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
Email Kirsty | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical time in Kenya 🇰🇪
Firstly - I had a fantastic time on safari in Kenya & would recommend to anyone! I’m going to break the parts down below for more information on each section.
1. The Tour Company - ⭐️⭐️
Honestly, the worst part of the whole thing was the actual tour company. I had food poisoning the day we were going, and I waited over an hour and forty minutes for the driver to pick me up from the hotel because they told me to be ready at the wrong time. They stopped replying to my emails or picking up the phone so I had no idea what was happening, which when you’re that unwell isn’t ideal. They also managed to mess up us leaving with the boat tour (aka hadn’t sorted us transportation back to Nairobi that would allow us to complete the trip with the boat trip!!!!), so we had to fight to be able to do both aspects after they told us we would just have to go back to Nairobi (having done only a two hour game drive that day). As I was dropped back in Nairobi the driver asked me to pay for the trip so I then had to sort that out with them as well (hard to sort when they aren’t very communicative). Also you do just hand over the cash to someone who picks you up, no receipt etc, which I found quite stressful. So all in all wasn’t very impressed with them as they made the trip much more stressful than needed!
2. Sir Charles - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Charles was the BEST tour guide and helped us to sort out the issues we had. He has a magical gift for finding the animals and was always talking to everyone else to make sure that we got to see everything! My friend has lived there for a year and not seen half the animals we saw (e.g. male lions everyday and even a leopard!). Make sure you ask for Charles (I’m considering going back later this year and definitely will be asking for Charles again!!!)
3. Accommodation - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I went for Jambo Lodge & Lake Nakuru Lodge. Firstly, the people in both were so so nice, which really helps to make the experience. The food in Jambo was not fab (although I think recovering from food poisoning took away from it slightly ahaha) & the pack lunch was definitely the worst of the three camps. The pool was also out of action which I was v sad about. The room was beautiful though and the bed really comfy, I would definitely stay there again (but take snacks). Lake Nakuru Lodge, the sunset was magical here and the pool was great! The food here was also really good. The room, however, was not as nice - the glass door to outside was broken and it had an older feel. I would umm and ahhh over staying here again, but the sunset might persuade me to!
Boat trip - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Absolutely loved the boat trip, I would say that is worth the money! You get to see an island that just has animals on it and hippos, Ken was also really nice!
All in all you should definitely go on safari and ask for Charles - he made the trip for me. A few things the tour company can improve on, but the memories make up for it.
US
Email Lucy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent, very experienced.
Ben was very professional, he knew the animals well. He was very patient and polite.
Hassle free, one stop shop that seems to be a favourite with guests and guides
I chose Jocky Tours because they were very prompt with their responses, offered a competitive price, and had thousands of great reviews.
All the drivers from pickup to drop off were friendly, reliable, on time and very helpful. James our main driver/guude definitely used his network and driving skills to find us the best animals for viewing and taking pictures. Thank you!
The only thing that was a bit less great is that because Jocky is a big company with lots of guests, I think I somehow expected that there would be enough people to put similar tours and travel styles (budget, luxury etc) together so the rest of the people in the group joining tour would also be staying in similar accommodation and doing the same amount of days.. this wasn’t the case. While the group was cool and we got along, people were on 3/5/7 day tours and all booked from different agencies — so there was a bit of confusion as there were differing expectations, and also a bit of movement in group members as people finished their tour and moved on while others stayed and new ones joined. Then there was the time spent dropping off / picking up from different hotels. I am not sure if maybe this is because it is not yet high season in July and so we have to combine tours but my feeling is that it would be way more efficient if we were all on the same tour / accommodation level.
Still all in all a great experience - we saw the Big Five, took lots of pictures and had a great time - and we didn’t have to worry about accomodation, transport, entrance fees, food in all my 5 days there so for that I thank Jocky and guide James. Asante sana.
I have spoken to a few guides and they all say Jocky is one of the best and most experienced tour operators so I guess you can’t go wrong picking them.
NL
Email PS Gavani | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very patient, knowledgeable and helpful
The trip was executed as described as in email. We saw big 4 out of 5. Missed Leopard.
The food was monotonous. There was no variety especially when you are on 5 days trip.
For budget option, some of accomodations looked very unhygienic. In fact, we found mosquito in one of the dish in Naivasha at Naivasha Chambai safari Resort.
Given the food options, its 6/10 when it comes to value for money.
IT
Email Cami | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Efficient
I spent an amazing 3-days tour in masai mara, thanks to our great guide James. He always made sure to accommodate our needs. I strongly recommend this tour.
Thank you
NZ
Email Clare | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable, straightforward to deal with, great access to Wildlife.
It has long been my dream to go to Africa and see the big 7. This was my first visit to Kenya, and I took a 4 day Budget Safari with Jocky Tours to the Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru. We saw all the big animals and we were lucky enough to see leopard, cheetah, black and white rhinos and even a pride of lions with their kill.We not only saw them ...we saw them up close in most cases (within the safety of the vehicle). A huge shout out to our guide Dennis, who was so knowledgable and taught us so much about the animals and the environment they live in.
It was well organised with a good vehicle and I would definitely recommend this company. It was an experience of a lifetime.
Email Chris | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great budget option to see Maasai mara
Alex was a great tour guide, he invested a lot of energy in ensuring we had a great time exploring the reserve. The accomodation was also good, food plentiful and the staff friendly. One downside was that the accomodation was overbooked so I had to share a room despite paying for private accomodation.
LV
Email Inta | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything was good.
Guided by knowledgeable ranger we saw roaming elephants and graceful giraffes, lions lounging in the shade and zebras grazing peacefully.
MY
Email Lynn Soo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Still recommended, but need more improvement
I booked the 7D6N Safari Tour with Jocky
Tour, covering Maasai Mara -Lake
Naivasha - Lake Nakuru - Hell's Gate-Amboseli.
Good Experience:
The first 5 days of the safari, guided by
John from Jocky Tour, were very good.
John's deep knowledge of wildlife and his
ability to explain the behavior and
characteristics of the animals made the
experience truly enriching. He was punctual,patient, and responsible, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable journey.
Bad Experience:
Unfortunately, my experience during the last two days in Amboseli were disappointed. After the Hell's Gate trip, I was transferred to another
tour agency: Cover Kenia Safari. The guide,
Kikitu from Cover Kenia Safari , did not meet my expectations.
On the first day's full day game drive, he was 40 minutes late, which impacted not able to see much animals as by the time we arrived at Amboseli National Park, the weather was too hot, animals was hide at somewhere else.
Besides, on the final day pre-morning game drive, the schedule was cut short to
accommodate one of the participant in this group traveling to Tanzania. As a result, the whole group only had an hour in Amboseli before heading to Tanzania border. This change significantly affected my itinerary, as we returned to Nairobi at 12 PM instead of the originally planned end time of around 4 PM.
Not only that, Kikitu's driving skill is too dangerous. Even driving in the road outside safari, also extremely fast which make the participants felt extremely unsafe.
IE
Email Mavis | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good!
I had a a great 6D5N safari with Jockey Tour, visiting the Maasai Mara, Nakuru, and Amboseli. Julius, our guide, was exceptional—patient, positive, and quick to address any requests. His expertise made the trip unforgettable. Highly recommend!