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:
- $2,324 to $30,988 per person per day (MXN, 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
IT
Email Mara Redaelli | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
5-night, 6-day safari to the Masai Mara and Amboseli
We booked a private safari for 8 people for 5 nights and 6 days. Starting from Masai Mara, to Lake Nakuru and Amboseli.
My rating (3/5) is due to the difficulty of communication via whatsapp before our arrival, I often had to write several times in order to receive a reply. Also in the program sent to us, for the two nights in the Amboseli there was a different facility than the one where we stayed, upon our arrival at the Amboseli they had overbooked and then moved us to a dirty "fallback" facility without a proper bathroom, the second night in the main facility was no better as they saw cockroaches in some rooms.
However, I would like to point out that our guide Denys was faultless in everything, friendly, helpful and we managed to see all the animals we had in mind.
Thanks to him we were able to have an experience that we will hardly forget.
CA
Email Sami | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing but disappointed with accommodation
6 days safari Masa Mara , Nakuru. And Ambosii
David was an amazing guide he was punctual, knowledgeable and patient . We saw all the big five . He stopped her let us take many photos . Amboseli was my favourite park saw many elephants.
I was able to stay with the same guide which was great however not everyone got the same experience. I was very disappointed with the accommodations because they advertise and claim you will be staying in particular camp sites but that is not the case . It’s pretty much luck of the draw. I stayed in Rino camp which is not mid range more like low range and I paid for mid range I was suppose to stay at enkok camp but 2 people form our group stayed there and the rest stayed Rhino camp. When I realized what was written on the receipt the accommodations I was suppose to be staying at I was fuming . Also last camp I was upgraded them the last night night the manager down graded and the mattress had a huge Dent in the middle i woke up with back pain . I addressed my concerns with the guide and mini and no one said anything. !!!
Make sure you are staying at the correct accommodations because they changes things last min. You should get what you pay for !!!!!
NZ
Email Grant Maslowski | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Much room for improvement
Hi,
I did a group tour with Jocky Tours and Safaris: 7 Days Masai mara/Nakuru/Naivasha/Amboseli. This was my first ever safari, and I followed this with another safari in Tanzania and a Mt Kenya hike with a third company. This safari I rated 3/5 stars, the Tanzania safari 2/5 stars and the Mt Kenya hike 5/5 stars, and I’ll tell you why. Firstly the pickup was 40 minutes late and the excuse was an obvious lie - said to be a car crash but there were alternative routes and the route that was said to have had a car crash had no signs of one (we went this way after he picked me up). This wasted time and waiting around unfortunately was the main theme for this safari - very frustrating. Other team members were often staying at different accommodation and we spent much time just driving between accommodation on dreadful “roads” that had been washed out by recent flooding but also waiting on others to join the vehicle over and over! For example, waiting for nearly an hour outside the Masai Mara gate for one person to join the rest of us. This person was also waiting at his accommodation (under instruction) while we were all waiting for him! Such stupidity of logistics that could so easily be avoided. And we could have driven into the park and looked at the wildlife while we waited for him there and he could have joined us by getting a lift in another company vehicle but no! What really grinded my gears is that the best times of the day for viewing wildlife in action, and in the best light for just viewing and for photography are early in the day and late in the day, and these times and opportunities were repeatedly wasted. I thought perhaps this company was just a bad egg, but the safari in Tanzania was worse - mainly because of the guide who talked bullshit answers when he didn’t know the answers - I happen to be an ecologist who has worked in multiple countries so I often knew more than he did and when he didn’t know what he was talking about. The guide on Mt Kenya said he didn’t know the answers to my questions sometimes and I respected this honesty. Big cats were the priority by far but some people really want to see other wildlife too like elephants, giraffes and birds. We spent a lot of time driving past magnificent wildlife just to watch lions sleeping. My recommendations to Meru Slopes unless you want people to choose other companies like I wish I had: don’t waste peoples time and take advantage of being on safari during the early hours from dawn and then again in the last few hours of daylight. The middle of the day is terrible for wildlife action and photography. Ask people what animals they want to see rather than assuming lions are #1 for everyone. Choose guides that are local (driving a 4WD isn’t that hard, and the Masai people should be employed as the Masai Mara was their land) and perhaps also with relevant degrees in ecology for example - although the local Masai already have a culture of knowledge regarding the wildlife there. This tour has such potential and variety. Until these changes are made I recommend trying a different company or paying more for a private safari.
Cheers,
Grant
IE
Email Edel | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Dissbility Awareness Required
I spent four days on safari. Whilst I enjoyed seeing the animals, hearing the driver describing everything and sharing his knowledge, I felt that there was a lack of understanding at times.
I had physical challenges during my trip which proved difficult at times. If somebody uses a Mobility Device, they use it for a reason. Everybody needs Washroom Facilities so leaving a wheelchair behind at camp is not on. If people are getting out of the jeep for picnic lunch and visiting Curio Shops, a person with mobility issues cannot be exoected to stsy in the jeep for hours on their own or in the extreme heat.
I did enjoy the safari but feel that some DisabilityvAwareness Training would not go a miss.
EG
Email Nermine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wilson is very good tour guide very helpful and want us to see everything and to enjoy our time.
We didn’t like the camp lachanda camp the one in masai mara it was catastrophic not clean there were babons outside the tent and we didn’t sleep also it was very expensive , really bad experience but Wilson is very good tour guide very helpful and want us to see everything and to enjoy our time we like him so much
ES
Email Luca | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
50% trust, lack of clarity
If you book the 4-day tour (Masai Mara + Lake Nakuru), be sure to carefully review the detailed itinerary they send you. It may differ from the one originally advertised, and the changes aren’t always obvious.
On Day 3, the program mentions a possible boat tour depending on timing — but this never happens, even though you arrive around 14:00, which would allow enough time for an activity.
In fact, the driver confirmed to us that nothing was planned at all for that afternoon — he told us this first thing in the morning, clearly indicating that this was known in advance.
So, on Day 3, expect only a 4-hour drive and not activity. This does not depend on arrival time! It is a saving for them not offering an activity on the 3rd day!
The experienxe itself was great but there is clear a lack of clarity.
IT
Email Federica | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not well organized, the program was not well described, we faced lot of extras.
The tour itself was beautiful; we really enjoyed the safari in the Masai Mara, but less so the Nakuru and Naivasha areas. The most disappointing thing for us was finishing the day's program at 3 PM without being able to do anything until the next day. The accommodations and lunches were mediocre for what we paid.
Despite this, John Mwangi, our guide, was very helpful and kind to all our requests.
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.