our staff at jackpot office in arusha
Jackpot Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2004)
- Member Of:
- TATO, TTB & IGS-http://interpretiveguidessociety.org/
- Tour Types:
- Budget camping tours that can start every day (clients assist with camp chores)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
PL
Email Katarina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
best trip of my life
I liked Tanzania that much, I decided to come here to live with my family. Thanks Jacpot safaris!!!!!!
NL
Email Marieke | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice employees, good itenerary, some mistakes/miscommunication but in the end all solved
With some help of a friend we had a good itinerary. The safari was good, except that we had lots of car damage. Our driver was skilled to fix it all the time, so in the end we did not mis a lot. Our trip to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro was great, we had a great team that walked with us to the top.
For both safari and the climb we had good food, well done chefs!
NL
Email Bram & Ellen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
7-days Machame route Kilimanjaro
The trip was amazing, especially the team of porters, the cook and the guide made this trip memorable. There guidance to the top was excellent. Whit their smiles, food, songs and laughter we made it to the top! Once again special thanks to the guides Livingstone and Sanga!
The team of porters on the mountain makes the difference between other companies. With this team I can strongly recommend Jackpot safaris.
Bram & Ellen
Email James | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was not a Jackpot that's for sure
I have to say the experience that my friend and I had with Jackpot Safaris was not great. Andrew (the owner of the company) is very warm and friendly until he's got your business. After that he becomes a lot more awkward and doesn't really want to listen to what you want to to as much.
I did a 3 day safari of Tarangerie, Lake Manyara and Ngorongora. We asked to leave nice and early at 7 as spending only 1 day in Tarangerie we wanted to maximise the amount of time spent there. Andrew refused point blank and said we'll get picked up at 9. On the day of the safari - the truck was over 45 minutes late. When the truck arrived it was noticeable one of the oldest Safari Trucks and the inside was not very comfortable. Despite being 45 minutes late one of the first thing the guide said to me was how because he was freelance he gets paid less than other guides so tips are quite important for them. This was not a particularly great start.
When we got to Tarangerie, when we went inside the park he said to me and my friend that he din't have binoculars in the car (which was a big disappointment). Furthermore he didn't seem that enthusiastic about looking out for animals and the impression I got was that he was going to mainly do driving and not strain his eyes too much looking for animals. I have done a safari in Tanzania before and our guide as well as being a lot more enthusiastic, said he'll keep his eyes peeled for us so I do have a bit of a precedent on what to expect and it did not deliver. Also going round the park there was clearly a problem with the radiator on the car as he kept having to stop and top it up (which no other cars were doing). Also I think we were only in the park for around 4 and a half hours.
The camp site that we stayed at was very nice and even had beds in the tent. So what I was abit confused about was after we paid for the safari Andrew asked us if we had tents to take with us to which he said we didn't. He then said ok. Naturally when we got to the campsite we couldn't help but wonder as to why we were asked to bring our own tents if there were tents provided that came with beds. Based on the impression of Andrew I had gotten, my thoughts were that he wanted us to bring our own tents so it would be cheaper for him (but that saving would not have been passed on). I can not say for definite whether that is the case or not but that is my theory. Also another suggestion - say you don't eat fish - it's not a great idea!! The soup was very nice but the main meals were not nearly as good as the ones I'd had previously on safari in Tanzania.
After our late start going to Tarangerie we asked to leave early the next day to go to Lake Manyara. Our guide said there's no point as you can drive round Manyara in 3 hours. Well maybe you can drive round in 3 hours. But my friend and I had not been to Manyara before so we didn't want to just quickly drive round and only spend a few hours there. We wanted to take the time to enjoy the scenery and the animals. Again I think we only spent around 4 and a half hours there.
That evening he said we'll be leaving early the next day to go the Ngorongora. I was quite excited as I thought that this meant we'd be spending longer in the crater. However in reality the only reason we were leaving early was because he wanted to get back earlier so we were not spending any more time there. This was one of several occasions on the safari where I felt the guide just wanted to get things done as quickly as he could. He was not very enthusiastic.
Despite leaving the crater early (not long after 1 which was a bit early for my liking) it took an extra hour and abit to get back as the engine was overheating we had to stop for a long time to let it cool down and for the guide to put more water in. Andrew you may need to invest in a new truck.
DK
Email Julie S. Rasmussen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Friendly, fair and fantastic!
Because of only positive reviews from others, we asked Jackpot Safaris to arrange our Kilimanjaro climb. We didnt regret it! Andrew (the owner) was both fast, friendly and honest in replying to our emails (and many many questions), making us feel safe about the arrangements before leaving. The climb was amazing and the guides Livingstone and Sanga and the rest of the crew did everything to fulfill our needs and to help us achieve Uhuru Peak, while being very attentive of us every step of the way, making sure we were ok and able to continue. Based on this positive experience we used Jackpot Safaris for our 5 day tent-safari as well. Once again, we had a fantastic guide (Yassin) and cook (John) who did all they could to give us an unforgettable experience. And they did! We saw all the Big Five, including being only meters away from both lions, leopards and elephants and seeing vultures and hyenas fight for a dead animal right next to the car. We cannot recommend Jackpot Safaris enough and will definitely use them again if we return to Tanzania.
RO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great people for an unforgettable experience!
We were three girls in this safari and we felt safe and pampered for the 4 days we were together with Jackpot Safaris. The driver and the cook provided great services and were always considerate of our needs and the manager made sure we got to experience the best of Tanzania's natural parks even on a tight budget. We totally recommend it for whoever feels like enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime experience in an authentic way!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Personal good company for Safari and Kilimanjaro
Very nice experiance with this company. Personal contact with the owner of this company and the nicest people working for him. Especially the guides (Augustine and Livingstone) they make the differance!
Worth every dollar. Good price, under promise and over dilliver!
Top notch quality!
We had a three safari to Serengeti and Ngorongoro and it was excellent. They made sure we saw all the animals we could and prepared great food. Their prices were very appealing to the budget travellers that we were but they still gave us top quality service. Can't recommend enough!
DK
Email Anna Marie Stein | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Just great - a very competent staff who did their utmost to fullfill our dreams
Oh, what an experience! First a fantastic trip to Kilimanjaro with a dream team of porters, cook and last but not least the guides - Livingstone and Sanga. They even managed to communicate in sign language - always smiling and friendly. Then a 9 days safari trip with Augustin as a very skilled driver, mecanicien, guide etc. He knew where to find the animals we would like to see. We wanted to see them all, but we had never imagined that we should see 22 lionesses and youngs in one place in the Ngorongoro Crater + animals all 360 gr. in Serengeti - just to mention a bit. We can warmly recommend Jackpot Safari as a serious partner for a tour in Tanzania. Andrew and his staff can fullfill every wish.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing journey to the wild, with a wonderful team of professionals
We were in the best hands with Yassin (guide) and Waziri (cook) during our 7-person, 5-day safari. Professional, smart, caring, careful, calm, and fun - they made sure that we had an amazing experience. We saw a part of the world that we could not have imagined, and gained understanding and appreciation that will last a lifetime. We have encouraged many friends already to think about making this once-in-a-lifetime journey.
Communications were excellent during planning. The food was wonderful! Expectations were met and more! It was a "budget" safari, and we expected to "rough it" a bit. In fact, it was less rough than we expected, thanks to the outstanding care provided by Yassin and Waziri.
Our only suggestion for upcoming safari-goers: remember to take a towel and sheet liner.