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Jacmiya Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2021)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $650 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
DE
Email Emmi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good experience with room for improvement!
We had a great safari experience with Jacmiya Safaris overall. My boyfriend and I traveled just the two of us and booked a private safari with them.
The booking process with Jael was very pleasant. She was extremely accommodating to our wishes and planned the entire trip very well around what we wanted to see.
Our guide, Nickson, picked us up in Nairobi, and over the course of eight days, we visited Samburu National Reserve, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and the Masai Mara. Nickson made sure we spent as much time as possible in the parks, and we were always among the first to head out for safari and the last to return.
He was able to identify every animal we encountered, and in the Masai Mara, he also shared some interesting background stories about a few of the animals we saw. During our trip, we managed to see the Big Five, the Ugly Five, and so much more!
Nickson also took the time to stop at a beautiful sunset spot in Samburu National Reserve so he could take pictures of us, which turned out absolutely stunning.
Towards the end of the trip, I unfortunately became ill, and Nickson returned to our camp at night to drive me to the hospital. I am very, very grateful for his help and really appreciated him being there when I needed it.
Areas for improvement:
Communication could have been better at times. At the beginning of our trip, they did not communicate well with the lodges about our arrival times. On two occasions, we were running significantly late, but the lodge had not been informed, which led to some unnecessary difficulties with the staff and reflected negatively on us.
Communication with us was also rather limited. Nickson was not a particularly talkative guide, and we had hoped for a little more explanation and storytelling about the parks, the wildlife, and the places we visited. Of course, we have no comparison with other safari guides, so we cannot say how much this varies from one guide to another. He always answered our questions, but his answers tended to be brief. We also noticed that he often watched videos on his phone while we were stopped to observe the animals, which sometimes made the experience feel less engaging than we had hoped.
Similarly, during the drives between destinations, we would have appreciated a little more communication or conversation.
Finally, starting two days before the end of the trip, we increasingly felt pressured by the organization to leave a five-star review. We were uncomfortable with this, especially as we still had two days of the safari ahead of us and did not want our rating to create an awkward atmosphere. We therefore decided not to commit to a five-star review.
Overall, we had a memorable safari with many wonderful experiences, and we are grateful for the highlights as well as for Nickson’s help when I became ill. However, the communication issues and the pressure to leave a five-star review did affect our overall impression.
MO
Email Sonia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A nice caring guy
For every safari drive, Nickson tries to find something for us to look at, he points to every wildlife that newly and oldly seen.
He is caring too, two of our companions are not feeling well with eyes and the stomach, he correspondingly drive to the pharmacy , take us there and buy the medicine which is pretty kind.
He will negotiate with the hotel with our concern of security( Staff going in the room for cleaning or putting down the net without telling).
He will adjust the problem at once when he knows them.
However, his briefing can be clearer. He will talk about what will we go tomorrow, for some schedule adjustments , it will be better if he can talk about precisely in advance and talk about why we are changing it. ( like there is misunderstanding when going to Tsavo taita hill wildlife sanctuary and Tsavo west national park).
And his campanion( according to him is his relative). As being told it is a private trip with only the guide and us. It is ok for us to to have someone helping with moving the luggages at the beginning of the trip( that is what he is always doing throughout the whole trip), but we should know it IN ADVANCE. We only know the man is going with us the whole trip when initiatively asked, having a feeling of encroaching of personal boundary, especially he took my potato chips and ate them all without asking(not sure whether he knows it is my potato chips). We told Nickson about the potato chips issue and it did not happen ever after.
In short , we care about the clearness on the details of schedules, which is the person following, the schedule adjustments.