Big Time Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Budget & mid-range)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $1,735 to $7,805 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
FR
Email Mane M | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Geoffrey best driver guide
Geoffrey enhanced our travel experience beyond our expectations!
I warmly recommend him !
Email Jeff adams | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing from start to finish
Just back from a seven day safari with big time safari.We have been waiting two years to do our safari because of covid,wow was it worth it,They made our safari so amazing from all the planning,whenever I emailed Martha she was always quick to reply,Then on safari our guide James made our safari so special,his knowledge was amazing,taking so much time to find the animals,The best compliment I can give Big Time Safari's is they made us feel like family,when we return to Kenya to safari again they are the only company we would use
So thank you so much again big time safari
Email Georges | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic budget safari tour!
Brilliant safari tour with Big Time. Their office staff were super responsive and helpful answering questions in advance. Patrick, our guide, was fantastic: humour, patience, expert off road driving, ability to answer all our questions about the animals, and true expertise in taking us round the parks. The budget safari is obviously not luxurious (downsides are simple camping accommodation, simple food, and occasional disruptions when picking up new people in the group) but it was completely fine and a great value way to see all the same animals people on more expensive tours see. You will have a wonderful time!
Email Harley | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professionals who care about your experience
Australian, solo male traveller, age 30.
Big time safaris are professionals through and through. They offer great service at a budget price.
For myself, I intended to complete 11 days safari but after 4 days I wanted to go hiking instead. Steve, David and Jimi arranged this for me with zero stress and zero worries through WhatsApp.
The safari time that I had was perfect. Patrick was my guide and he was knowledgeable and made sure we had a great time. Don’t expect luxury accomodation or transport, it is a budget tour after all but with that said, the van is perfect for your safari needs and the tent accomodation meets your needs of saving costs (ask the organisers to upgrade you if you want something more comfortable, which they will gladly arrange).
Hiking mount kenya was an unreal experience and I am so grateful to the big time crew for organising it because it will remain my holiday highlight.
Thanks big time, I had a great time
AE
Email Gayn Lewis | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Money making scheme
DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS OPERATOR OR GO ON A TOUR TO MITI MING.
They say on the website a maximum of 7 people. At the start of our journey we was 6 which was great as everyone had a window seat and could stand up to watch the wildlife during the safari.
However on day 2, 2 people were forced to join us. Even though we all complained extensively we were told tough. This meant someone had to sit in the front (cannot stand up and only have view of one side - not 360 like all other window seats stood up) and someone stood in the middle (no window seat). We were very cramped up and couldn’t move much. Especially driving over rough terrain in a minivan (not 4x4 with small wheels).
This is a money making scheme so they didn’t have to paid for another driver and view of a minivan for a 12 hour tour. Yes 12 hours with 8 people cramped in a minivan. This is not what we paid for and nothing was resolved.
I will never go back to Kenya again, the people were so rude and any opportunity to get money from you. Tried to make us go to the village for 20USD, go on a 450USD balloon ride and also I boat ride that we didn’t care for the price as we knew it would be expensive.
AVOID THIS SAFARI COMPANY AND CAMPSITE. Join a safari you are going to enjoy and a company that stick to their agreement.
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 Cristina | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
we suffered a very negative experience and a huge lack of care in our regards
We spent seven days in Kenya with Big Time Safaris, and we suffered a very negative experience and a huge lack of care in our regards. We can’t recommend this company for these reasons:
they have increased the price of the tour, we have booked in february, two weeks before our depart from Italy; the increase was of 40% the initial price that we have had to pay cash once arrived
despite the increase they have cancelled a safari included in the initial program
we paid for two days of safari in Masai Mara but we couldn’t enter into the park the second day, because the guide didn’t know the new rules of entrance into the park and changing the order of activities we missed the safari. We asked not to pay the 80$ per person of the second day of safari we didn’t do but they haven’t agreed
they booked a lodge where during a shower one of the group experienced an electric shock
the last day we should have a visit in Nairobi and we had to pay the highway toll for avoiding a queue on the normal road; the guide had no money for paying the toll
ES
Email Ana María | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We saw the big 5 and he drove great
We were with Solomon (Spanish guide) and Patrick (English guide and driver). Thanks to their experience we were able to see the Big 5 in Africa, as they had contacts with all of them and they notified us by radio. They helped us at all times, they informed us if the prices were abusive in certain shops and local vendors. In short, great.
PL
Email monika | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
In our hearts forever!
We chose a 7 day safari - Nairobi - MasaiMara - Nakuru - Naiwasha - Amboseli -Tsawo East - Diani Beach.
We travelled as a family - with my husband and children - 5, 8 and 9 years old.
Ms Joy - a wonderful woman, our first contact at Big Time Safaris and I knew straight away that despite dozens of offers we would go with BigTime Safaris. From start to finish we felt safe and comfortable, everything was buttoned up, booked and planned to how I wanted it, and I had high expectations of what we wanted to see.
Car - we considered various options and I think we chose a super car for our family. There were blogs saying that a Land Rover would be better than a VAN, but we opted for a VAN and are very happy:
1) When the kids stood on the seats or sat on the headrest - they had a super view and could comfortably watch the animals for hours;
2. the roof opened high - higher than in the LandRover;
3. the VAN is lower and you have a lot of your body sticking out and not just the top of your head so you are comfortable for taking photos;
4. the VAN is smaller - but on a private safari it makes no difference to you because you have the whole car to yourself;
5. a VAN will get you everywhere in the dry season
The VAN is not slower than an off-road vehicle;
Driver and guide - Derick was an amazing driver, he was speeding and always gave us the best place to see the animals, even when there were many other cars - we were always in the 1st row . Right next to the animals. He knew many of the other guides, spoke to them on the phone and established where the animals were.He drove very well and safely on the difficult African roads. The car was cleaned and washed daily, water topped up.We were able to use his WIFI because our cards bought at the airport did not work.
He was always smiling, punctual, kind to our children and helpful a lot - as we changed plans sometimes 😊.
Accommodation - we took the budget accomodation version so I wasn't expecting luxuries. We had a real African adventure - we slept in camps and for 7 days it was ok.
If I was going again - I would change the hotel in Navasha to a camp by the lake so I would be aware of hippos at night. The other places to stay overnight I would not change.
My thoughts on the trip:
MasaMara - you need to take a full day safari to the Masai Mara and a picnic by the Mara River to have lunch.This place is magical and I think it's pointless to only do the morning gamedrive and the evening. You have to drive deep into the park, be there all day, feel it, see those thousands of animals deep inside.We saw a lot of predators, hundreds of elephants, giraffes, pumbas, hyenas, antelopes - all metres from you!
Naivasha - crescent Island is just an absolute must. Make no mistake - don't miss out on this wonderful place - go there and walk around the beautiful island with hundreds of animals at your fingertips.
Naivasha - horse riding at the Sanctuary - even if you can't ride - get on a horse and see this magical place in the mountains.There is a stud farm with beautiful horses on the sanctuary grounds and we rode horseback for an hour with the kids rubbing up against the animals.
I will never forget that!
Nakuru - well worth it, but only when there are lots of flamingos, at our place it was empty - much less than the other parks, very dusty,
Amboseli - beautiful Kilimanjaro and a phenomenal hour long parade of 6 baby cheetahs with their mum. A beautiful park with a stately, mysterious energy
Tsawo East - I liked this park the least, next time I would choose TsawoWest
Thank you Big Time Safaris!
EG
Email Nana | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very reliable and trustworthy
Joy always responded quickly, and her answers were accurate and reassuring. She was also very flexible in accommodating my needs.
I joined this safari as a solo female traveler and requested to be placed in a group. I was added to a group of five, making it a total of six people, including myself. Everyone was very friendly, and we bonded like a family.
Clinton was an excellent and experienced guide. Thanks to him, we were able to see most of the animals in the Maasai Mara and take many great photos.
The campsite was an eco-camp, and due to heavy rain at night, there were some issues with electricity supply. However, the food was delicious, and I was very satisfied. The rainy weather was simply due to the season, so it couldn’t be helped. Fortunately, we hardly encountered any rain during the safari itself, allowing us to fully enjoy the experience.
I strongly recommend everyone this tour operator. When deciding which tour operator to use, I compared various websites and travel companies. This company offered the most reasonable price, and their response time was incredibly fast. I thank Joy especially as she is a hardworking lady and very professional.
