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
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.
Email Anonym | under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
He knows where and how to find the animals
In total it was really good. We see a lot, also the Big Five. But I was wondered and surprised what was not included, like the Boatstour or the Walk with the animals. I took again a look of the Safari-Description but I didn't find these advices.
And also to see the animals very close was really nice, sure. But I don't think that it is good for the animals. And to breake rules by leaving roads was terrible. There is a reason why this is not allowed.
At least thank you for the journey with you, Moses.
CH
Email Adrian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Got quick replies. Could texted by WhatsApp. Guide was friendly. Office wasn‘t eas to find.
Paied USD 720.00 for 6 days (landcruiser) with the budget version. Visited Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. Very long distances between. Also very bumpy roads. Guide (Jimmy) was friendly and helpful. But didn‘t introduce himself. Als didn‘t tell us about nice facts (countries, nationalparks,). Didn‘t ask about our wishes (animals) which we want to see. Because it was a budget trip we got simple lunch boxes. Accommodations were better than expected (AA lodget, hotel in lake nakuru and Maasai mara). It was sad that we didn‘t start in Amboseli very early with the game drive. We started at 8:30 (too late for seeing wild cats). Was sad that we didn‘t stay a long time at the place where the lions were. Saw 4 of 5 big fives. The driver/guide could be more interessted in us (aks questions of us). On the last day we finished 30 minutes earlier compared to another groupe. Afterwards we waited 30 minutes at the AA lodge in Amboseli there. I was happy that we could catch the train in Mombasa (3pm).
NL
Email Alex | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good driver
Very good value for money. Saw the full big 5 in massai mara, with a very skilled driver. Camp side was very nice, with own bathroom.
Email Jazz | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good price, bad safari.
If you can only afford a budget safari and just want good pictures of animals, then this one might be a good option. The cost includes all meals, park entrance fees, transport and everything was well organised. However, if you would like a good safari with nice animal encounters, then I'd recommend going with another operator.
We were driven around in the Masai Mara for 3 days by Isaac from Jocky Tours. Isaac had his radio on constantly, listening out for reports of sightings. As soon as a sighting was reported (which was pretty much constantly, the charm of the Mara!), he'd put the accelerator down and drive full pelt to the sighting location. You'd be thrashed around at the back of the vehicle. Isaac would go off road at every possible opportunity. The Mara is scarred with tyre tracks, even though guides are supposed to stick to the roads. Once we'd reached the animal, Isaac would do all he can to get in the path of the animal, and as close as possible. Sadly, most other cars had the same idea, making the animals very stressed as lots of cars (most of the time 15+ cars) fight to move within 2 metres of them. As the animals move, the cars move too, constantly creeping closer and interrupting their path. This meant that most of our animal encounters were actually just distressing, rather than enjoyable. This appears to be a problem with most drivers in the mara, not just Isaac, and needs to be sorted.
We asked Isaac if he could slow down, stop driving in the animals path and we said we did not want to go close to the animals and cause them stress. However, he didn't listen and continued to do as he liked.
There were a few nice moments with animals, where we asked Isaac to stop and turn the car off. But any peace was disrupted by the radio or him on the phone. He'd also decide quite quickly that he was bored and start the car and drive off, cutting our nice moments with animals short.
I left the Mara feeling quite sad, realising that the chaotic and cruel interactions between animals and the drivers that I'd experienced, most likely happen on a daily basis.
If you are looking for an enjoyable safari and a guide that actually cares about the wildlife, I would not recommend Jocky Tours. Despite the price tag for this Jocky tour trip being so appealing, I'd recommend finding another operator and being clear to them before booking about what type of safari you'd like to go on.
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 Marc | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Nice safari, old and broken vehicles and poor staff
Although Safari was amazing and we get to see all animals, there's a huge room to improve in staff/drivers and vehicles. Our vehicle was broken two times, we've change to another vehicle, and this was broken again. Drivers due not explain many things, and they drive looking all the time the mobile phone, so the trip was not safe. They don't provide you waters even it's included on the price, you have to request them all the time. On a stop to a restaurant, the driver and vehicle has disappear without saying nothing with all our bags, because they have to repair the vehicle, a bad experience. Price is good.
Reply from Jocky Tours and Safaris
Posted on Sep 7, 2016Hi Marc, Glad that you loved the safari part. We unfortunately regret and apologize for the vehicle breakdowns you had and unprofessional nature of our driver guide of the day. You traveled during peak time of the season and therefore there was a strain in resources, all our guides and vehicles were full booked and therefore we had to out source the guide you used on this particular day and leased his vehicle too. Sorry for the inconveniences caused to you.
Email Ryan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was a wildly beautiful experience.
I really enjoyed my trip. Being my first time to go to the Mara i must say it didn't dissapoint one bit. The travel logistics from time keeping to the accomodation, to the game drive it was all quite commendable. If you plan to travel stress free reach out to Jocky Safaris they're your go to safari booking experts.
Email Joe W | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Safari and Guides
Really good value for money. We got to see absolutely everything we wanted to see over the 6 days on Safari. We got split across 2 tour guides over those days, particular mention to one of the guides Francis who was amazingly friendly, engaging and insightful. He really put the cherry on top of a really great trip especially when there's a lot of travel time between locations. Accommodation was good, the only thing that could have been better was a noise issue in our hotel in Nakuru but the tour company apologized and the other places we stayed were nice. The Masai Mara accommodation was SUPER basic so just be prepared for that. The food was generally ok, local cuisine which usually was rice, veg and a protein. As a veggie it was usually lentils and beans. Not a huge amount of variety over the week but you do get fed A LOT! I would say if you're veggie, try and be specific about what you want in your packed lunch beforehand because we got pretty stingey stuff compared to the meat eaters...
The Manjara Camp in Amboseli was super accommodating with the food though. What a lovely place to stay as well!! It was the best place we stayed by far! Henry was an amazing host and if we could have stayed longer there, we would have!! Special shout-out to Chef, she blew us away with how much she catered for us.
All in all, we had a fantastic time. If your focus is on seeing animals and being treated amazingly by very experienced guides, this is deffo for you! Bear in mind you spend maybe 10-15% of your time at camp so if you just want the basics like we did, it's perfect without all the bells and whistles!
Email Sara | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best part of the tour operator was its guide Jimmy
- Jimmy our tour guide was excellent, patient and kind. Made the trip worthwhile. Always made every effort for us to get the most of the trip and seeing the animals up close in every given opportunity. Patiently attended to every request. Also, excellent driver. We saw other vans running up to issues and we did not had one. Jimmy always helped every one who needed.
- The tour operator was overall ok, but some things could have been better.
- Responses to emails was quick but sometimes did not answer to everything
- We were told that we could either pay by cash, or by a link provided that had a 3.5% bank commission fee or bank transfer with a 20 USD bank commission fee. We chose the latter, but when in Nairobi, at the office to proceed to the payment, the guy kept trying to negotiate a "bank fee" ranging from 3-5% over the price of the safari. We denied and managed to just pay the safari price, proving that there was indeed no bank commission fee.
- Accomodation was good, some more basic then others but overall good. Specially enjoyed Amboseli Manjaro Tented - lots of contact with nature.
Overall, great trip! If you are thinking about this operator highly recommend Jimmy as the guide