Big 5 Tours
 

Wife & I planing an 18 day Safari in Sept to Kenya/Tanzani. Has anyone done any trips with Big Five Tours out of Stuart Florida? Any recomendations, pro or con would be appreciated. ......George

Went with Big Five to Kenya several years ago. They are an excellent operation -- you can't go wrong with them.

I just looked up Big Five under Africa and came up with TC ([email protected]) You can look up this report up under Big Five or probably TC on Fodors. I considered her trip but ultimately opted for Abercrombie & Kent which ran about the same price - very high end. I have a trip report on my safari if you interested and can send you if you e-mail me directly.

George,<BR><BR>I just booked a the Golden Shadows, Flying Hooves tour (18 days) with Big Five in September. I don't know anyone who has done any trips with them, but I liked the itinery, the number of game drives and the in-country flights. I also liked the idea of everything included. I like some surprises, but not on a trip like this. My travel agent did check with her peers, and the consensus was they seem to be a reputable company and in the same price range as Park East and Abercrombie & Kent. I'll keep my fingers crossed that everything goes well, but I am looking forward to the adventure.

Greetings fellow traveler.........Thanks for your reply. After doing my homework we sent in our deposit last week for Golden Shadow for the Sept. 27th departure to E. Africa. Have never been there so we are really looking forward to the trip. See you at JFK in Sept. Have a good day, George

George: We traveled with Big Five. My experiences are posted on this board, but if you can't find it just send me an email. I'll forward the report to you. For the most part we liked Big Five. They offered mostly good accommodations - some spectacular, and a nice itinerary. My advice is to ask a LOT of questions and get every detail in writing. We had a few disappointments because of miscommunications. While our itinerary said we would "fly to Ngorongoro crater", we actually flew to Lake Manyara and then drove to the Crater - hours away! We also drove the long hard route to Arusha from Nairobi, only to learn later that we were supposed to fly. I filed a complaint upon return and they refunded a small portion of our payment. We did however, love the guides - espcially Richard in Tanzania. If you have an opportunity, ask if he can be your guide. Most of the accommodations were wonderful - Kirawira Camp in Tanzania, Little Gov's in Kenya. A few could be improved and I think they no longer use those. All in all, I think they provide good value. If you have more specific questions please feel free to contact me. Have a great adventure. We can't wait to go back.

George,<BR><BR>We are booked on the same trip! I am from the midwestern United States and flying directly to Amsterdam and then to Nairobi. I've elected to go a couple of days earlier, so I'll be leaving on the 24th.<BR><BR>Since I've never been to Africa, I do enjoy the postings and trip reports of others who have vacationed there. It helps to learn from experience. <BR><BR>See you in Nairobi!