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 Astrid Kaiser | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
best service, organization, friendly staff, good locations,
I did the three days tour to Bwindi with Matoke Tours, it was great. In advance I always received soon detailed answers, the tour was excellent. Especially because they selected a wonderful location to sleep twice at the Lake Mutanda, so it was not too much far from Bwindi to be in time for the briefing for the Gorilla tracking. during the long trip to the east we stopped always at clean locations.
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Email Laura | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing adventures thanks to Matoke Tours!
I spent months creating the perfect solo trip to Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania and Ilse from Matoke Tours was with me every step of the way. She was there to answer my many many many emails almost daily for months! She helped me create the perfect tour! Her patience was very much appreciated. She even checked in and helped with a few things during the tour! Every detail from the lodges, meals, transfers, gorilla trekking, chimp trekking, golden monkeys and park entrance fees where all taken care of! The tour it self was amazing. Musa was my personal guide in Uganda and Rwanda and he was awesome. I love Musa!! So sweet and humble, very professional, informative and made sure I had the best experience! Each lodge/tent Ilse and I picked out turned out to be great and I was very happy with each place. I felt safe with Musa and in each lodge. No issues! Next I went to Tanzania where Hamdani was my personal guide. Hamdami was also great and very informative!
I very much enjoyed my experience in planning my tour and experiencing every wonderful moment. I will definitely use Matoke Tours again for my next trip to Africa!
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Email Josh | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tremendous trip, zero problems
My friend and I took a 7-day safari in Uganda and Rwanda. On our first day, our driver, Big Sam, picked us up from our hotel in Entebbe and gave us a briefing on the trip. He explained that sometimes, things would not go smoothly, but it was important to be patient. "T.I.A." he said (This Is Africa). Sam could not have been more wrong. The entire trip from start to finish ran like clockwork. The chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale, the gorilla trekking in Bwindi, the golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga, and the Dian Fossey hike in Volanoes NP (warning - extremely muddy!) were each, independently, among the most exciting excursions of our lives. Having just finished a safari in Kenya and Tanzania on which the tour company flubbed the bookings for two of our four accommodations (!), I was prepared for mishaps, but Matoke was precise, professional, and extremely organized. I also requested quotes from a few different companies, and Matoke's price was more than fair. Really, we could not be happier. Thank you Matoke for an amazing experience!
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!!
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!
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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.
BE
Email An and Ilse | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari Northern part of Tanzania
Last april we visited the national parks in the north of Tanzania. We have booked a trip with Matoke Tours that was arranged by Easy Travel in Tanzania. Benedict was our guide and driver. Soon it was very clear that Benedict was very motivated and he had a lot of experience and he wants to show us a lot of his beautiful country. We've called him our "King Spotter". We have seen a lot of animals (the Big Five), with a lot of newly born animals. We have maked the trip in the short rainy season and we recommend it to everyone, because of the beautiful landscape with lots of colours. We had great expectations about this trip after our first safari in Uganda, but they were all surpassed several times, thanks to Benedict. We advise everyone to make this trip with Matoke Tours in combination with Easy Travel and Benedict as a guide.
Email Big Leanne and Big Edward | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic tour of Uganda and Zanzibar with Matoke. Very helpful, friendly, professional staff!
My partner and I began our 12 month world tour in Uganda. We knew Africa was going to be our first stop. But were unsure which country would be best. After looking at the various safari options available, Matoke tours stood out to be the best value for money, with the option to tailor our trip to our preferred route, choice of accommodation and decide which vehicle we would prefer. After countless emails to the extremely helpful Lionel at Matoke offices we arranged our 10 day safari tour of Uganda and 4 day relax at Zanzibar. I always received a prompt response with all the exact info requested and couldn't have asked for a smoother booking process. The tour itself was fantastic! Our guide Big Sam was very friendly, professional, informative and helpful. He took us safely, comfortably and efficiently around Uganda sharing his vast knowledge of all the different places. The trip wouldn't have been the same without him! We booked budget accommodation throughout Uganda and every place we stayed was very clean, the staff were very welcoming and the food was of a high standard. Our whole experience with Matoke tours has been faultless. A very professional, genuine, friendly and helpful company. Highly recommended! Providing excellent experiences and creating wonderful memories. Thanks again to Lionel and Big Sam!
NL
Email Dick de Lange | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic adventure in Uganda with Matoke.
The 19 days in Uganda were fantastic.
Our guides (Mike and Frank) are top. They did everything to help us and gave us a good inside of this beautiful country and very friendly people.
Our fellow travellers became our friends. We had so much fun with them (and Frank and Mike).
We saw so many beautiful parks, views and so may animals:
- Kidepo is a must to see
- Murchisons Falls and Lake Albert (we saw a lot of girafs and for example the shoebill)
- Kibale Forest (the chimp habituation is a great experience)
- Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Kazinga Channel boat trip (the best boat trip we had in Uganda, we saw also the rare white kingfisher)
- Lake Mutanda
- Bwindi (the gorilla's!)
- Lake Mburo
- the swamp near Entebbe (with again the shoebill)
Every day was different, interesting and exciting.
The visits to the vilages, markets, the problems with the roads (and flat tires), the ferries.
This is Africa.
Thanks Matoke.
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Email John | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great primate tour
Great trip with Matoke. This is third trip Ihad with them. All arrangements were done on-line and everything was as promised. Gorilla treking and chimp habituation as well as the swamp walk was great. Accomadations were superb. Drivers were friendly and informative. Had a great time and will use them again if I go back to East Africa.