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
ES
Email Alberto Gómez y Maria Ruiz | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
Very resolutive, they make you an affordable route of safaris with the best guides, the experience was really incredible, and we were very satisfied.
Honour mention to our wonderful guides, Francis and Brian, who came with us in every moment. They located the animals in the wild really quick, even if they were far or almost impossible to see. They carried us to the animals as near as permited, and they explained us a lot of interesting data about the the animals too. Also they were really nice and helpful, specially with some managements as the check in in the hotels, changing money to dollars in Nairobi or buying a sim card for having internet in the tour.
We loved all the parks and reserves, they all have incredible views and a lot of animals living their lifes and in general very easy to see. It was amazing. Specially the reserved we enjoyed the most was the Masai Mara, it was absolutely stunning, and we loved every moment we stay and every animal we saw.
In the other hand, we accorded some hotels to complement our stay in the several parks, and they changed us all but one the 4 hotels, in general the changes were not so bad but in one case it was a camp hotel wich we didnt like as much as the one we have accorded with the company; said that, the hotels were in general amazing, with all the facilities needed, and the guides helped us a lot with the incidence previously commented.
In conclusion, an incredible experience. Dont hesitate about taking Francis and Brian for guiding you, because they transformed a very good experience in the best tour that you can experience.
Email Adrian | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good
We saw lions, giraffes, leopards, elephants, zebra, buffalo, cheetahs, warthogs, Guinea fowl, huge pelican scavenger type birds, hippopotamus, crocodiles, gazelle, many types of antelope species, all within the first day and half. Driver/ guide (John Mwangi) was skilled, efficient, friendly and knowledgeable, and hard working - thanks John. A little organisation niggle was soon worked out. I think it was value for money.
IE
Email Ruth | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Private 5 Day Safari! But read notes below :)
Had a 5 day safari with Jocky Tours, private tour with 3 nights Masai Mara and 1 night in Lake Nakuru.
Picked up by our guide and driver James.
Headed to Masai stopping at the Great Rift Valley viewpoint along the way. The trip took 6 to 7 hours, the jeep was quite old with seatbelts not working very well, seats not super comfortable for a trip that long. Arriving at Lenchada Camp we were greeted by the owners and brought for lunch. The food for the 3 days was good, rice, beans, veg. Happy to have Vegetarian option everyday.
We headed on an evening game drive & then had 2 full days of game drives. Then we left for Buraha at Lake Nakuru. We arrived at 3pm and had the evening free. I had thought we had a game drive that evening (my mistake upon re-reading the schedule info from Jocky Tours), but again we felt that this should have been communicated by our guide, a simple "today we are driving here, we will stop here and here, let me know if you need additional breaks, upon arriving you will have the evening free to rest for the game drive the next morning".
After our morning game drive at Lake Nakuru we headed back towards Nairobi stopping along the way for lunch at one of the Curio shops.
Safely back to Nairobi around 3pm.
Positives:
- Saw the big 5 + a plethora of animals, birds, lizards, was truly fantastic.
- James was a safe driver, was great for spotting animals and he was a chill guide for people who want a calm atmosphere.
- Lenchada camp had everything we needed, hot water, plenty of time to charge phones / cameras, amazing wifi, mosquito net (definitely needed).
- Buraha Zeoni resort at Lake Nakuru was great to stay.
- In all places staff were very friendly, helpful + accommodating.
Room for improvement:
- The jeep was old & unclean even when we were first picked up, seats extremely dusty since day 1, seatbelts not tightening properly, seats like rocks, very uncomfortable for a 7 hour drive.
- When we were picked up we headed to the Jocky Tours offices in the city centre, this was not communicated when booking and it felt a bit odd leaving the jeep open with many people around, with all our luggage inside as we headed to the offices, this needs to be communicated to your customers as I was not expecting this and created some apprehension.
- Really felt that information was limited from the guide in terms of schedules, plans for the day, info on animals was very basic. Would have been nice to hear more about the animals, their migration patterns, why certain animals graze together, who is nocturnal v not.
- Would also have been nice if we had been told about the Masai people, their culture, why they wear red etc found ourselves googling a lot as we were not being told by our guide.
- Buffet food at Lenchada camp is not kept covered and is left open for hours in the morning and at dinner. Many flies and insects landing on food.
- Despite communicating that we were vegetarian, our packed lunches on 1 of the 2 days were meat and we couldn't have our lunch that day, which was not great considering it's a 12 hour day out.
- On the second day of our full game drive, we returned to camp earlier than the previous day (2 hours earlier) this was not communicated to us, we just began the journey back to camp and it was disappointing as we had planned to take some pictures of the sunset on our last day in the Maasai.
MY
Email YF | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
All good
Smooth journey with the Jocky Tours during the 8 days Maasai Mara-Nakuru-Naivasha-Amboseli tour in Kenya. I like that there is minimal deposit required and email communication with the office is smooth.
Our mid range accommodations are fantastic though it depends on luck on the animal sightings. First guide Wickcliff is great but second guide James can explain more i find.
Pickups are punctual.
Nice & Humble
Amazing safari tour to see the big 5, just a bit shame we didn't get to see the wildebeest crossing & leopard. Luckily we ended in a good note, able to see the Mt Kilimanjaro in clear view.
IT
Email Gianni | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
It was an amazing safari week with my wife, exploring Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Hells Gate and Amboseli. We spotted all big five, including a leopard killing a gazelle, extremely rare: this was possible thanks to the skills of our driver, always connected with other drivers, which shared info and positions of animals.
Lenchada Tented Camp was not in good condition, our tent had broken bathroom, so we were moved to the nearby camp.
The communication with the driver could be better; for instance, a more detailed briefing at the beginning of the day, or at the night before, so that all car passengers could organize the time in a more efficient way, avoiding wasting time in some minor activities, dedicating more time in others.
ES
Email Gerard | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Unforgettable Safari
We did the 4D/3N safari in the Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru with our guide, Samuel Chege. An absolute 10 as a person, guide, and driver. He was very friendly and attentive, and gave us information about the animals we saw. He made sure we were comfortable and well taken care of at all times. We really appreciate the sense of safety he gave us.
As for the organization, the third day of the tour was the weakest. You spend most of the day on the road heading to Lake Nakuru. However, in the morning we were able to visit a Maasai village ($20 per person). Also, due to rain and muddy roads, we couldn’t make the optional stop at Lake Naivasha. When we arrived in Nakuru, the hotel we were supposed to stay in was full, so we had to be relocated to another hotel of a lower category.
All in all, the experience was unforgettable, and we would definitely do it again because of its great value for money.
JP
Email Wang | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was such an unforgettable experience.
We joined a 4-day safari tour and our driver, Francis, was amazing. He handled any issues really well and managed the time perfectly, so we were very satisfied.
But the hot air balloon experience was a huge disappointment. Even though we came as a pair, we were placed on completely opposite sides of the balloon. When we asked to adjust, we were told, “If you don’t want to ride, then don’t.” It left us feeling angry and really disappointed.
The hot air balloon itself is a great experience and I would still recommend it, but I hope the pilot and operator can improve their consideration and respect for guests.
DE
Email Lisa | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly, eager operator with a lot of fun doing his job
We had chosen the 5 day safari and could absolutely recommend the tour. Our guide showed us a lot of amazing animals. He was very eager to give us the best experience during our journey. On our tour we had a lot of luck and could have seen all Big Five of Africa.
The different stops are totally different. That's why there is a lot of variety in the tour. From safari to a boat trip, cycling and walking into a gorge.
The first accomodation in the camp was not that good. It is very basic and in the beginning our toilet did not work and the light as well as the WIFI sometimes didn't work. But the other two hotels were okay.
The communication during the tour could sometimes be a little bit better. As well we recommend you to have US-dollars with you to pay the extra activities like the Maasai village, cycling or the walk into the gorge.
Even if there were some critical points it was a great experience with nice people and we would do it again.
IN
Email Srikanth Mallya | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best experience within a budget
I was initially sceptical about the safari booking online as I didn't have direct reference (though some good reviews on the net). Completed 4 days Masai Mara+Nakuru safari. It exceeded my expectation. Definitely 5* for Maureen (sales) who responded to all my queries and a double 5* to John our tour guide cum driver who made our trip memorable. He ensured we saw the Big 5 and never missed single attempt to spend time for the right place in Mara. Thanks Jocky tours and would definitely recommend. I took a budget package. The Sankale camp was budget camp but will clean tent and toilet. Food was basic but budget was our choice. If you are with family, recomend to go with mid budget accomodation though there is nothing wrong in the budget.