Reviews

Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 21-30 of 53 Reviews
Mary Danz   –  
United States US
Visited: October 2020 Reviewed: Oct 20, 2020

Email Mary Danz  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Awe-mazing!
5/5

The safari exceeded our expectations! Our guides were knowledgeable, friendly and great trackers. The vehicle was roomy so we could move around to get the best view of the many animals that we saw. They also understood how to maneuver the vehicle to achieve the best lighting for pictures. They also booked great accommodations for us! It’s a full service safari and the only I’ll use in the future!

Kim Smallwood   –  
United States US
Visited: October 2020 Reviewed: Oct 20, 2020

Email Kim Smallwood

Just Spectacular
5/5

Our first time in Africa and our first safari was just simply spectacular because of Mattaw Safari! What I love about Bud, the owner, is that he customizes your experiences based on what your interests are and being mindful of the budget. His expertise, guidance and knowledge of Kenya and the top destinations are what sets his company apart. Our original trip was in May, right in the middle of the pandemic so we had to do a ton of shuffling but Bud was great in navigating the changes of our itinerary, which we were so thankful for! Our safari guide, Charles, was with us the duration of our trip from picking us up from the airport hotel to dropping us off at the airport when we left. I can't say enough of how much we enjoyed Charles as our guide! We did a 5 night 6 day safari. We went from Nairobi to Ol Pejeta to Lake Naivasha to the Maasai Mara back to Nairobi. Charles got us safely to every destination and was very accommodating. Along the way, we saw some amazing animals (all the big 5 and more), we went on many morning and afternoon game drives, a water safari, a walking safari, a night safari and balloon safari! All these adventures were setup with the help of Bud and Charles. All the hotels and camps were top notch and the food at every location was incredible. We plan on returning next year and we definitely will be reaching out to Mattaw Safaris to plan our next trip!!

Krysta   –  
United States US
Visited: November 2019 Reviewed: Oct 15, 2020

Email Krysta  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

The most amazing safari experience put together by two wonderful people!
5/5

An all together incredible organization. The entire trip was well thought out and put together. I felt very safe the entire time. The safari was wonderful and we saw a huge variety of wildlife. The guide was well educated and happy to answer any questions we had. Bud and Kimberly went above and beyond in terms of providing a great overall experience. If you're not already sold, portions of their profits go towards the higher level education for Kenyas future leaders today. Choose to support the kids and the future of Kenya! :) Highly recommend Mattaw Safaris!!

Ashley   –  
United States US
Visited: October 2019 Reviewed: Sep 12, 2020

Email Ashley  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Great people!
5/5

Very knowledgeable with fantastic accommodations and equipment. Can’t wait to go again

Sarah   –  
Kenya KE
Visited: July 2020 Reviewed: Sep 8, 2020

Email Sarah  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Far exceeded expectations!
5/5

We loved everything about our trip with Mattaw Safaris! Bud and Safari Steve were both incredible and we loved being on the trip with both of them. We are convinced that we will never have another guide as excellent as Safari Steve, who was willing to drive for long days, knew exactly how to position the car for perfect pictures, and and is able to spot animals from unbelievable distances! This was a perfect trip and we'll be recommending Mattaw Safaris to all of our friends and visitors.

Maria Baker   –  
Kenya KE
Visited: August 2020 Reviewed: Sep 5, 2020

Email Maria Baker  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Beyond expectations...
5/5

Our adventure was our 6th safari and second on the Mara, but our first with Mattaw Safaris. We had a budget , (not a big one), and an expectation as we all do. Our trip began with a personal pick-up and landcruiser drive to the tented resort were we were booked. It was more lovely than the pictures on the website. Decorated in Masai colors and handcrafted beading, it was a gem in the middle of Mara land. We went on two half day game drives and one full day, (about 13 hours), and had the time of our lives. We saw more exotic animals in this one trip than all of our others put together. Our driver/guides were exceptional. How can you go wrong when your guide is having as much fun as you are. Sincerely, Mattaw driver/guides truly enjoy what they do and you never get the feeling that this is just another trip for them and that is what sets them apart from other safari/travel companies. They all have access to the same resorts and the same Mara, the difference for any guest is the experience and Mattaw Safaris is all about the experience. Before we returned home, we had already reserved our next adventure with Mattaw Safaris. Thank you Bud and Masai Steve for making our trip one that we will remember for ever!!!!

Evaristo, Ana e Lucas   –  
Switzerland CH
Visited: February 2020 Reviewed: Mar 3, 2020

Email Evaristo, Ana e Lucas  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Memories forever!!!
5/5

My wife, 12 year-old son and myself decided to go for a safari in January and looked into safaribookings.com. It was our first safari and we had no clue of what was ahead besides seeing a lot of wildlife! Bud was awesome at explaining the details of the trip, pros and cons and even suggesting an awesome experience in Lake Naivasha and Crescent Island walking tour which he came to meet us and dedicated an afternoon to share information and culture of Kenya with us!
Our guide and driver Charles was amazing! He is from Kenya and knew a lot about the culture, the parks, the animals and where to find them! He drove us for 6 days from Nairobi to Amboseli, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara.
I was very happy with the entire experience: the hotel selection was amazing, our dedicated land cruiser, the parks and the games! And the most exciting is the passion that both Charles and Bud have to share their knowledge, the Kenyan culture, the Swahili and the impacting social project Mattaw Safaris sponsors to help orphan kids to develop, get access to education and prosper! I may quote their mission incorrectly but this is what stuck with me: “Mattaw - Safari that gives back”.
Thanks for giving us all the memories! Forever!

Christian Knips   –  
Poland PL
Visited: January 2020 Reviewed: Feb 23, 2020

Email Christian Knips  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Great Honeymoon experience
5/5

We had picked Kenya for our honeymoon and wanted a mixture of relaxing beach time and safari. Looking into the safari offers we stumbled upon Mattaw Safaris and eventually went with them as they were super friendly while being professional and seemed to have a much smaller operation than most other, much more commercial offers. - We were not disappointed.

It is important to note, that many of the tourism businesses in Kenya are owned by foreigners for example Chinese or Indian businesses so most of the profit does not contribute to any local development. Picking a safari offer we were happy to have signed with Mattaw as they are running only four Safari vehicles and put every penny into running an orphan village in the west of Kenya. Bud never smeared it into our faces, but the locals we met working for him were openly happy and glad that Mattaw Safaris is not just another foreigner making quick money in Africa but someone who contributes to the local community.

Bud organized the full week: transport, lodging, itinerary. The plan was pickup and drop-off in Nairobi and visits to Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara National Parks. Charles was our guide and driver; he is very knowledgeable, and we were glad to have him as he also knew the parks very well which contributed to a great experience. We learned a lot about Kenya and Kenyan culture. All picked accommodations, as well as the order of National Park visits, was great. We would go with him again any time and having seen others crammed into Minibuses, we definitely recommend and appreciated having our own guide with our own Land Cruiser.

Before we went to Kenya, working out our personal travel plans and picking a safari offer we were a little freaked out by not finding any review on Mattaw which was not 5/5 stars. We deemed it too good to be true, having returned home now, we understand. They deserve every star out of those 5, so “unfortunately” our review will not be any different .

Thank you, Bud and Charles for making our Honeymoon a great experience.

Paula   –  
Brazil BR
Visited: November 2019 Reviewed: Feb 12, 2020

Email Paula  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Amazing and unforgettable experience!
5/5

The trip was amazing, everything happened smoothly, besides the crazy weather it was very enjoyable. The cars were very good and allowed us to have a great view comfortably. We also got to see most animals during the safari and we could admire the animals and take photos with no rush. It was an unforgettable experience and exceeded my expectations.

Szymon   –  
Poland PL
Visited: January 2020 Reviewed: Feb 12, 2020

Email Szymon  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

A trip full of expresions :)
5/5

A great trip with many adventures and attractions, great accommodation, very good food in the camps we chose, very nice people and service. Unforgettable moments in jeeps on a safari in the parks, a committed driver Kevin, who picked us up the day before from the airport and the day after also drove us. Guarantee of a sense of security and care during the tour. Very good and helpful e-mail and telephone contact with the owner of the company. Our opinion can be fully trusted by Mattaw Safaris Ltd.

Average User Rating
5.0/5
Rating Breakdown
  • 5 star 53
  • 4 star 0
  • 3 star 0
  • 2 star 0
  • 1 star 0
Write a Review

Disclaimer

  • All corporate and/or tour info is provided by Mattaw Safaris , not SafariBookings