safari in Kenya and Tanzania. My contact person Martha was amazingly responsive to all my queries/suggestions/changes in plans etc... She accommodated all my requests to ensure I got what I asked for. Though there was a problem with too many people in the group at one time (9 in the vehicle for our game drive at Lake Nakuru), it was handled reasonably well to ensure the safari went on well from there on. Here is my take on safaris with Big Time.
The Good:
- Very efficient and customer focused team at Nairobi.
- One could trust them to ensure all logistics are taken care of - right from the moment I landed, to transfers of all kinds, right till I was dropped at the airport, all I had to do was text/call Martha and she would have something arranged for me. Very efficient and makes things simple for a newbie in Africa.
- The price is very competitive. There are very few operators who offer safaris at this price. Though it's imperative that this is a 'budget' safari and you get more than what you pay for.
- Animal sightings - well, this shouldn't be a problem if you are in the right place at right time. There was no dearth of animals at Masai Mara at this time of the year and the drives were just awesome.
The Bad:
- The safari vehicles weren't the best of conditions.
- The drivers (all the 3 i dealt with) weren't interested in spending much time in the parks. Despite the whole of our group insisting that we wanted to continue with the game drive, our driver at Amboseli was adamant about getting back to the camp a good 1.5 hrs before the park closing time.
- My plan in Tanzania was altered so that I could be accommodated as a part of a group (a day in Serengeti was replaced by a day in Tarangire). Though I was indifferent to the change, I would have preferred being consulted before deciding what I should be doing than telling me what I would be doing!
Tips:
- Ask as many questions as possible before you agree on your safari - how many days? what time do you start and spend at every park? how many people in the van? is water included? will the vehicle be in good condition? It's good to have these things in writing before you embark on your safari with any operator.
- On your day one, before you start on your safari it is a good idea to sit with the driver and your contact person at the office to confirm all that was agreed on in your communications, so as to ensure everyone is on the same platform.
- Keep in touch with your contact person when on safari (if you happen to have local phone number or whenever there if Wi-Fi access). This could help the office handle any problems that could pop up.
- And, enjoy your days in the wild... At the end of the day, that's what we take all this fuss for! :)
All said and done, if i were to go on a safari again, I know who to get in touch with!
AR
Email Sebastian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience!
Me and a friend were looking for a budget Safari starting from Arusha. The alternatives were a lot, and is really imposible to do a good choice with all the guys taking you to diferent offices to tell you the same speach, but we ended up picking the one we felt more faithfull.
We were really lucky, the couple Driver/Cook was supreme (Godfrey and Alifa). They were young, funny, helpfull and really profesional guys, and I think that there lies most of the quality of a Safari. If I could do it again I'd maybe avoid some of the smallest parks to spend 1 or 2 days more at Serengetti.
I'll surely recomend the company to my friends.