The Matoke Tours Team
Matoke Tours
- Located In:
-
Netherlands
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2002)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, AUTO, SGR, UTB & UCF
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $750 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email Jannika and Anne | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One week individual tour Uganda - a great experience
We did a week-long tour through Queen Elizabeth NP, Bwindi NP (Gorilla tracking) and Lake Mburo NP. The camps and lodges where we stayed were all beautiful and clean, nice and helpful people. We saw all animals we wanted to see, including lions, gorillas, giraffes and the shoebill. Our tour guide Kule was the best guide we could have imagined: friendly, knowledgeable and a safe driver. Organisation by Matoke was excellent: they were very responsive and helpful during the preparation of our tour and understood immediatelly our wishes and expectations. Highly recommendable!
NL
Email Jeroen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Thank you Matoke Tours for a great safari trip!
We were with a relatively big group of 9 people. Most of us have done already several safaris in countries like Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa and Botswana. Our main interest was going for a Gorilla tracking and Chimpanzee tracking but we wanted to have also different experiences and did not have much time.
Wim and Ilse understood our wishes quickly, were great, very helpful and informative in their communication and customized our itinerary perfectly. The accommodation were picked very well with nice food, the transport was timely and the different guides were very friendly but even more important very knowledgeable. We had different kinds of wildlife viewing like walking, driving and by boat. Even with abundant wildlife viewing from the pool with a cold glass of beer. :-)
Thank you very much, Wim, Ilse and the complete staff of Matoke Tours, we had an unforgettable trip and we recommend everybody who would like to visit amazingly beautiful en friendly Uganda to definitely go with Matoke Tours!!!
DE
Email Marita Wünsche | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
10 days Uganda - a fantastic trip!
Full of expectation, we started our journey on May 2nd. We are two women traveling alone from Ilmenau. Already in advance, we were pleasantly surprised by the competent, very trustworthy advice by Sven Gilian. Arrived at Entebbe, we felt immediately in good hands when we saw a driver of the first lodge with our name and called our guide soon afterwards, inquired about us and announced for the next morning.
And as the first impression was, our entire trip went. Bryan, our "girl for everything" proved to be a true treasure. Not only did he inform us in detail about the country and the people (in very good German) during the trip, he did everything to make us feel comfortable with his humor, during the almost 1200 km journey.
Quite apart from that, the ride did not bother us otherwise. The wonderful scenery in all parts of the trip was the result. "Uganda, the green pearl of Africa" bears its name rightly.
Again and again we had to use our camera because we had to capture the beautiful landscape in pictures.
The swamp migration, as the first activity, was just right as an entry into the animal world. Unfortunately, the animals, such as the Colombus monkeys, were hiding a bit, but it would become better. And so it happened in the following days. It is very difficult to name a true highlight, because all animal observations were indescribably impressive for us in their own way. Whether it is the all-day trail with the chimpanzees, the tracking and extensive observation of the lions and a leopard, and, of course, the encounter with the gorillas - all in all unforgettable moments that fulfilled our expectations.
At this point, we must also mention the friendly, always helpful rangers, which have always endeavored to satisfy us and to compensate for our lack of English knowledge by slow speaking.
All in all, this trip will be a constant memory for us, and we would like to thank Matoke Tours for allowing us all this.
TH
Email Jim T | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic Uganda
The experience we had in Uganda was simply fantastic. All the activities were excellent as we saw all the animals which Uganda has to offer, big or small. The gorillas were the unbelievable, an amazing once in a lifetime experience but the Chimpanzee habituation was a real highlight and something I would really recommend to everybody who visits Kibale. A slightly unexpected highlight was actually the swamp walk in Kibale. We saw 7 out of the 8 primate species and the guide Ben, was a fantastic young man, very passionate and really well informed.
A great deal of our positive experience of Uganda was provided by Kaleb, our driver and guide. He was very kind, informed and positive the whole trip. He had a great understanding of the country, people and environment and made us very welcome. He also knew everybody we met which was great.
The accommodation was of a very high standard and was always interesting, either by location or by design. All the food we had was good, especially when we got to eat some of the local food.
Our only slight disappointment was in both Murchison Falls NP and Queen Elizabeth NP where both times the UWA failed to provide rangers for us. We had heard Kaleb make the arrangements for rangers but both times the rangers we booked choose to go with other, independent, 'cash in hand' groups instead. We did not miss out because Kaleb used to be a ranger and still possessed all the skills and connections so we saw all the animals we wanted to. However, it would have been good to have a second set of experienced eyes in the car with us.
When we did have rangers they were excellent. Africano was our guide for the Chimpanzees and he was brilliant as was the whole team of 5 we had for the Gorilla trekking.
Uganda is a beautiful and fascinating country and both we would like to thanks Matoke tours for guiding us through it.
DE
Email Ursula&Uwe | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Northern Uganda Experience
We booked a private tour to north uganda, it was a great experience.
From organization to implemantation, all was perfect. We enjoyed the accomodations, the contact to the people, the wildlife and the countryside.
Special thanks to Sven (organization) and to our guide and driver David!
Unforgettable Gorilla Tracking Trip in Uganda
We had a really fantastic time last weekend! Aside from the problem with the Aerolink flight to Kisoro on Saturday, everything went very smoothly. Thank you for being available early on Saturday morning to help us troubleshoot. Even though you weren't able to get through to Aerolink, I really appreciated that I was able to call and reach you.
Lake Matunda Resort is wonderful! We were the only guests there. The staff were very warm and hospitable. Service and food was excellent. Our room was perfect. Views were breathtaking. It's one of the best mid-range hotels I've stayed in.
Our transfers to Entebbe, to/from Kisoro and to/from Rushanga were very smooth and timely. Our drivers were safe, reliable, and great ambassadors for the region.
Our gorilla tracking experience was phenomenal! We had one other person in our group. It was only three of us tracking. We only hiked for 40 minutes before reaching the gorilla family. The guides and trackers were excellent, kept us informed and safe. The hour we spent with the family was unforgettable. We lucked out with weather-- it only started to pour rain after we returned from tracking.
So, I'd say we had a really lucky low season experience--benefiting from no crowds, finding the gorillas quickly, and no rain while tracking.
Thanks again for all your help and coordination! I'll be recommending Matoke Tours to friends interested in tracking.
US
Email Doug Thompson | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Uganda tour
We had a great overall trip and experience. We were very pleased with our drivers especially Big Sam. We enjoyed all the places we stayed and especially liked hearing the animals at night at our various lodges. Lake Mutanda lodge is incredibly beautiful and the food was excellent. Their internet was down while we were there but otherwise everything went well. We had great weather the whole time and loved spending time with the many animals including monkeys, chimps, lions, hippos and of course the mountain gorillas. They were so close and very gentle. I have nothing but great things to say about the people of Uganda who were warm and friendly. We also got to visit a Batwa orphanage where a child we sponsor is living. They performed for us a welcome dance with songs that was heart warming. Matoke tours did a fantastic job with everything on our itinerary. We were very busy and packed a lot into our short time in Uganda. I would recommend your tour company highly.
US
Email SaraD | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jackson - The guide that can find the Dodo bird
We just got back from a 9 day safari followed by 3 days in Zanzibar. We had a group of four, two couples in our 30’s. We worked through Matoka Tours. I found them online. They had the best reviews by far. Most importantly everyone raved about their guides. This was a huge sell for me. Connecting with you guide can make or break your trip.
I started out with emailing Ilse van Agtmaal, Sales Manager for Tanzania. I was worried at first but let me tell you….IIse has to be the most patient person there is. She put up with a least 75 emails from me (our group went back and forth on time of year and locations). Every email was answered with grace and kindness. By the time we paid for the trip I had zero worries about sending money.
When we got to Arusha we were greeting by one of the kindest people I have ever meet. Jackson H. (or action Jackson). He has two beautiful children, his baby was born SIX days before our tour. And is basically a walking animal/bird encyclopedia.
He/they took care of everything, all lodges/camps were always happily awaiting us. We never had to do anything in regards to park registration/fees. He even found me clean and tidy restrooms whenever I needed, except the Serengeti, which is too beautiful to pollute with structures and buildings. (Hey! This is a big deal for a lady).
On the second day it became very apparently that Jackson was truly listening to everything we said. He knew all the special things we each wanted to see and was very determined to find them for us. He saw stuff that other guides drove past without noticing, and knew how to position us so we always got our own private viewings. Like the morning he found us an entire pride of Lions in the Serengeti. There were 12 of them, from babies to full grown males. We watch them lay and play, then we followed them as slowly got up, one by one and drifted back into the trees and fog like a dream.
We ended up seeing over 50 lions, the Big 5? No Problem, we saw 4 in one day. I am fascinated by little cats in the wild....he found me a Serval at Sunset! We have movies of baby elephants playing in mud puddles, and a Cheetah teaching her cubs how to hunt. We sat near a leopard in a tree for what had to be 30 mins...time stood still as I gazed upon it and sketched its spots. I saw a baby wildebeest take its first drink of milk, followed by its first steps. Our grouped dubbed him as….”Jackson, the guide that can find the Dodo bird”.
Since this is getting to be such a long review i’ll sum it up and say:
Every meal was amazing, I never imaged we would eat as well as we did. I had planned on dropping a few pounds on the trip...nope! I gained some.
We always had hot showers, the cleanest of rooms and the best service. We had booked a comfort tour, but it was a luxuries and extravagant to us.
So many clean bathrooms..Everywhere!
The vehicle was always in perfect condition. We saw some people with a broken jeep in the Serengeti. Not us, we rode in style.
Clean water was never an issue
Travel sickness - One of the gentlemen in our group fell very sick. One night he couldn’t make it down for dinner, Jackson had the lodge cook him a special meal of tomato soup, rice and bread. He had them take it to his room/hut/tent and wouldn’t leave until he tried to eat. (now that's caring for your fellow human)
Zanzibar - not so much for me. Not to be a silly America, but oh my goodness hot in summer. We should have sprung for a lodge with A/C. Personally I felt more at home in the Serengeti. I connected with the park people better. Zanzibar felt a bit icy.
To conclude, I am so blessed to have taken this trip. I thank Makote Tours for making it the trip of our lives. (well, actually….we might go back, it was too good to stay away). And for always making us feel safe and comfortable, for treating us as good friends, not just clients.
LU
Email Irmi | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience
Our first trip to Uganda turned out to be a wonderful experience thanks to the very good organisation through Matoke Tours. We saw them all, Shoebill, lions, leopards, buffalos, mountain gorillas, chimps, and, and, and. Our driver Richard was, beside being a very skilful and experienced driver, a walking dictionary when it came to questions about fauna and flora, about history, politics and culture regarding this wonderful country. He knew it all. A good choice of lodges and a very professional planning and organisation makes us looking forward to going back to Uganda for another exciting trip. Still lots to discover !
US
Email Rick | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lions and Gorillas
We booked the "comfort" tour with Matoke anti was great. This was the 5 day package with 2 nights in QE park and 2 at Lake Mutanda for the Gorillas. We lucked out by seeing lions, elephants, and even a leopard at QE and the gorilla trekking was excellent (except for all the selfie's taken.) Our driver David J was superb. He helped us spot 50 species of bird and handled the amazingly bad roads with confidence and comfort. The travel between sites was long and tiring (even just riding). My advice is to schedule 7 days, stay an extra night in QE Park and another one at Lake Mutanda which is exceptionally beautiful. It would make the travel in between that much more valuable. Also, go for the upgrade to the 4 land cruiser.
All in all, though seeing Uganda at bit is very much part of the interest. Matoke was professional and confident.