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
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Journey
From the beginning very well and personally organised by Nicole.
When we arrived, we met our travel companions from holland and our tour guide Bella and the two drivers Fred and Richard. All of them where very nice people. We booked a 15 days tour through Uganda and everything was well arranged. Bella was a perfect tour leader, so we only have to enjoy the views, experiences, animals, people and landscapes. We recommend this trip to everyone, because Uganda is the most beautiful country we've ever seen. Bella informed and helped us very well, so we've learned a lot of the religion, the political situation and the way of life of the Ugandan people. It was a trip with lots of adventure and the Gorillatracking as highlight. If you are planning a tour through Uganda, please contact Matoke tours and you will have an incredible journey.
BE
Email Mieke Verschueren, Belgium | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Tanzania was marvelous
Thanks a lot Matoke Tours, our tour in Tanzania was SUPER!!! we had to do nothing but enjoying, everything was excelent organised.
Our guide was the best ever, thanks Lawrence.
We have seen everything you can dream, 99 lions for instance, nobody can believe this, but it is true.
3 leopards, 3 cheeta's, wild dogs, you name it. A lion hunting on a warthog ( and he got it ), fighting elephants, fightings grirafs, sometimes we had the suspicion, our guide was telepathic, he could see what would happen, almost every time.
Ofcourse we have seen the big 5, we are travelling every year to Africa, but this was the best, we have never seen this, it was the best organised the most exciting travel ever,I don't have words enough to discribe !!!!!!!!!!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
excellent, reliable,informative and professional safari group!
My father and I booked our safari through matoke tours in November/December 2014. We booked pretty last minute and changed our itinerary several times. Juma was able to accommodate our requests and changes every time and was very professional and super punctual about getting back to all my emails. Our safari in northern Tanzania was great. Our guide and driver, Gilbert was super friendly, professional. safe and could answer all of our (many) questions about everything! I would definitely recommend Matoke tours, and particularly Gilbert for any tours. We had no problems and had a wonderful safari! All the accommodation and staff at the hotels were really great as well. Thank you Matoke tours and Gilbert!
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Private trip Uganda
We have been on a short trip to Uganda in November. Because the short time Matoke tours made custom program for us, with just a few things on our list Matoke understood perfectly what we would like to do. Kibale forest, Bwindi, Ngamba Island. We had our own driver who was very nice and did a excellent job. The hotels where we stayed where lovely. Great staff at all places. The comfort was real high, so we could relax at the lodges we stayed.
We miss the wake up call with coffee at home!
The trips where a succes. At Bwindi we received the greatest gift after visit our Gorilla family on our way down hill we meet a second family of Gorilla's.
And Ngamba Island, what a unique experience!! Sleeping on the Island and making the forest walk with the Chimps. What a way to end your holiday.
Thanks for all the good care!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very helpful, knowledgeable and great value - Uganda trip
Juma from Matoke was extremely patient and helpful providing an itinerary which met our requirements. Our driver/guide Dan was friendly and knowledgeable. Our vehicle was not top of the fleet but v sturdy and perfect for our requirements. Kibale forest camp and Entebbe airport guest house were both wonderful. Rihuja gorilla accommodation was disappointing by comparison although still clean and friendly - it just didn't have the wow factor that the others did. The gorilla tracking was amazing - I wish I could do it all over again. I have already recommended Matoke tours to two colleagues.
BE
Email Eric Lahey, Wildlifebrothers.com | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Mdonya Old River Camp, bushlife at its best
Mdonya, bushlife at its best.
Knowing our expectations and our desire to find interesting spots to make great pics, Matoke Tours adviced us to stay at Mdonya Old River Camp.
If you are looking for an authentic bush experience, don't look further ... Mdonya has it all. At Mdonya the impossible is made possible.
After more than 10 African safari's and having visited even more camps, lodges,..., our stay at Mdonya was a blast!
It was our second stay in Ruaha, which is one of the best remote wildlife parks we have ever been to, and this time it exceeded our expectations once again. Ruaha, same size as Switzerland and one hour and a half bushplane flight away from Dar Es Salaam is one of the parks that is least invaded by tourists in Tanzania and is known for its density of wildlife including several packs of Wild Dogs.
We arrived at the end of the dry season and we had a marvelous stay.
First of all, the Mdonya camp itself is so authentic that you imagine yourself being Dr Livingstone. The Camp is composed of 12 authentic bushtents. No electricity inside but candles, petroleum lamps and comfortable beds. The toilet and shower are located outside the tent. The dinner area is just a big long wooden table under the African sky. But heck, what else do you need? The reception area does have a charging station (to charge your batteries, phones,...). Life at Mdonya is mainly spent in the open air which is beautiful! The food is fantastic. You taste the Italian "cucina" mixed with the finest African delicacies.
The camp is completely focused on pleasing its guests. That is the sole mission of superb camp manager Mary and her staff. Whether you want the standard gamedrives in the morning or in the evening or whether you want to go on a full day gamedrive, everything is possible. We did a fullday gamedrive every day, got breakfast in the bush and got lunch in the bush. Every day, we left before dawn and arrived back at the camp after sunset . We never heard a complaint from our overtired driver or guide. Neither did we get a remark from the camp manager that we had spoiled too much fuel. :-)) Not to mention that the on-the-go meals were mouthwatering! Living life to the fullest!
Ruaha is a national park but the area where Mdonya is situated offers the opportunity to go offroad if something interesting is spotted. We arrived at the end of the dry season, meaning that all wildlife was concentrated around the few waterponds in the dried out riverbeds (the Mwagusi & Ruaha river) which was the sign for OMG sightings during our whole stay. We saw at least 7 different Lion prides. One pride had cubs, the other one had killed a giraffe 30 minutes before we arrived, another one had killed a baby elephant just minutes before we arrived, another one did an attempt on a herd of buffalo's,... Every day we saw lions and not just passive ones but the very active ones. A real photographic peak! Apart from that we saw the rare sable antilopes and bat-eared foxes, hyena,elephants, giraffes, impala, gazelles, duikers, dik dik's and more than 20 different birds of prey (Martial Eagle, Fish eagle, Verreaux eagle owl, tawny eagle, ...). But the real highlight of our journey was the "live" kill of a leopard that we followed during a few days and that killed a baby impala just in front of us. What an experience! Every night, satisfied and well-fed, we fell asleep accompanied by the sound of roaring lions or hyena calls.
Unfortunately, we did not see Wild dogs and the Tse Tse flies - especially in the Jongomero area - were annoying, but these were only a minor inconvenience in what was overall a truly fantastic trip.
For more reports, movies or pictures, please watch our website wildlifebrothers.com. More to come soon!
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Profesional and flexible
The groups have a maximum size of twelve travellers spread over two cars, you always have a spacious window seat. Both the drivers and the tour leader are well prepared and try to avoid any delays. They are also informed/educated about the country, culture, roads, parks and animals. We had nice accommodations, vehicles and in the parks we always had a ranger. The tour was very complete (without extra costs). Overall we had an excellent tour through Uganda.
NL
Email Henny en Leo Smink | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tanzania and Zanzibar with Matoke Tours
Our safari to Tanzania (and Zanzibar) with Matoke Tours
13 oktober 2014……At last……..we departed!
More than a year ago we visited an information day in (with Bosscher bol) in Utrecht and actually booked the safari at once.
At the airport in Kilimanjaro were picked up by our guide for the coming 11 days, Gilbert Mariki, and we drove in the pitch dark to our first lodge, where we got a warm welcome with a nice drink. Besides…..that was repeated in every next lodge we arrived .
We visited the most beautiful parks and saw so many beautiful things! Specially because of ‘our’ Gilbert,. He really had the eyes of a hawk! It is incredible how he saw animals from a great distance and had to convince us that and where the animals that he saw, were.
So if there is a possibility…..ask for Gilbert Mariki! ;-)) He takes you to the most beautiful places (also to the Masai) and he can tell you very much about the nature and the animals!
All lodges satisfied our expectations! In contradiction with what we had read about het food in Tanzania, it was very good! Good choice with breakfast, such as fruit, eggs prepared in different ways, bread and pancakes.
Lunch was mostly a lunchbox, because we were on safari of course and the box was rich filled with all kinds of goods, such as cake, fruit, drinks, chocolat and a piece of chicken.
Diner was always a 3-course diner, , in short, we thought at first that this time our weight would not grow, but the opposite was true!
The safari a complete package tour! The temperature was between 21 and 30 degrees, so very pleasant.
Afterwards we understood also why the trip is rather expensive! It is a very expensive country with high petrol prices and entrance fees for the National Parks. Also in our little ‘supermarket’ where we bought water, biscuits, 6 tins of beer, 4 peacesof Mars, 1 bottle of Fanta, 1 sack peanuts en 1 tablet of chocolat,, we were surprised by the amount of $93 we had to pay. Our tip: take a little more with you than the advised $ 400, we would say between $ 400 and $600 p.p. Of course it depends on your own consumption use, but you can change at home what is left.
Finally we were for 6 days at Zanzibar, (average temperature during our stay 32 degrees)and we liked that very munch, because you get many impressions during the safari and than the rest on Zanzibar is very welcome to let all impressions land. Also on Zanzibar we had en very nice stay at Langi Langi, with very kind local people. We had a sea safari and saw many nice things! The domestic flighs and transfers were excellent arranged by Matoke Tours.
We were in Stonetown for 1 day with a guide. You have to get used on the activity ont he street and the market , but we are very glad that we dit it!
In short…..we had a fantastic holiday en when we have plans to make a tour like this we surely approach Matoke Tours to see what they can offer!
NL
Email Sonja, Hans, Bianca en Jeroen | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our experience with Matoke Tours are great!
We went with four people on a 12 day safari-tour in Tanzania by Matoke Tours. We visited Lake Manyara, the Serengetti and the Ngorogorocrater. We saw lots of wild animals. Our guide/chauffeur Gerald showed us de most beautiful spots and told us much about it. After that we went for een few days to Zanzibar. The whole trip was above our expectations. I am sitting in a wheelchair, but I can walk a few steps with crutches. With a little bit of help you can make this trip for sure. The people of Tanzania are very kindly en helpfully. The hole team of Matoke Tours as well in Holland and Tanzania created the journey of our life.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Honeymoon in Uganda, Tanzania and Zanzibar
We had an excellent experience overall with Matoke; from the arranging of the honeymoon, all our questions were answered and they were very patient with our requests! We had a fantastic guide (Dan) in Uganda, and a great experience trekking with the gorillas which was a once-in-a-lifetime event. We absolutely loved Uganda, and would perhaps liked to have done one other activity there, because we were not aware of all the different activities that were available, so if something else had been suggested that would have been great, because we did have a couple of days just waiting in Kampala. In Tanzania, we had a great time; having a private tour for just myself and my husband was a great experience, it felt very personal and our guide was very knowledgeable. All the accommodation we stayed in was lovely, customer service was obviously a very high priority here! We were very lucky on safari and saw all the animals we had hoped to see, and again, having a private tour meant we had great views of the animals. The Ngorongoro Farm House was a particularly wonderful place to stay, especially after getting back from safari! Our accommodation in Zanzibar (Unguja Lodge) was fantastic - the staff were attentive without being overbearing, there were plenty of activities to occupy us if we wanted, and we felt thoroughly relaxed after our time there!