Some of our landcruiser and our lead team
Mattaw Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Kimberlu | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mattaw Safaris and our guide, Charles, provided a Safari experience that exceeded our expectations.
The entire experience with Mattaw Safaris was top notch.
Scheduling and communication was so easy. Charles is excellent at his job from customer service to finding the animals out in the wild.
He was very knowledgeable about his native land, the animals, and was able to teach us and our kids so much.
Charles also made us feel so welcome. His attention to detail and care for his customers is what sets him apart.
We will definitely be using Mattaw Safaris again.
Amazing animals! Amazing tour! Amazing guide!
As soon as our tour guide picked us up, we knew we were in for an amazing time. Charles was incredibly friendly, flexible and energetic. We traveled first to Amboseli where we stayed at a luxury campsite, complete with tented rooms, wandering giraffes, an evening bonfire and delicious meals. From there we went on to Lake Naivasha where we stayed one night in a safari hotel and enjoyed a ride on the lake and a walking safari, and then to Masai Mara where we took several game drives and visited a Masai village. While giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, ostriches, antelope, and elephants were in abundance, Charles knew how to find the more reclusive game. We saw several male and female lions, the band of four brothers (cheetahs), leopards, hippos, rhinos, and Cape buffalos. At the end of our safari, Charles took us to a clinic to get our Covid tests, and then on to the airport. If you can get Charles as a guide, do it! The price of our tour was quite reasonable, communication with Charles and with Bud Huffman (owner of Mattaw Safaris) was excellent, and the tour exceeded our expectations.
US
Email J. Blaney and A. Khalamayzer | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stop looking for a tour guide, you've found the best!
First, if you want to know what you'll see on a Safari with Mattaw, here's a link to some footage we captured on an iPhone:
https://youtu.be/qegxw1pu-R
The above video pretty much speaks for itself, but there's a lot more to choosing the right safari guide than beautiful footage.
When we selected Mattaw, we really didn't have any idea what to expect either on a Safari, traveling to Kenya or from our guides. We were literally confused by everything. Do they pick us up at the airport? What should we wear? What vaccines do we need? What's the situation with COVID and getting tested for our return journey? What will we see when we're there? We got bids from three other operators and had the hardest time choosing between them. They all seemed to offer similar services, though the prices ranged quite a bit. In the end, we went with Mattaw because they had a fairly large number of positive reviews. They were not the cheapest, in fact we had another option that was almost half as much. But we felt more comfortable paying more for someone who seemed to be proven, given how little we knew about what to expect. Boy are we glad with our decision!
Mattaw was amazing in every way. We loved all three drivers--Bud, Steve and Charles--they showed us so much that we never would have seen without a guide. We loved every place we stayed, it was all well above expectations. And we couldn't believe how many amazing animals we saw. Literally thousands of them. It felt like we were living in The Lion King.
You definitely get what you pay for, at least with a reputable safari guide like Mattaw. So if someone is quoting you less money, that means you will be staying in less expensive accommodates or something else will have to be cut. Some guides say you will be in a private tour and then end up putting you with other people for a portion or most of your trip. Or by using really old vehicles that are more likely to get stuck, which you don't want happening as an Elephant charges. Some guides save money by hiring very low cost drivers who don't really know anything about how to drive around the animals or where to find them. Experienced guides will take you to the best locations, even drive the car in such a way as to provide you with a stunning backdrop for the animals. And most importantly, if an animal gets aggressive, you want someone experienced helping get you out of there.
I recommend going with Mattaw, or someone with a similarly stellar reputation, and then you can adjust the trip as much as you want from there. They can set you up with nicer places or less expensive places to stay. You can fly or drive between locations. They can go anywhere you want and stay as long as you want. That's something we really didn't understand when we booked the trip. The details of the trip aren't as important as who you choose to work with.
Go with Mattaw and you will have a great experience.
Email Jade Webster | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great adventure!!!
My husband and I had 7 days with Mattaw Safaris (Amboseli, Nakaru, and Masai Mara). I decided to book with Mattaw Safaris after I had read very good reviews on SafariBookings. Glad I did. It was very easy to communicate with Bud and easy to book. The whole booking experience was extremely smooth. Our two guides; Charles and Steve were absolutely brilliant! Not only they are very knowledgeable about wildlife but they are also very good drivers! Huge thanks to Charles for getting us safely to Zebra Planes lodge in Amboseli driving through torrential rain on 'no roads' roads (more like a river than roads). What an adventure! Would love to go back for the great migration! Hopefully next year. Thank you Mattaw Safaris!
Email Kelley Marchant | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Inspirational
Mattaw Safaris is the absolute best! We had an incredible 3 days with Bud and Steve seeing the Maasai Mara. The experience was top-notch and I don't think anyone could do anymore with customer service. The trip beat our expectations and will be an incredible memory for the rest of our lives. It became very clear on the first day that Steve, our guide, knew so much more than the other guides/drivers in the park because we were often first to many different sightings of animals and he knew exactly where they might be headed next. Bud and Steve were a joy to be with throughout the trip and the laughter the four of us shared came out of a shared passion for environment and life! We did a 3 day trip and just stayed in the Maasai Mara, but they can set up everything for you from transportation to lodging and for as many days as you want. The Zebra Plains Mara Camp we stayed at was stunning and in a great location for our drives into the Mara. If we ever get back to Kenya, we will be calling them and in the meantime, telling everyone we know to check them out. Their heart, their story and the experience is inspirational!
US
Email Paul Montalvan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Family Experience!!! Awesome Safari Staff!!!
This was our first time in Kenya (and in the continent) and since the beginning Bud was very knowledgeable and helpful with all our questions, always straightforward giving us the confidence we needed to finally make a decision to go to Africa.
All the safaris were amazing, we all (me, my wife and 2 kids) were very happy enjoying the safaris and always felt safe.
Our tour guide & driver, Charles, was great!! We always were talking about animals and the beautiful people of Kenya...and even learn to speak some Swahili :)
Thank You Very Much Mattaw Safaris for given us an amazing once in a lifetime experience!!!
US
Email Crucita Santiago | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safe and Family friendly safari with amazing service! Very knowledgable and friendly staff.
From the first moment, communication was always open and honest. Always very patient with all my questions/requests. Everything was exactly as offered. Charles (our tour guide) was very kind and took care of every detail to ensure we were always comfortable. He is very knowledgable which made our safari an amazing experience. 100% Recommended!
The perfect Safari experience!
Did a lot of research before booking and can’t deny it was the best decision for this trip. With Mattaw, you will get a personalized experience that you will hold dear to yourself for years to come.
The whole trip was perfectly planned with amazing locations and lodges included and can’t enough our guide Charles for the amazing company he was throughout!
Email Caitlin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I’m recommending to others!
We had a great 5+ day safari with Charles! He was very accommodating and fun! We learned and saw a lot. Charles went above and beyond to make sure we got to see and do everything we hoped for. I’m recommending to my friends!
US
Email Andrew | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Don’t book with anyone else besides Mattaw if you are going to Kenya!
TLDR/ Don’t book with anyone else besides Mattaw if you are going to Kenya
Details:
I can not say enough about how amazing my experience with Mattaw Safaris and Bud was. From the moment I reached out to him he was responsive and friendly. We quickly created an itinerary that was perfect for what I was looking for.
I arrived in Kenya a day early and when Bud found out, he offered suggestions on what to do and even offered up one of his guides to take me to the Nairobi park.
My guide/driver/new friend Charles was awesome. Very professional and friendly, but also has a sense of humor. Most importantly he is knowledge about all the animals and all the parks. He made sure I saw every animal there was, the big 5 was easy to see with him.
Bud and Mattaw work with local lodges/camps and every one that he picked out was comfortable with friendly staff and great meals. Nothing like a hot shower and a good meal after a long day in a park.
In the Mara, Bud uses an additional guide, a local Masai. This makes all the difference for this park. You get to go places and see things you would never see with an out of town guide. You will almost be guaranteed to see a leopard with Masai at the wheel.
While in the country and 2 days before I was leaving , Kenya passed a new order that all departing passengers needed a Covid test. Bud went out of his way to alert me to the order, clarify information, found me a lab that does 24 hours testing and drove me to my test. Wow!!! Not that's hospitality.
Lastly, Mattaw uses their profits from the Safaris to put back into their non-profit, which is a children’s home in the west part of the country for over 100 kids. Why not book with a tour company that you know is doing some good in the world?
Book with Mattaw if you are going to Kenya and I guarantee you will have an unbelievable experience.
Thank you Bud, Charles and Safari Steve!
