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 Moulik | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
In summary, it was excellent and we had no complaints. Simon, our driver and guide was the best.
Masai Mara review
We had taken the Masai Mara trip with Jocky Tours. In summary, it was excellent and we had no complaints. Simon, our driver and guide was the best. We recommend a Matatu over the Landcruiser as it's cheaper and nearly same experience.
The communication over email and phone was perfect.
A longer feedback follows. They picked us up promptly from our place. We had a good drive with Simon to Masai Mara. The road is not very good but Simon was a skilled driver. The lenchada camp site was very good and our tent was really comfortable. During the game drives, Simon was very actively coordinating with others to make sure we see as much game as possible and was also very knowledgeable. He told us about the living habits, gestation period and breeding habits of each of the species. They also made us see the sunrise in the national park which was amazing.
The Masai village tour was also fun.
Overall we recommend the tours and ask for Simon as your driver and guide. He is really friendly. We saw a lot of game, great wildlife, good car and an amazing tour.
JP
Email Meg | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Albert was a great guide! Very chill, kind, and let us do all the things we wanted!
The tour was overall great! We got to see all the animals we wanted and also got to eat a lot of yummy Kenyan food as well. One thing I do want people to know about the tour though is the car rides are very long and if you get car sick easily this is one thing I would like you to take under consideration. But besides that, it’s great! Thank you for an awesome 4 days!!
BE
Email Marie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everyone was very professional and making sure everyone is having a good time.
This was the first real safari I ever did and I had an amazing time.
Our guide in Masai Mara & the one in Naivasha were very professional and took really good care of us.
Everything was very well organised and there were no problems at all.
I had a great experience!
US
Email Meeyum | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We rate Jocky Tours 4.5 stars; we would have given 5 stars if hotel in Nakuru had been better
The safari was a wonderful experience and James/Munyiri was a perfect guide! He was helpful and professional at all times; he shared his knowledge of the animal and plant life, and answered all our questions patiently and carefully. He was warm and pleasant. When on Thursday we drove along very muddy roads and one van after another was getting stuck, James proved to be the most skilled driver: he helped all the drivers get out of difficult situations and it was clear that the other drivers recognized and appreciated his skill. We felt safe with him at all times.
The only complaint we have about the safari was the hotel we stayed at in Nakuru the last night. Lanet Matfam was a sub-standard hotel: the rooms were very cramped, there was mold in the bathroom, and there was no place to sit. Certainly, for the amount of money we paid Jocky Tours, the accommodations should have been better.
All in all, we had a wonderful -indeed unforgettable — experience on safari, and we were thrilled that James was our guide! We will surely recommend Jocky Tours to others and we will encourage them to request James/Munyiri as their guide.
ES
Email Manfred & Marina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience! We will recommend it!
We had been recommended Jocky Tours by a friend who did a Safari with them and we were so happy to have contracted it with them.
We had a great time!! Staff ( Isaac and Joseph) were VERY nice and friendly.
Joseph came pick usup at the airport even though our flight landed at 23.00 and then he dropped us in a hotel we had booked for the night. Next morning he came for us at 7.00 am, very friendly!
Isaac was our driver and guide during the 5 day Safari we did and he made us feel very welcome and safe.
He knew evreything there is to know about the animals and the environment. He did his very best so we could have an excellent view of the animals all the time, Thanks Isaac!
We stayed in a camp in Maasai Mara which was what we expected! Clean and safe. Friendly staff. All good.
We recommend to visit the Maasai village, it was interrsting to visit their houses and learn a bit more of their culture.
Lake Nakuru and Naivasha were great but maybe it could have been done in one day instead of two. However we enjoyed it much.
We transfered 15% of the payment in advanced through their website and itwas totally reliable. The rest we paid cash when we reached their office in Nairobi.
ASANTI SANA!
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
PT
Email Thomas | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jimmy is an excellent guide however Jocky tours themselves were sometimes tricky to work with.
I'll first start by saying that our guide, Jimmy was absolutely excellent throughout the whole trip and went above and beyond to make everything memorable for us!
Initially upon booking, email responses were fast but a bit short. Sometimes I'd send an email with a few important questions and only receive answers for one. We were told we could either pay the $2600 dollar fee by cash in USD (not really comfortable carrying that much cash with me), pay by card and incur a 3.5% fee for "processing", or make a bank transfer and pay an extra $20 to cover bank charges. I chose the latter. Upon arriving in the office, we were told that wasn't an option and repeatedly had a card terminal thrust at us. He said the 3.5% covered bank charges but he could make it 3%, then 2%... (Dodgy). Finally he dropped the fee and we paid the $2600 by card with no fee - I'm still not certain whether this fee is genuine.
We were asked to take 3 guests with us on the 6hr drive to Masai mara. We agreed but feel like many others would prefer not to - having paid a lot more for a private tour - it is difficult to say no when put on the spot like that.
The tour itself was great - Masai mara was excellent and saw so many animals close up thanks to our guide Jimmy. He was one of the highlights of our trip - kind, knowledgeable and skilled at driving off-road. Where many others got stuck, Jimmy didn't. Lenchada tented camp was great - basic but that is what we bought. Hot showers and nice beds. Good food with vegetarian options.
Nakura accommodation was great. Good food and pool. Next morning was Nakura lake game drive which was a highlight - black rhinos and lions and much more. Naivasha lake was also cool with a boat ride to see hippos and other animals on the shore.
Hells gate national park was excellent where we rented bikes and cycled among zebras and gazelles to the canyon. Factor in an extra $20 per person for bike rental and a guide for this.
The long drive to amboseli was next but unfortunately Jocky tours had neglected to book our guide a room leading to him having to find accommodation some distance away from us. This meant the next days pre-morning game drive was delayed till nearly 10am and by then Kilimanjaro was covered in cloud. A bit annoying but I must stress this was not the fault of our guide.
Overall a great trip and amazing memories made, could have been a bit better on the organisation side by Jocky.
US
Email Ben | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great time on the safari, wish office was communicative.
Had a great time on the 5 day budget safari to the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Navaisha, and Hell's Gate. Raheem, our driver, was a great guide that tried hard to find animals and get us close.
I wish the office was a little more communicative after booking the safari through the phone, received little to no information or communication until the morning of and that was only what time the driver was supposed to should up.