The Big Journey Company - www.thebigjourneycompany.com

We are both 60 years old this month so wanted to celebrate in style - We have just arrived back from Kenya having spent 10 days on Safari with The Big Journey Company and can honestly say this was the best trip ever. The Safari's were brilliant, the accommodation's amazing and the food (which was more than ample)was superb. We made new friends both from the UK and the US. Our driver for the trip Imtiyaz was lovely and made sure we had the front row seats when viewing the beautiful animals and became one of the family within our jeep. We really did not want to come home - say's it all really!!!

Just got back home from our Grand Safari of Kenya, this was our 2nd trip with the Big Journey Company, the first we did was The Imperial Jewels of China, and that was fantastic, thinking you could never beat that experience.

So and the BJC did just exactly that,

All the animals we saw were fantastic, we set records for seeing different amounts of animals, we saw in one day 3 black rhinos, you are lucky to see one let alone three together, all the accomendations were out of this world, we stayed one night in "The Ark" and we're able to watch the animals all night, The ballon ride and river walk were just awesome, We had a great driver/tour guide who would go out of his way so that we could get great views and shots of all the animals.

We had a very pleasant hot cooked meal out in the bush overlooking the river.

The best thing regarding these escorted tours are the way they take care of you in every aspect including safety.

Thanks once again to So and The Big Journey Company for another trip of a lifetime, What will be next?

We took the imperial jewels of china tour with the add on to Hong Kong. A tour to my mind should be educational, friendly, well-organised and full of moments to remember. This tour succeeded on all fronts. Hotels were well located and high end. The guides used were very honest and delightfully friendly. We learned so much about life in china. Baggage was collected from outside rooms and well organised with no problems. The group gelled quickly into a friendly and helpful bunch partly thanks to lots of excellent meals around lazy Susan circular 10 seater tables. Yes, the walking tours could be physical at times but were certainly worth the effort. Who wouldn't for the likes of The Great Wall, Forbidden City and Terracotta warriors. There are so many things to tick on your Bucket List on this tour, it's ridiculous!

As we travelled from City to City and visited towns on our cruise you could see the different changes both in the food for instance and the people. It really did make me want to learn more about this country and I have borrowed or bought four books already as proof. Do yourself a favour and read up about say the history surrounding Terracotta Warriors before seeing them...it will make it extra special.

Hong Kong was well worth it and must be seen. If there is one thing to show if a holiday is good it may be that consideration of the weather was never in our minds. In actual fact we had 2 days of dampness, one seeing the pandas in particular, never did it affect our enjoyment whatsoever. Now say that about a beach holiday! This will not be the last time we travel with BJC.

Steve and Sue , Liverpool, uk

This was our 1st escorted tour, we went on the Imperial Jewels of China Tour.

The 1st day we visited the Temple of Heaven, Tienanmen Square, Forbidden City followed by a Peaking Duck Dinner.

Day 2 we walked the Great Wall and this was a fantastic feeling, followed by a trip to see the Birds Nest at the Olympic stadium.

Day 3 we visited the Summer Palace, then flew onto Xi'an, the next day we went and saw the famous Terracotta Warriors. The tour so far had been fantastic, thinking it can't get much better, but I was wrong we visited the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a flight to Chongqing to visit the pandas (only damp day we had) then on to our river cruise on the Yangtze River to see the fantastic sights and the 3 Gorges. Going through the locks in the evening was a great experience, then a flight off to Shanghai.

In Shanghai we visited a silk workshop, a small water town called Zhujiajiao on the outskirts of Shanghai, a visit to the Oriental TV tower and took the elevator to the top of the second ball.

We took a cruise on the Huangpu River to see the city's modern skyline, on the last day we boarded the Maglev. This was a fast train which hit speeds of 420 km. We had plenty of shopping time and great meals,

We have arranged our honeymoon through Big Company and it's without hesitation that I write this review.

We found the communication always professional, prompt and comprehensive in organising a bespoke tour of Vietnam. The company benefits from tour agents on the ground which allows Big Company to offer more than it's competitors, with many of our tours arranged solely for both of us. This also means we received a very competitive quote.

It was never onerous communicating with the Big Company agent in arranging the details of the tour and nothing was too much trouble (even with us changing our minds a number of times and specific requirements).

I would thoroughly recommend Big Company to my friends and family.

This is a first.!!!! We have just returned from an escorted holiday to Kenya, safari and beach holiday.We have travelled a lot and this is the very first time I have felt compelled to put pen to paper.

From the very first telephone conversation until we landed back at Heathrow the whole experience has been outstanding. (Even the balloon safari that I was so reluctant to join but wow, am I glad that I did, I am still smiling about it!!) Jo in the office, thank you answering all my mindless questions with a smile. So, Joyce and all the drivers, your care and knowledge were what holiday memories are made of.We cannot measure the standard of service we received in the Country as a whole and at the individual lodges, nothing was to much trouble.We have made new friends and have many, many wonderful memories to keep us going during the long winter evenings. We will and have, recommended The Big Journey to friends, if you are thinking of a 'once in a lifetime' experience give them a call. Once we have resolved the domestic argument of where we head next with So and his team, we will be making that call again, a big thank you to you all, and WOW.

We had a fantastic holiday with The Big Journey Company. Our safari and beach resort exceeded all expectations. Plenty of help and advise before we left from the girls in the office, thank you. From the moment we landed the escorts and guides could not have been more helpful and attentive, enabling us to relax and fully enjoy our holiday. The safari drivers were very knowledgable and friendly, they were particularly helpful in sorting out all the tips/gratuities at each location, so you didn't have to worry if you forgot anyone. The choice of resorts were beautiful, varied locations each offering something different and the standard of accommodation and food was excellent everywhere. Whilst on safari we were lucky to see all the big 5, plus so much more, this was largely down to our drivers knowledge of the reserves and great skill in locating the animals for us. It is understandable why they are so proud of their country. All the trips and excursions were chosen very well, to add lots of variety and colour to our holiday experience. The beach resort at the end of the trip was stunning and there were plenty of activities on offer to keep us busy. All in all we had a fabulous trip with So and his staff, thank you, we will definitely recommend The Big Journey Company and hope to travel with you again in the future.

This was my first experience of an escorted holiday but it won't be my last with the Big Journey Company!

From the pre booking questions and emails, right through to the 'welcome home' email, the whole experience was fantastic. So and his team went out of their way to ensure that everything ran smoothly and everyone had a wonderful time.

The safari drivers, and Joyce and So, our escorts, were all knowledgeable, friendly and helpful (and our jeeps were by far the best we saw while we were out!) All very professional but all approachable, thoroughly nice people who want your experience to be the best it can be.

The safari lodges and the beach resort at Mombasa were all of high quality (better than I'd imagined a safari lodge would be!)with a great selection of food and friendly, smiling staff.

The additional trips that were available all added great elements to the holiday, from the amazing balloon trip over the Masai Mara, the boat trip on Lake Naivasha, and the walk to the crossing point on the Mara river, through to the visits to the local village and the school.

I can't recommend the Big Journey Company enough, and am, and will continue, to tell others about them.

My wife and I went on a Peru week long trip lead by So the owner of BJ. Our side was put together at the last minute by heroic effort by So as he also booked us a 10 day tour of central Ecuador, a land tour in the Galapagos and a week on a dive yacht in the Galapagos. It was one of the best trips in our lives. Food and accomadations were first rate and the tours hit everything of importance. So was the host with the tour group on the Peru portion of the tour and is a true gentleman.

This adventure fulfilled a lifelong dream to experience the Northern Lights and Norwegian culture first hand.

The ship and facilities onboard were good, offshore excursions were excellent although it would be beneficial for the local guides to provide a little more historic/technical information. Our Big Journey escort was also excellent, very personable -idle going away with family.

This is one more adventure we can "scratch" off our "bucket list"

Thank you DRI and Big Journey for offering this opportunity through our Club membership.