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
CA
Email Karen and David Ravenscroft | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A trip with everlasting memories
We have just returned from our 15 day tour of Uganda which is a spectacularly beautiful country and its people are so friendly and made us feel so welcome. The service Matoke provided from the beginning of my initial inquiry was excellent thanks to Harriet and Lionel who answered my many questions promptly and co-ordinated all the activities and lodgings for our vacation. Our driver/guide Sulieman met us at the airport and was dedicated, thoughtful and conscientious throughout our trip. We felt very safe in his hands and all aspects of our trip were well timed and fun. I loved all of the safari camps/lodgings that we stayed at where the staff were attentive and welcoming and the food was always tasty. The bush dinner at Lake Albert was a lot of fun and certainly made us feel very special. Obviously our highlight was the gorilla trek in Bwindi were it took us only 1.25 hours to get to the Bweza family and we watched in awe the silver back contentedly munching on a log while a baby frolicked in the undergrowth watched lovingly by the extended family. Unfortunately we did not get to see any tree climbing lions in Ishasha but wildlife is unpredictable. I would say Murchison Falls is an absolute must - such an impressive hike with views from lots of different angles. The chimp tracking was also exciting and although the game in Uganda is not as plentiful as we saw in Botswana on a prior visit, the fabulous scenery of many varying kinds, especially in Lake Mutanda and Lake Bunyonyi area, is unequaled. Thank you Matoke for enabling us to have a worry free vacation and to see the magnificent gorillas of Bwindi, an experience we will never forget.
NL
Email Vidya Ambadipudi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Most amazing trip !!
Hi Team,
Thank you very much for this amazing trip that you guys put together for us. We had a great time with nice people around us. Especially the guide... He was the most polite and kind person and we enjoyed his company as well... The trip itself was very adventurous and we loved the Tortillis camping site in Seregeti, it was a great experience to be living and sleeping in the wilderness :)
Joseph tried his best to show us all the wildlife and also took many pictures for us :)
Everyone was very polite and nice and made us feel welcome. Thank you again.
With Love
Vidya & Rajesh
FI
Email Iiro | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing hiking tour to Nyiragongo volcano in Congo (DRC)
We booked a tour to hike Nyiragongo volcano in DRC through Matoke tours. We chose it because of good reviews, price and the fast replies on my e-mails. Lionel did great job on booking the trip and answering my questions. The price was good and we had day in Gisenyi to see lake Kivu before the trek. They handled our visa to Congo and we had sleeping-back, water, jacket etc. organized for the 2 day hike, so we didn't need to bring our own. Our driver was good as well! It was definitely worth it! It took like 6h to hike up and way down was about 4h. We were back in Kigali 4pm after the hike.
SA
Email Nelly | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
One of the best trips I've had!
Although we decided to visit Uganda on a last minute basis, the trip worked out very well. Matoke Tours helped us make up for the last minute arrangements and bookings. We greatly enjoyed visiting the chimps (Kibale Forest), gorillas (Mutamba area), swimming and canoeing at lake Mutamba, and meeting so many friendly people along the way! I wouldn't recommend Queen Elizabeth Park (QEP) to anyone who has done a game drive in Tanzania or Kenya, as the wildlife in QEP is minimal and the savannah is quite bare.
I would recommend Matoke 100%! Make sure to rent one of their comfortable shuttles or 4x4 cars and enjoy the journey!
Email Jenny | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic experience from the first contact with Matoke to our final goodbyes at the airport
Like ‘lovethattravel’ I was a little worried about choosing a company that I found on the Internet but any concerns were baseless. The whole experience with Matoke Tours was professional, friendly and hassle-free. Lionel in the office was always prompt in responding to my many, many questions and was very helpful. Anatoli was not just our driver but our very knowledgeable guide who gave us some really interesting insight and history about both Uganda and Rwanda. If you are considering an African adventure then definitely contact Matoke Tours. You will not be disappointed.
Email lovethattravel | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Responsive and reliable
Despite the good reviews, I was a little worried about using an operator that I found on the Internet to book my Fly-in Gorilla tour to Bwindi. This was my once in a lifetime opportunity to see the gorillas and I didn't want anything to go wrong. Matoke Tours proved to be everything I could wish for in a tour operator, and everything went perfectly. Lionel in the office was very responsive to all my emails, providing quick and helpful responses on all my issues, while Ronald the driver was always on time in a clean modern 4WD, was an safe driver on terrible roads and was friendly and informative. He was more than happy to wait patiently whenever I wanted to take photos, or while I was out on the gorilla trek and even when it looked like my plane back to Entebbe might not be able to land because of the strong winds. He even offered to give up his Sunday to drive me for 4 hours to another airstrip if necessary (which in the end, it wasn't, fortunately). Mutanda Lake Resort, while fairly rustic, has the most glorious view across the lake to the volcanos. Don't expect 5-star, but the staff are obliging, and the food is pretty good considering that everything except the vegetables has to be brought in. For birdwatchers, a sunset trip on a leaky boat to see the vast range of birds is a must. The gorilla trek itself at Nkuringo was a Bucket List experience. I would highly recommend it for people who are fairly fit, though even the less fit would probably be OK with the help of one or two of the wonderful porters. Overall, a great experience.
AR
Email Claudio Rivero | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great service, very reliable
When I first contact Matoke last september 2015, Lionel was very helpful and try to suit my requirements(budget accomodation, lazy camping, meet local people) and design a package full of fun and amazing experiences.Our driver/guide Big Sam ( Munene-Munene)was very helpful, knowledgeable and try to show us the best Uganda has to offer the traveller,great scenery, stunning game driving, unforgettable gorilla tracking.Thank you Matoke!! Gracias!!
CA
Email Robyn | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience from start to finish!
Deciding where to go and what to do on your first safari can be an overwhelming experience. I began my research here on Safaribookings.com and tried to narrow down the options. I wanted to do a gorilla trek but also a more traditional safari. I kept coming across great reviews for Matoke tours and finally dropped them a line. Ilse very patiently answered my many questions and helped me design my perfect first trip to Africa. I won't lie - I was concerned about working with a tour operator who was so far away - what if something went wrong? What if it didn't live up to my expectations? I didn't need to worry. Every driver, every flight, every meal, every accommodation was perfect and well beyond my expectations. Connections were absolutely on time, service was outstanding and the one time I did have a small concern, I was able to contact Ilse directly who resolved this small issue right on the spot.
Do not hesitate to use Matoke tours if you are thinking of any of their destinations - they will help you design a trip that suits your needs perfectly. I really can think of no way I would have been any happier with their service. I am ever able to return to Africa, I would definitely ask for their help again!!
Email Ann | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service is guaranteed even for various budgets.The staff have visited the places recommend
Excellent service and recommendations even when we changed our minds so many times there was always a ready alternative or positive suggestions. Highly recommended.
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!!