our staff at jackpot office in arusha
Jackpot Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2004)
- Member Of:
- TATO, TTB & IGS-http://interpretiveguidessociety.org/
- Tour Types:
- Budget camping tours that can start every day (clients assist with camp chores)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IT
Email Luca | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Help yourself, choose others
We booked one thing and we received a totally different service, starting from the camping that was not the one agreed and of lower qualities where we could not sleep since tents and sleeping bag were in awful conditions, to the number of people in the tour (maximum should be 6 and we were 7) and we had to share the same seat on the jeep in two. Not really comfortable.
We discovered we paid much more than the rest of the group. When we pointed out all these things the only answer was we are sorry. Not enough. Absolutely to avoid.
Not serious, only a lot of chit-chat without facts.
Email James | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was not a Jackpot that's for sure
I have to say the experience that my friend and I had with Jackpot Safaris was not great. Andrew (the owner of the company) is very warm and friendly until he's got your business. After that he becomes a lot more awkward and doesn't really want to listen to what you want to to as much.
I did a 3 day safari of Tarangerie, Lake Manyara and Ngorongora. We asked to leave nice and early at 7 as spending only 1 day in Tarangerie we wanted to maximise the amount of time spent there. Andrew refused point blank and said we'll get picked up at 9. On the day of the safari - the truck was over 45 minutes late. When the truck arrived it was noticeable one of the oldest Safari Trucks and the inside was not very comfortable. Despite being 45 minutes late one of the first thing the guide said to me was how because he was freelance he gets paid less than other guides so tips are quite important for them. This was not a particularly great start.
When we got to Tarangerie, when we went inside the park he said to me and my friend that he din't have binoculars in the car (which was a big disappointment). Furthermore he didn't seem that enthusiastic about looking out for animals and the impression I got was that he was going to mainly do driving and not strain his eyes too much looking for animals. I have done a safari in Tanzania before and our guide as well as being a lot more enthusiastic, said he'll keep his eyes peeled for us so I do have a bit of a precedent on what to expect and it did not deliver. Also going round the park there was clearly a problem with the radiator on the car as he kept having to stop and top it up (which no other cars were doing). Also I think we were only in the park for around 4 and a half hours.
The camp site that we stayed at was very nice and even had beds in the tent. So what I was abit confused about was after we paid for the safari Andrew asked us if we had tents to take with us to which he said we didn't. He then said ok. Naturally when we got to the campsite we couldn't help but wonder as to why we were asked to bring our own tents if there were tents provided that came with beds. Based on the impression of Andrew I had gotten, my thoughts were that he wanted us to bring our own tents so it would be cheaper for him (but that saving would not have been passed on). I can not say for definite whether that is the case or not but that is my theory. Also another suggestion - say you don't eat fish - it's not a great idea!! The soup was very nice but the main meals were not nearly as good as the ones I'd had previously on safari in Tanzania.
After our late start going to Tarangerie we asked to leave early the next day to go to Lake Manyara. Our guide said there's no point as you can drive round Manyara in 3 hours. Well maybe you can drive round in 3 hours. But my friend and I had not been to Manyara before so we didn't want to just quickly drive round and only spend a few hours there. We wanted to take the time to enjoy the scenery and the animals. Again I think we only spent around 4 and a half hours there.
That evening he said we'll be leaving early the next day to go the Ngorongora. I was quite excited as I thought that this meant we'd be spending longer in the crater. However in reality the only reason we were leaving early was because he wanted to get back earlier so we were not spending any more time there. This was one of several occasions on the safari where I felt the guide just wanted to get things done as quickly as he could. He was not very enthusiastic.
Despite leaving the crater early (not long after 1 which was a bit early for my liking) it took an extra hour and abit to get back as the engine was overheating we had to stop for a long time to let it cool down and for the guide to put more water in. Andrew you may need to invest in a new truck.
NL
Email Marieke | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice employees, good itenerary, some mistakes/miscommunication but in the end all solved
With some help of a friend we had a good itinerary. The safari was good, except that we had lots of car damage. Our driver was skilled to fix it all the time, so in the end we did not mis a lot. Our trip to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro was great, we had a great team that walked with us to the top.
For both safari and the climb we had good food, well done chefs!
Email Mike | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Relaxed, hassle free booking.....awesome knowledgeable safari guide......great cook
Communication with Andrew in arranging the safari was rwally goid. We had lots of littl, irritating questions that he always took time to answer.
Our guide and cook were great especially with our two young kids.
We clocked up 4 of the big 5 in our first day (!) and always returned to camp to find a great meal waiting for us.
IE
Email Maggie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good value
We went on a safari with Amani. He was a great driver, host and guide! We managed to do 3 safari parks in 3 days! Me and the 5 friends I was travelling with had a great time and would recommend this company!
Email Braeburn School, Arusha | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Oldupai Gorge Educational Trip
We had a great trip, collected from school and driven out to the crater rim to enjoy the panoramic views. The transport and food provided was excellent and other facilities were provided by ourselves. We were a little inconvenienced by the time taken to get through the park gate but this seems fairly unavoidable in Tanzania.
The drivers were competent and pleasant and the vehicles were reliable and well maintained so we felt safe whole time.
The children enjoyed the trip and learned a lot about our ancestors from their visit to the cradle of humanity in Oldupai Gorge.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable 10-day trip!
We met Andrew, the owner of Jackpot Safaris, in Arusha were I live. The company is a Tanzanian family business with great knowledge of the country and the Parks. The trip was absolutely great, we (my parents, my husband and myself) loved our guide who was both professional as good company! The accommodations were beautiful and i feel Jackpot offers a good price/quality ratio. Since our trip I have send a lot of friends with Jackpot Safaris on a trip, they all had very good experiences!
NL
Email Ndizi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good budget safari
We did a four day safari to lake manyara, serengeti and the ngorongoro crater. Andrew was very kind and helpful. He responded very quickly everytime and even arranged bus tickets for us from Nairobi and to Dar es Salaam.
The campsites on our trip were beautiful. Some of the mattresses and sleeping bags were smelly but it was comfortable. The cars are not in optimal condition. One of our cars had a minor steering problem and one of the gasoline tanks on the back started leaking while in the park (his was fixed within 3 minutes). However I did not feel unsafe for a moment. The cars are old but thorough and our guides were very good drivers. Their knowledge was just okay but sometimes we had to pull the information out of them and other times we felt like the story was not completely true. Our cook, Wazini, was an absolute highlight. He served us well during the trip.
To conclude honestly, if you want the best safari ever: spend more money because it will truly make a difference. But if that is not the case, because you're here on voluntarily basis and organising the sustainable for example: go with jackpot. They are very experienced and you will see every animal in (at least) threefold, the guides and cooks will arrange eveything for you (including setting up tents and what ever) and are very very friendly. Just like every other tour operator, the standard tipping procedure is applied, keep that in mind.
Great experience
We had a wonderful time on our safari. Andrew was helpful from the start and our guide was absolutely amazing. Our cook was great as well. We'd go back again!
NL
Email Lotte | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy and very well organised.
Very reliable organisation. Organised one of the best experience we ever had. Andrew was very easy to communicate with and he was able to organise an amazing 3 day Safari for us. We stayed in the most beautiful lodges in the middle of the serengeti and went to ngorogoro krater on the last day. We were picked up perfectly on time at our accommodations and were brought back on the last day. Everything was well arranged and made sure that we were comfortable. Thank you for the amazing experience!!!