I have been part of a group of seven travelers trying to resolve a dispute with Big Five Tours & Expeditions.  In reading past reviews it appears the company performs well when all goes well.  However, when confronted with an out of the ordinary challenge, a test on just how good a business is, Big Five FAILED. Our group of 13 had planned a major trip to Morocco in October 2023.  Then on October 7, 2023 Hamas attacked Israel and many of us were reluctant to travel due to unrest in the region, plus the State Department issued an alert to US citizens traveling abroad to take caution. Here is how Big Five FAILED.  Owner, Ashish Sanghrajka discussed the concerns with the group.  The discussion was held via Zoom and was recorded.  Mr. Sanghrajka said those hesitant to travel could POSTPONE, not cancel, the trip provided we re-book within twelve months and with the understanding costs such as pre-paid fees and taxes would not be recovered.  Our group of 13 considered the proposal a win-win and most accommodating.  We thought this must be an example of the premium service one could expect from a Virtuoso advisor and we were elated.  Big Five is a member of Virtuoso, a global network of luxury travel advisers that prides itself on quality and premium customer service. In the end, 6 people took the trip as scheduled and 7 postponed with plans to reschedule.  Five months later those of us who postponed worked with Big Five to create a new itinerary for a trip this month (October 2024).  At that time Big Five told us each person would receive a $1,142 credit toward the new booking, far less than any of us envisioned.  We paid approximately $8,000 per person and we did expect to lose some of the money, but not 86%.  Requests for an accounting of where the funds went were unanswered and an effort to resolve the dispute led to Big Five advising they would no longer rebook the trip and ended our business relationship. Owner Ashish Sanghrajka now says we canceled the trip and forfeited all the money, which is NOT true.  HE offered us the opportunity to POSTPONE, that was his idea. We have him recorded on Zoom making this offer. Now he is denying he made the offer and saying that we canceled and are not entitled to a refund. We are a group of senior, seasoned, savvy international travelers: some lawyers, some law enforcement officers, some business owners, artists and photographers, all of whom took him at his word.  Big Five still owes our group of 7 much of the $56,000. Use Big Five at your own great financial peril. read more

What a great safari tour operator. Our trip was perfection! I would definitely recommend them.

Not trustworthy at all! What they tell you verbally on a recorded line is not what they do. Many lost thousands on trip that never happened! A group of 7 was told the trip could be postponed within a year and apply the cost of the trip, "there may be a slight increase" We were give less than 1,500 pp to apply to the trip. We chose not to go on the trip and give them thousands more. RUN don't walk away! Felt scammed. No one had the decency to contact us to discuss options. Trip was also changed multiple times. First the group was traveling form 1 location to another via plane, Then it changed to a high speed train down to a 7 hour van ride. No compensation was given for the changes. Trip was postponed due to earthquake and a breakout in Gaza. Fast talkers that tell you what you want to hear. read more

So I see that no one has written a review since 2020. I assume that is because only we were stupid enough to trust this company with our tour arrangements. From beginning to end of our New Zealand/Australia trip, there was NO thought put into our enjoyment or comfort. We had no itinerary until the day before we left! I will not waste my time giving details; DONT use these folks!! read more

During our retirement, we have been fortunate to travel abroad with several tour agencies. NONE surpassed the personal and professional treatment that we received from Big 5. Knowledgeable, organized, honest, efficient, cheerful and professional are hallmarks of their company. Our 2 trips with Big 5 (Egypt and Tanzania) were BOTH "trips of a lifetime". I highly recommend them to anybody who wants to experience the best in travel. Bravo! read more

Amazing company! I have used them many times to travel around the world including India, China, Kenya, South Africa and many more. They always provide you with the best of the best hotels and experiences and I have countless unforgettable memories! The attention to detail is there in every step of the way! I can't wait for my next trip I booked through them to Jordan and Egypt! read more

I have traveled to East Africa and Egypt with Big Five. My experiences were incredible! The staff and guides were thoughtful and knowledgeable. The accommodations were luxurious. This is an upstanding company that I trust with my trips of a lifetime. Thanks Big Five! read more

Me and my family had a terrible vacation because of this idiotic company. The tours they booked us on for Tanzania was not what was promised in the paperwork they sent to us. As for that, it was riddled with grammatical errors and typos. That should have been our first clue. I don't know what our travel agent was thinking deal with these imbeciles. It was by far the worst vacation we had ever had. The 24-hour service they have set up did not help at all. Imbeciles hire imbeciles so there shouldn't be a surprise there. Getting the costs from them took forever but they want their money far in advance, so that was another red flag. Use an established company for your trip, not these morons. read more

One star is only because could not be less. I've traveled thru out Asia on business and pleasure for over 35 years and thought I'd give this group a chance based on what a travel agency said. The company is very good at writing on the brochure about helping and doing best, we'll that was true at all 8 of us wanted to go to Dubai and several other countries , we booked and paid for what we thought would be a great trip but with the virus outbreak and amount of time in planes with 200-300 strangers it was decided not worth the risk for us, all senior citizens,we offered to postpone, or reschedule or get credit or even paying them a fee all got same answer NO. Funny every place else we we're going To gave us credit or cancelled reservation.and all other hotels said they understood our wanting to cancel and all said ok. Big five said no to all requests even though their brochure said they wouldhelp us. Just to reference who I am I have traveled for I called one hotel that big five had booked-and learned reservation was cancelled day we were to arrive even though we requested it cancelled a week earlier. When asked about it no answer where is the money? Why not a credit? This is costing us over$30,000.00 dollars. Who wouldn't be very upset?over 30 years to Asia staying in hotels over 100 nights a year and I've logged over 5,000,000 miles. read more

Big Five Tours provided us with the most fabulous 2 week safari trip throughout Tanzania and Kenya. The guides warmed our hearts and taught us so many fascinating about the amazing animals we were viewing, the lodging was incredible, the food was wonderful and satisfying, everything was perfect. Our guide on the Tanzania part of the trip, Joseph, especially warmed our hearts and was extremely charismatic and knowledgeable. During our journey, we had the opportunity to be up close and personal to the Big Five - Leopard, Rhinos, Buffaloes, Elephants and Lions. It was truly an incredible journey that will stay forever in our hearts. If you are interested in a tour with Big Five Tour and wish to peruse through our complete experience, which includes details on every park we went to, things we learned along the day, and pictures of the lodges, I turned my scrapbook into two blogs: the Tanzania part of the journey can be viewed at: http://lenoreparr.blogspot.com/2010/08/7-day-african-safari-throughout.html and the Kenya part of the journey can be viewed at: http://lenoreparr.blogspot.com/2010/09/7-day-african-safari-throughout-kenya.html read more