JOCKY TOURS TEAM
Jocky Tours and Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2002)
- Member Of:
- AMREF & KWS
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $200 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
SK
Email Rich | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
good office interaction, driver not perfect
Minneh was great helping get this organized at the start and was quick to respond to our questions and queries, which was fantastic. But there were some mixups on what time we were supposed to be picked up at our hotel to start. Not a big deal, but we were told three different times and ended up ready at 7am while the driver said he was told to get us at 8am. A bigger deal was the 45min wait at the tax office coming home while our driver sorted out permitting issues on the way out. Other safari teams came through the tax checkpoint quickly, showed their receipts, and left -- less than 60 seconds -- while our paperwork wasn't quite right, and so we waited and waited and waited.
The animals of course were great, which is what you want to remember from the experience. And Keekorok lodge, while dated, was a great location and had super friendly staff.
I'd probably be okay using Jocky Tours again for the ease of payment and organizing, but just double and triple check how things are supposed to go on timing. And maybe avoid Leonard as a driver. We didn't get as a warm a fuzzy with him as we might have liked -- he'd clearly done this a lot before, but spent a lot more time on his phone while driving that we would have wanted.
NZ
Email Grant Maslowski | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Much room for improvement
Hi,
I did a group tour with Jocky Tours and Safaris: 7 Days Masai mara/Nakuru/Naivasha/Amboseli. This was my first ever safari, and I followed this with another safari in Tanzania and a Mt Kenya hike with a third company. This safari I rated 3/5 stars, the Tanzania safari 2/5 stars and the Mt Kenya hike 5/5 stars, and I’ll tell you why. Firstly the pickup was 40 minutes late and the excuse was an obvious lie - said to be a car crash but there were alternative routes and the route that was said to have had a car crash had no signs of one (we went this way after he picked me up). This wasted time and waiting around unfortunately was the main theme for this safari - very frustrating. Other team members were often staying at different accommodation and we spent much time just driving between accommodation on dreadful “roads” that had been washed out by recent flooding but also waiting on others to join the vehicle over and over! For example, waiting for nearly an hour outside the Masai Mara gate for one person to join the rest of us. This person was also waiting at his accommodation (under instruction) while we were all waiting for him! Such stupidity of logistics that could so easily be avoided. And we could have driven into the park and looked at the wildlife while we waited for him there and he could have joined us by getting a lift in another company vehicle but no! What really grinded my gears is that the best times of the day for viewing wildlife in action, and in the best light for just viewing and for photography are early in the day and late in the day, and these times and opportunities were repeatedly wasted. I thought perhaps this company was just a bad egg, but the safari in Tanzania was worse - mainly because of the guide who talked bullshit answers when he didn’t know the answers - I happen to be an ecologist who has worked in multiple countries so I often knew more than he did and when he didn’t know what he was talking about. The guide on Mt Kenya said he didn’t know the answers to my questions sometimes and I respected this honesty. Big cats were the priority by far but some people really want to see other wildlife too like elephants, giraffes and birds. We spent a lot of time driving past magnificent wildlife just to watch lions sleeping. My recommendations to Meru Slopes unless you want people to choose other companies like I wish I had: don’t waste peoples time and take advantage of being on safari during the early hours from dawn and then again in the last few hours of daylight. The middle of the day is terrible for wildlife action and photography. Ask people what animals they want to see rather than assuming lions are #1 for everyone. Choose guides that are local (driving a 4WD isn’t that hard, and the Masai people should be employed as the Masai Mara was their land) and perhaps also with relevant degrees in ecology for example - although the local Masai already have a culture of knowledge regarding the wildlife there. This tour has such potential and variety. Until these changes are made I recommend trying a different company or paying more for a private safari.
Cheers,
Grant
CA
Email Sami | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing but disappointed with accommodation
6 days safari Masa Mara , Nakuru. And Ambosii
David was an amazing guide he was punctual, knowledgeable and patient . We saw all the big five . He stopped her let us take many photos . Amboseli was my favourite park saw many elephants.
I was able to stay with the same guide which was great however not everyone got the same experience. I was very disappointed with the accommodations because they advertise and claim you will be staying in particular camp sites but that is not the case . It’s pretty much luck of the draw. I stayed in Rino camp which is not mid range more like low range and I paid for mid range I was suppose to stay at enkok camp but 2 people form our group stayed there and the rest stayed Rhino camp. When I realized what was written on the receipt the accommodations I was suppose to be staying at I was fuming . Also last camp I was upgraded them the last night night the manager down graded and the mattress had a huge Dent in the middle i woke up with back pain . I addressed my concerns with the guide and mini and no one said anything. !!!
Make sure you are staying at the correct accommodations because they changes things last min. You should get what you pay for !!!!!
IT
Email Mara Redaelli | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
5-night, 6-day safari to the Masai Mara and Amboseli
We booked a private safari for 8 people for 5 nights and 6 days. Starting from Masai Mara, to Lake Nakuru and Amboseli.
My rating (3/5) is due to the difficulty of communication via whatsapp before our arrival, I often had to write several times in order to receive a reply. Also in the program sent to us, for the two nights in the Amboseli there was a different facility than the one where we stayed, upon our arrival at the Amboseli they had overbooked and then moved us to a dirty "fallback" facility without a proper bathroom, the second night in the main facility was no better as they saw cockroaches in some rooms.
However, I would like to point out that our guide Denys was faultless in everything, friendly, helpful and we managed to see all the animals we had in mind.
Thanks to him we were able to have an experience that we will hardly forget.
IT
Email Andrea | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Basic tour
The basic tour option is really basic. The worst part was the accommodation. The basic tent camp in Masai Mara (Lenchada camp) is barely acceptable, with 4 hour of electricity per day and low hygiene rooms. The food was ok. The other 2 hotels (hill court hotel and chambai) were ok, but the food at chambai was pretty bad. The parks are really beautiful, with the Masai Mara on top. Our driver, Charles K. was the best, he really loves his job and thanks to him we got to see the big 5 and so much more! I suggest this driver if you want to have the best safari experience.
CH
Email Beatrice | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Positive and negative aspects the basic tour accommodations are below acceptance
The driver (Charles K) was very good. The Masai Mara camp was amazing, many animals. The food was ok. The accomodations for the budget options were below the acceptable level (the hotels are dirty, old, no hot water and no electricity at the lenchada camp). The visit to the Masai village is a bit expensive for what it is and the hells gate is not very interesting.
IT
Email Lara | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
All in the standard, nothing special
Accomodation at minimum level (lenchada camp no hot water and eletricity and all very old, Chambai hotel no services and no good food), the visit to Masai Mara Village no interesting, Masai Mara Park wonderful and driver Charles K. was amazing
IT
Email Anna | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Standard service
The parks were really nice, and we were able to see many animals. The Lenchada camp in Masai Mara did not have electricity and hot water all day long, and we were not aware of that. The other hotels were fine. Our driver Charles K was the best. He made us live an immersive experience in the savannah.
CN
Email JIANG | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wasting time and boredom
The day before departure, I confirmed how to pick me up at the airport by email, saying that someone would be waiting outside with a sign with my name on it. But when I arrived, I didn't see the driver. I contacted the travel agency through WhatsApp before the driver was arranged to pick me up. I waited for a long time.
After coming to Kenya, all the times told by the people here will not be on time. Please be prepared to wait for 15-30 minutes each time.
Our driver Kikito was very enthusiastic on the first day, but the car broke down halfway on the first day, so it wasted a lot of time, resulting in a very short time in Masai Mara on the first day, and only saw some common animals.
The second day was the best day of the entire trip. The driver took us to find many animals and saw lions and cheetahs.
After that, the drivers of Nakuru, Naivasha Lake, and Amboseli were very perfunctory and did not look for animals seriously. Moreover, Nakuru only stayed for 2 hours, and the day's trip ended at 2 pm. It ended so early, which surprised all of us!
On the fifth day, there was suddenly a girl on the car. The driver said she was an intern from their company. But our car stopped several times for her to take pictures of animals. I felt that she was more like a guest. We arrived at Amboseli very late that day. When I got off the car, I asked the driver to turn on the lights because I wanted to get something, but the driver refused. I know that the lights can be turned on in the car because they were turned on in the past few days. I don’t know why he refused to turn them on that day. The lights were not broken. This made me very confused, and he was in a bad mood. I don’t know why he was unhappy and brought this mood into work.
On the sixth day, the driver drove very slowly and wasted time with us all day in Amboseli. The car broke down in the park, causing us to waste a lot of time waiting. We didn’t see any animals that day. They were all wildebeests, antelopes, elephants, and giraffes that we had seen before.
The last day was even more outrageous. The driver actually stopped the car and arranged for us to wait in the car while he had breakfast and coffee leisurely in the restaurant. His breakfast time can definitely be described as leisurely.
After the trip, I felt that it was a waste of time. Everything I saw could be seen in the zoo, but I spent money to come here to waste time. I didn’t receive good service either.
(automatic translation from Chinese)
FR
Email me | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
reliable operator, even if the choice of certain accommodations leaves something to be desired
reliable operator, even if the choice of certain accommodations leaves something to be desired both in terms of comfort and food, as well as the fact of bringing together people from different lodge which leads to wasted time and stress and luggage which also accumulates inside the car.