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.
ES
Email Mauro | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing safari with really professional guide and management team!
I really highly recommend Jocky Tours & Safaris to your budget safari in Kenya.
I was recommended by one Spanish friend and since the first e-mail to Minneh she demonstrate to be really professional and always answering all e-mail in couple of hours.
She was really patience and clear when explaining me all options of safari and always clear and fast to answer all my doubts (price, what was included, options of parks to visit, how many days).
Since the first e-mails, I was always filling really comfortable and safe to my pick for Jocky tours.
We made a small transfer few weeks before our trip to guarantee our safari, and never had problem with the transfer. Everything went well and Minneh never pressure us to make the transfer.
Me and my girlfriend we had our flight delay for 24 hours to arrive to Kenya and Minneh was always keeping track of us and made last minute changes by our request so we could made the necessary changes for our Safari. We had in the beginning the 7 days safari and because we were arriving one day late to Nairobi and we already had our trip back schedule, Minneh made all the changes request by us without charging anything extra, she also decrease the full day safari cost of the day we lost.
Our driver for the 6 days was Raymond. Really professional driver, really good guide in the Park and always listening to our most crazy request. If we want Lions, Raymond drove us to Lions or whatever we asked him.
He was always polite and really respectful of our space. If we wanted to understand a little about Kenya or other topics he was always willing to talk, but if we were tired and want some silence he really respected that. Really recommend Raymond as a driver and safari guide.
We choose the budget safari, where you sleep on tents and you share the van with more people. If you want to visit Kenya and you are traveling with limited budget this is your choice. The experience to sleep in tents and share the van are not as bad as it looks like. The experience is amazing. The places we stay are normal, but clean and comfortable and of easy access to the safari. We are a young couple but we saw a lot of families and older people with the tent option too. I highly recommend, it’s just more real than a 5 star hotel.
I´m writing this review to highly recommend Jocky Tours & Safaris for your budget safari in Kenya. Before booking with them I tried to find more reviews online but because they are local operators I could find too many. This is why I’m writing to express how satisfied my girlfriend and I were with our pick to safari operator.
NL
Email Wambui Njoroge | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Well arranged, and an excellen value for your money
I enjoyed my safari with Jockey Tours and Safaris from the moment I booked it at the office untill the day it was over and they dropped me off at my hotel one week later. The company has an amazing staff and very friendly owner, who will try to accomodat you at all times.
To strat off with the tour was very well arranged: pickup and drop off at your hotel, transport, all meals and water included, good accomodation and a good driver. I booked my tour 3 days in advance, which was no problem at all. When I asked them 2 days later if my friend could join, they made the arrangements right away and even when we were on our last day of the safari and decided to add one more day, to see a different park, they made it possible within minutes. Their service is truely remarkable. We ended up booking a 5 day budget safari to Masaai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate N.P.
The accomodation provided was also lovely. The tented camp at the Masaai Mara had huge tents, with very comfortable double beds and hot water showers. The lodge in Nakuru povided us with a big pool, which was very welcome after all the dust, and excellent food. The Lake Nakuru hotel was smaller, but had a lovely garden and very friendly staff.
The food was always good and there was always plenty. For breakfast we either had an english or continental breakfast. Lunch was either served in the lodge or as a picknick inside the park during full day game drives. They were always different, well spiced and there was always a very good vegetarian option. Dinner was always served at the lodge and also existed of a good and healty veriety of meals.
There were always drinks available such as cold beers and soda's which were not at all expensive.
Our driver knew the parks and the animals very well. He really tried to show us all the wonders off african nature and whenever big game was spotted somewhere he would make shure we were the first once to arrive. So many thanks to our driver who made the trip complete.
All together I canhighly recommend Jockey Tours and Safaris. When booking with them you will most definately get your moneys worth.
FYI
All hotels had hot water showers.
NO
Email Kjetil Berger Falk | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
great
Jocky Tours have been great partners for many years now. They know their trade very well, and we communicate very good. We are happy with the knowledge they posess on the savannah. The camp and the food is also very good. The only thing is that some of the drivers drove too fast from Kisumu to the camp. Some of the students didnt feel comfortable with that.
Reply from Jocky Tours and Safaris
Posted on Jan 1, 2015Great to hear your feedback Falk,we are very sorry for the discomfort caused to your group of students by some of our drivers during your recent safari.After following up the matter from our senior driver,we are meant to understand that the fast driving was due to the fact that Kisumu-MasaiMara is quite a long distance hence the need for speed.We however don't condone fast driving,all our company tour vans are now fitted with speed governors.
EE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
All was just awesome. Special thanks to our guide John.
All was as expected. Very good service. Nice driver, guide. Lot's of animals. Accommodation and food was good for our price category. We are satisfied completely. Minneh was very helpful and professional. Thanks a lot!
DE
Email Jimena | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tour organisation was great, they were reliable and very accommodating
We opted for the 5-day adventure, and found it to be a great value for money. Our accommodation exceeded our expectations and the food was always good. Our safari guide Steve was incredible! He was very knowledgeable and made sure we saw as many animals as possible. His friendly demeanour and humor made the journey even more enjoyable. Highly recommend!
NL
Email Dille Medeiros Daniel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing
This tour was unbelievable. I did this tour together with my friend. It was so well arranged with Jocky tours (special thanks to Jimmy the best guide ever), for a very good price too. We’ve paid like $500, for a four day tour, in two different areas Maasai Mara & Lake Nakuru. We had 2 luggage each. We just packed a smaller bag to take with us on Safari, we could leave our luggage at the office. They keeped it safe for us. Good service.
The first day we arrived at the Camp. This was our stay for the first 2 nights. It was a pretty good stay, above expectations. It was a luxe lodge tent with a own bathroom, warm water and flushable toilet even. Breakfast, lunch and dinner was served, delicious meals. There was security at the camp, what made me feel safe, since we were sleeping in a tent. Since traveling is included the first day we did a gamedrive for around 3/4 hours with sunset. We already saw so many different animals in those couple of hours. Many elephants, zebra’s, different breeds of gazelles and antelopes, lions, giraffes, buffaloes, wildebeest et cetera.
Day two we had a full gamedrive with sunrise. This drive was from 06.15 till 17.00, a full day. We saw lions eating a buffalo, hyenas, hippo’s, crocodiles, cheetahs, warthogs, meerkats and many more. This day we had a outside lunch, in the middle of Maasai Mara surrounded by animals. This experience was simply amazing. We also had a stop at the border of Tanzania which was extraordinary.
Day three we had a visit at the Maasai village, which was very educational and interesting. This visit is optional but I do recommend. After that we drove to Lake Nakuru and had a break for lunch. That ride was about 5/6 hours. Our last stay was a hotel. Here they had multiple facilities such as a swimming pool, massage and a gym.
Day four, the last day, we started early in Lake Nakuru. Around 07.00 am. This is a totally different area compared to Maasai Mara. I really liked it. We saw flamingo’s, pelicans, white rhinos and a family of lions up close. This experience was very rare and a dream coming true. Furthermore we had a stop at a waterfall in the park, just beautiful.
I highly recommend this tour. Special thanks to Jimmy our guide. Jimmy is a very good driver, the roads aren’t easy but he made us feel safe and comfortable the entire trip. He made sure we had a clear view of the animals and that everyone could make some good content. He has all the patience in the world. He knows much about the animals and areas. Jimmy likes a conversation and is fun too! I think if we didn’t had Jimmy as our guide, we wouldn’t had the same experience. Jimmy’s presence made the trip. Jimmy for president!
IN
Email Pawan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
So our tour operator is Hellen, she is very cooperative and take care of everything.
Jockey Tours and Safaris are reliable and their service was remarkable. In this trip I met Johnny (brother from another mother), Johnny answered all my questions patiently and clearly because this is new place for me so I have a lot of questions.
During the safari in Masai Mara Park, he told about all the animals and also gave information about the Masai tribe, his country Kenya etc. I respect his punctuality and his dedication to our safety as well as his work. He is a wonderful person, he tells jokes, makes us laugh. I also learned some words like Kribu, Asante, Jumbo etc. It was a once in a lifetime experience for me because of Johnny Bhai and the Jockey Tour and Safari.
Thanks for such wonderful experience.
IN
Email TAPASVI KISHAN | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Our tour operator was Hellen. helpful , informative , cheerful and gave us good deal.
We were assigned Johnny as our tour guide for almost five days .
He is very informative when you go with him on safaris . His jolly and kind nature is a bonus for our trip.
We had charging slots , wifi available in the car itself.
Our overall trip was planned in a unique way where we went for multiple safaris, hiking,boating , cycling etc.
Overall we are very happy to choose Jocky safari for our trip to kenya ❤️
US
Email Anon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We had multiple issues
We would not book again with Jocky tours due to the following issues:
Pre tour:
- Communication - spoke to 3 different people to organise the tour, kept getting transferred to different phone numbers on Whatsapp
- Payment Issues- We tried to organise bank transfer (lower fees) and did not receive a reply until we followed up, when they told us it was then too late to do so. We were told certain payment methods attracted a 5% fee, this was incorrect for us.
- Airport pick up - the website and jocky emails say this is included. I was told on the day that this attracted a further 20 usd fee. I questioned this with 2 different people and it was eventually agreed it was included. We later were told our tour price had an extra 20 usd per person compared to others on the tour for airport pick up, I would suggest specifying not to include this in the price as Uber costed us <$10 USD.
Day 1: we waited in jeep for over an hour after paying - unsure what for. Delayed the afternoon game drive, possibly shortening it as other Jeeps left earlier.
Day 2: our guide/driver got stuck in mud twice for an hour each time, possibly further shortening game drive.
Day 3: the itinerary on the Jocky website and Safaribookings site says an early morning game drive - this did not occur. No game drive this day at all.
Day 4: guide told us to be ready by 7am - at 745 he was having breakfast. Jeep arrived at 8am. Guide's card did not work to pay park entry fees due to what he said was a bank issue - he asked us to pay and he would give us cash. Our cards did not work due to being unable to 2 factor authenticate, when asking guide about other options he raised his voice at us and I felt uncomfortable. We waited over 1 hour to get into the park.
We were initially told by the guide the boat ride was an extra 20 USD - I checked our itinerary which showed it was included and had to tell the guide this.
During game drives, the guide was speaking on his phone almost constantly on speaker phone. We were told to look out for animals while he did this and almost missed some rhinos. I was ignored when I asked a question as he was on his phone.
Day 5: the visit to the geothermal power plant and hot springs was not included - despite being in the park we were not given the option to do this. When we asked the guide, they said this was because some tour members had to go to the airport however they arrived there 5 hours early. We were not informed of this until after leaving the park.