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
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Email Howard | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Green bananas are the way to go!
“Matoke” means green bananas, and as you are guided through East Africa, especially Rwanda and Uganda, you see everyone eating them, buying them, cooking them....it’s an apt name for a great local African tour company.
About a year ago, as I was plotting my East African adventure, I kept seeing tour companies based in the UK or US, and I wanted to share a locals perspective, and hopefully save some money. I had convinced 5 friends to join me, and I had to make sure they were happy with EVERY moment of the trip.
I found Matoke on a google search of Ugandan tour companies, and while many companies replied, they immediately went into depth. I first befriended Ilse, and she spent many hours creating an outline to meet our wants and needs. I have been to Africa a few times, and I knew my group of 50, 60 and 70 year olds needed a bit of coddling and expertise.
Matoke did not fail to deliver. Ilse even convinced me that it was relatively safe to head into the DRCongo with their week long itinerary to see the giant Grauers gorillas, and the mountain gorilla sanctuary. They tailored our trip to the hotels and lodges that would keep us comfortable and not break our budget. Their first estimate was roughly one half of other offers. I double checked reviews of each lodge and coupled that with online reviews of Matoke and I was sold.
Months of planning. A gazillion emails (answered immediately), and Ilse left on leave to have a baby, and we were then passed on to Anna Vos. WOW! Anna was simply remarkable. I felt like we became good friends, and she understood all our nervousness and replied immediately to reassure all would be to our liking.
The best part was she made sure “Anatoly”, the Ugandan man with a HUGE smile and open heart was to be our guide in the DRCongo, Rwanda and Uganda.
I cannot say enough good things about this man, as all 6 of us enjoyed his expertise, his demeanor and his warm funny nature. We wanted to take him home with us, and we wish him well!
Dramatic last minute changes occurred that closed the DRCongo border and we had to come up with a “plan B” 1 month before our departure. Anna scrambled and was able to recreate an amazing week in Rwanda. Every place we stayed at was simply incredible. We never felt cheated or uncomfortable. So many incredible memories in the heart of Africa. If we were hungry or needed a bathroom or just a pat on the shoulder, Anatoly was in charge and made every day....even the really early days, or the 3 hour “African massage” rough road days..a pleasure! We still miss Anatoly and keep in touch. He made our Rwandan-Ugandan tour one we will never ever forget.
We also booked a second part of the tour to Tanzania, to go out on safari with Matoke. They, in turn, hired a respected safari company in Tanzania, called “Easy Travel”. The change from Anatoly to our Tanzanian guide was 180 degrees. While most of our needs were met, and the places we stayed in Tanzania were top notch.....STAY at Tortollis Camp in Serengeti!!....we all missed Anatoly and wished he were still our guide. We had many long drives with our Tanzanian guide, and he just lacked the connectedness, the comeraderie, and the level of care that we had grown used to with Anatoly. I cannot blame Matoke for the guide there, but we really did not enjoy his company, and all 6 of us wished we had someone different. He was always prompt, always diligent, but on too many occasions, we felt he was not right for our group. Perhaps a small group, but not a wild group of novice travelers on their first trip to Africa.
I made a huge mistake with Ilse in the early planning, and misdirected her on my wish to see the Great Migration. At the time we went, it was now far to the north in Kenya, and we were all a bit let down.
All in all, you have many choices to make when searching for a responsible tour company. Africa can be a challenge to have events always work out as you planned, but after many trips to Africa, I have learned to accept that fact. Matoke will “hold your hand” regardless of sudden changes and make you feel safe and secure.
I can not recommend them enough. I plan on going back to Africa many more times in my life, and I will always try to utilize Matoke’s expertise in the future.
Email Nick | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Magnificent - Surpassed all our expectations
We had a fantastic and special 15 night holiday in Uganda arranged by Matoke Tours.
The service from Matoke was excellent, from initial enquiry to the end of our trip. Communication and recommendations were good, payment was easy and safe and the service provided was at a fraction of the price available to us in the UK for the same accommodation.
We expected a great trip but this surpassed all our expectations. As with all trips to countries like Uganda you need to be prepared for poor roads, long transfers and limited healthcare etc.
All the lodges we stayed at were different and were as we expected. Food and service was very good (although we did struggle with the large food portions).
The food at Mahingo was probably the best. The new managers there were very welcoming and there was a lot to do there in the form of activities. If I were to do this trip again I would have 2 nights there. Bakers lodge was probably our favourite,with the hippos round and about. That said, they were all really really good.
Everything went to plan without any hitches. We were impressed by the schedule...the timings for the activities and transfers were perfect.
We saw so much and Uganda was far more lovely than we could have ever imagined.
Wild Waters was beautiful...we just had a day relaxing there. I think 2 nights is enough as you are a bit trapped there.
Robert was one of the best guides we have come across on our travels. He is a real gentleman in every sense of the word. He was knowledgeable, fantastic at spotting animals, and good at getting us the front seats on boat trips. Robert really made our trip special, we could not have asked for a better driver/guide.
The parks were fantastic, lush, green and we saw tree climbing lions, leopards and hyenas up close. The boat trips were fabulous for spotting birds and crocodiles. The highlight of the trip was the gorilla trek. We got ridiculously close to the family we trekked too. Once in a lifetime stuff.Be warned, don't turn up expecting a gentle walk to see them. The terrain is seriously up and down and some people with us struggled as they were ill prepared and unfit. Carrying your own backpack isn't a matter of pride, employ a porter and put some money back into the local economy.
We had a holiday that will live on in our memories.
I would happily recommend Matoke to anyone who wishes to travel to east Africa and Uganda in particular. It was first class.
Email Linda Bates | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
8 fantastic days in Uganda
We have just returned from our 8 day tour of Uganda with Matoke tours and would recommend the itinerary and the company unreservedly. The accommodation throughout was good. Kibale was but more basic than the other two but very atmospheric. Being low season for 3 nights we were the only guests in our hotels! Bothe Marafiki and Chameleon Hill were lovely and the food was delicious in both and staff at all 3 hotels were helpful and pleasant.
The predator tracking in QENP was fascinating and quite exciting as the lions were threatening the cattle of a local community so we were thrilled to be part of that and then to see 3 lions in the trees in Ishasha too was a real bonus. James the researcher was very experienced and it was thrilling to get to see lions at close quarters and that others could not (due to his electronic tracking equipment).
But of course the gorillas were the highlight. We were very lucky to see 2 groups and a confrontation between 4 silverbacks as well as spending some time with some babies - and we only had to trek for 30 minutes before finding the group.
However the star of the tour was our driver/guide Edwin. He was professional and informative and a safe and excellent driver in some challenging conditions. He never seemed to tire of our questions and was willing to go the extra mile to make sure se had the best experience possible.
Anna in the Matoke tours office was speedy and efficient in response to all our queries and we had complete confidence in the company. We chose the mid range accommodation option which we were very happy with and we upgraded to a land cruiser which proved to be a good decision when we encountered some very wet and muddy tracks en route. It was a truly memorable holiday.
Email Alicja | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable experience !!
Ilse organized our personalized trip to Uganda, DR Congo and Rwanda and that was not the easiest thing to do!
This trip exceeded my expectations and I have already recommended this company to my friends.
Every day of our trip was wonderful!
We manage to see Big Five in one day ( I recommended to visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary).
Murchison Falls National Park is beautiful with abundance of wildlife and birds ( strongly advice to to go on river cruise and hike waterfalls).
We did gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park, experience that I will remember for a very long time!
If I have to say what made biggest impression and impact on me, that was part of our tour in DR Congo.
This is so beautiful but yet so deeply wounded country.
Virunga National Park is magical place , not only because of wildlife, but mainly because of dedication and hard work of rangers and park management in order to preserve park and support local communities.
Part of our group hike Mount Nyiragongo ( for very fit only ) and that was very unique experience.
Our tour guide Richard was very knowledgeable , friendly and very professional , thanks to him our trip was safe and funny and very interesting!
Overall we had trip of our life and thank you again Ilse, Richard and Matoke Tours!
PS
I will be back one day!
Email Emily | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our tour was so well organised, and our guide was so knowledgeable and friendly!
Matoke was such a great company to tour with. Our days were packed so we made the most of every day, our guide seemed to know everyone and everything- he was so knowledgeable and taught us so much about Ugandan wildlife and culture. The tour exceeded all expectations, we will be using matoke again!!
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Email Jennifer | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded Expectations
The safari was way beyond incredible, and our wonderful guide Edward could not have been nicer, more knowledgeable or better in any way. In a word - amazing! We saw all the animals over the course of the safari very close up, saw a huge variety and loved every minute. The accommodations were all better then described, the staff at each wonderful and friendly. Zanzibar was relaxing and peaceful and nice to explore. The people of Tanzania are wonderful, friendly, and genuine people.
It was an experience we will never forget and want to share with all the people interested in Uganda
The trip was beyond our expectations in all aspects. Besides the beautiful country-sights of Uganda, Matoke had arranged excellent lodges for us and a good variety of game drives, river safaris , walking safaris and of course the Gorilla track. We had a very good and experienced driver / guide, able to tell us a lot about the country, history and nature. We are looking forward to let Matoke Tours arrange our next trip to Africa.
AT
Email Monika | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
tour with individual touch
At first we had nice email contact with Sven who was very sensitive about our wishes. We did not want to visit all parcs in a few days, just wanted to see the gorillas and to come in contact with the local community. He composed a trip for us and we really enjoyed it. We did a walking tour in Kampala with a young Ugandan woman and another great tour in the lake Bunyoni area. It was absolutly fabulous. Our driver Moses was a nice guy, but not talkative. In Lake Mburo NP we made a stoppover in Eagels Nest ( amazing!) and during safari Moses showed enthusiasm and we had a lot of fun with him. Here we also did a Mountainbike tour. At first we were disappointwd because we did not go into the parc and stayed outside but later we realised that we had good luck. We were just we two and had a great young guide who showed us animals, his home, an orphants house ... Another group (23 people!) had gone to the parc and swallowed the dust...
Sven also organised the pick up from the airport and the guesthouses in Entebbe and Kampala. They were both well situated and comfortable.
At least Sven wanted to get feedback and visited us in our guesthouse in Kampala. This was great and we really would recommend him as your travel consultant.
IL
Email Emanuella | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The trip was wonderful. Rwanda is a beautiful place. The chimpanzee tracking was rather difficult fo
The trip was wonderful. Rwanda is a beautiful place.
The chimpanzee tracking was rather difficult for me, but i have managed to make it.
The hotels/lodges were excellent. Thank you for that.
Confidence (my driver guide) was very good. I am very happy that he was my driver/guide.
Thank you for handling the situation with Flame tree hotel in Kigali (the fact that no one came to take me from the airport), quickly to my satisfaction.
I will recommend Matoke tours to others
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35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing! Great communication!
I talked with several safari agencies, but decided to go with Matoke due to its competitive pricing and the great reviews I saw on this website. I'm glad I did. Despite the time difference between the US and Uganda, the agency, especially its manager Ilse, were extremely communicative and walked me through the whole planning process. Together, we created a Tanzanian safari that met my family's needs. Our experience last month was exactly as planned. I would like give a special thanks to our driver and tour guide Edward (in partnership with Easy Travel in Arusha) for his unparalleled expertise. We not only saw the Big 5, but other animals we didn't even know existed. He toured us through the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara. He took great care to make sure we had a great time and most of all that we were safe always. Thank you Edward!!!!