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
Email Ann | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service is guaranteed even for various budgets.The staff have visited the places recommend
Excellent service and recommendations even when we changed our minds so many times there was always a ready alternative or positive suggestions. Highly recommended.
Email Elliot | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible experience. What a country! What a guide!
From the start of our booking Sven was very helpful in adapting their pre existing tours to fit what we wanted to do and also changing hotels between budget and more luxurious to fit what we wanted at each place! He was very helpful with answering lots of questions we had from locations of game drives to practical information of visas and money. Our flight was delayed by 24 hours but, between Sven and our guide (Mugabi), they managed to adapt our tour to make sure we didn't miss anything. Mugabi was fantastic from start to finish, we couldn't have asked for a better guide. He gave us political and cultural information as we drove through different towns; was incredibly knowledgable about all of the animals; was very adaptable when we wanted to stay in certain places longer or go looking for other things; knew the locations where certain animals were frequently seen which made for some incredible game viewing; found us other restaurants to eat when the restaurants attached to our hotels were 'less desirable' and ensured we were happy and safe at all times! We will certainly be keeping in touch with him. I would (and already have!) definitely recommend Uganda and Matoke Tours to everyone. The country is beautiful and so diverse. In our 10 day tour we got close to the chimps and followed them for around an hour in Kibale Forest. We saw about a hundred Elephants, a pride of Lions, Hyenas with babies, Waterbuck, Ugandan Kob, Buffalo, Hippos, crocodile, Baboons, Monkeys, Flamingo, Warthog, 7 different types of Eagle, Vultures and so many other types of birds (including cranes, storks ,kingfishers) in Queen Elizabeth. Would definitely recommend the cruise along the Kazinga Channel and Simba Safari Lodge was incredible and so welcoming. The best lodge we stayed in on our trip, which was no small part down to James and his staff! We saw the tree climbing lions and Leopard in the Ishasha Sector. By the River Camp was in an incredible location but we had a few issues with water and a bats nest above our bed. We got so close to the Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi which was the most incredible experience ever. We spent an hour and a half with them, watching them eat and play. Would recommend paying a bit more for your hotel here though as our stay at the cheaper place was not so enjoyable because of poor food and not feeling particularly welcome. We then saw Giraffe, Eland, zebra, Topi, Impala and Bush buck in huge numbers in Lake Mburo and would definitely recommend doing the morning walking safari as we were in amongst a herd of zebra on their way to the watering hole. Rwakobo Rock where we stopped here was absolutely beautiful. Incredible views, excellent facilities and very welcoming staff. We chose to just have the basic truck and not pay for the upgrade and with their only being 4 of us in a 7 seater it meant there was space for all of us to stand up through the lifted roof. Overall, it was a once in a lifetime trip that none of us will ever forget! Thank you Matoke, Thank you Sven, thank you Mugabi and thank you Uganda!!
Marvellous introduction to Uganda
My family and I have just returned from a two week trip round southwestern Uganda (Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Lake Mburo). Matoke proved to be brilliant at organising all aspects of this and were extremely quick in responding to requests for information, as well as very helpful in suggesting alternatives to our initial plans. Our driver/guide, Abdal, was a fount of knowledge, a superb driver and a real pleasure to be with for the whole of the trip. We have come back keen to visit other parts of Uganda in the future and would definitely go to Matoke again.
NO
Email Eva | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unforgettable
The way Matoke handled the organization of our trip was very professional and they showed a flexibility that shows a true customer focus.
Our guide/driver Dunn was exeptional. He educated us about the history of the country, the wildlife and current developments. He made us feel completely safe and realized all of the small additional wishes.
I'd travell with Matoke again!
Eva
Email Alex | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
Matoke tours was exceptionally professional from start to finish. Ilse was amazing with all contact to answer many questions. We travelled Uganda and Congo with a personalised individual tour which exceeded our expectations daily and everything was perfectly organised and safe. Matoke tours gave us the fortunate opportunity to vist Congo and experience amazing adventures off the beaten track. We visited the volcano and both mountain and lowland gorillas in congo and could recommend all highly.
We were so lucky to have our tour guide Anatoli who gave a wealth a knowledege, was super friendly and made our trip more memorable.
All accommodation was fantastic and felt very spoilt.
Thank you so much for an amazing unforgettable adventure
HK
Email Robin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It simply couldn't be better!!
From the day I contacted Matoke Tours, they always replied me swiftly and with a very high level of professionalism. I am not used to book and pay on line so I really had to feel that Matoke was totally trustworthy. Matoke was able to answer all my questions in a very efficient way. The best was to come: the trip itself. We were lucky because I believe we had an exceptional driver (his name is Abdallah). He was always on time, drove safely, checked some roads beforehand to guarantee we would always be on time. Cherry on the cake, he is not only a very responsible and committed guide but he is also very interesting and entertaining. We managed to see a Leopard in QENP, we managed to see the Gorillas in Bwindi, actually see is not the right word...we were actually sitting two metres away enjoying an amazing moment. We explored Western Uganda to its fullest but in a very comfortable way. With Matoke Tours, it was simply all about enjoying the trip with no organisation hassle! We want to thank Matoke Tours for this trip of a lifetime. Webale nyo! Weraba!
DE
Email Nina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best trip we ever made
The trip was very well organized. Our driver/guide was taking very good care of us, showing us the best spots, communicating with rangers and other guides to make every safari succesfull (we saw a leopard in Queen Elizabeth National Park which is really difficult!!). We had a lot to see and do in our 12 days tour and we are glad for ervery minute. In the mid time of our trip Matoke even called to ask if there is anything else they could do for us. Before our trip started we hoped to see the wildlife, especially the gorillas, but the reality was even better.
VN
Email Peter Le | under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great trip to Nyiragongo Volcano!
I was looking up tours company to Virunga/Nyiragongo National Park and found that Matoke tours is both the most affordable tour company and the most well-known in Uganda. The set-up and payments went smoothly online with no problem and the staff was very responsive and accommodating to our needs. They also helped us arrange visa at no extra cost and saved us the hassle. As a plus, we booked our flight to Kigali early and was able to tour the city and the Genocide memorial for free (we had the driver to ourselves the whole day). Our driver/tour guide in Rwanda was very nice and knowledgeable. The accommodation in Gisenyi (the night before the trek) was very high-end and comfortable (I could've stayed there for a week!). The rest of the tour was handled by Virunga National Park staff which also went very smoothly and safe (it was a big group of about 24 hikers). The view of the biggest volcano lake is breathtaking and unlike anything I've seen before! There was one or two hiccups where we had to pay for porters and a short transport to the DRC border (which we thought was included). But Matoke tours soon reached out to us, apologized, and reimbursed us. All in all, an unforgettable journey that went fairly smoothly. The price is not that much different than if you planned it yourself but everything is taken care of (trust me the price on Virunga National Park's official website is deceiving). Would definitely recommend, thanks Matoke
HR
Email Sanja | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professional and efficient
Matoke tours organized 3 weeks tour in Uganda and Rwanda for three of us. As we had visited Africa for several times, travelled through various countries, organized by different tour operators, it is easy to summarize our experience with Matoke in comparison to our previous experience - for the preparation phase and also during the tour itself.
1. During the preparation time, the personnel was responsive, precise and efficient. Emails were answered within the 24 hours which does not usually happen with other tour operators from Africa, our wishes were accepted whenever possible either in respect to places that we preferred to visit or in respect to the type of accommodation or mode of travelling.
2. The tour was carried out following the plan, and the unexpected problems were resolved efficiently, on the best possible way. Importantly, we had a competent, knowledgeable and helpful guide.
Based on our whole experience, I can certainly recommend Matoke tours as the best tour operator that we encountered on our tours in Africa so far.
US
Email Mike and Rosemarie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent and Professional
Harriet kept me informed from when I first inquired about the trip to booking and all upgrades and prices. Lionel made sure all was fine once we arrived in Uganda. Our driver/guide Edwin was a very excellent driver and knowledgeable, he informed us of different things as we drove which helped us to understand Uganda better. Edwin always was on time and stayed on schedule. The lodges and food an A Plus and the staff all friendly and hopeful. The itinerary was everything my wife and I could have hoped for on a safari in Africa from the Gorilla and Chimpanzee tracking to the game drives to the horse back riding. The trip was Clearly Outstanding. Thank you Matoke Tours.