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 Katy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
great time in Uganda and Rwanda
I had an amazing time on my recent trip to Rwanda and Uganda with Matoke tours. My guide - Musa - was so great. He was flexible, patient and very knowledgeable. He was always willing to pull over so I could take picture or stop to look at a bird and figure out what species it was. It was so nice to not have to worry about driving from one place to the next, or book the permits or figure out which hotels to stay at. All the hotels they booked were really nice as well. I am always a little reluctant to book an entire itinerary before I leave because I like to leave a little room for flexibility. But I was really happy with all the activities Matoke had set up for us and it didn't feel like we were too stuck to a schedule. Highly recommended. I would definitely book with them again if I get the opportunity to go back to East Africa.
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!
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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 Theresa B. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great trip
Our week spent in Uganda was the best trip of my life. Matoke Tours staff handled everything from start to finish on planning our trip. Big Sam took great care of us while we were there. Accommodations and activities were excellent. This was the trip of a lifetime and worth every penny. I highly recommend using Matoke Tours.
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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.
Email Diane Squires | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Just go!
Thanks Matoke for helping make our trip to Uganda something really special! We spent three weeks in this stunning country - two weeks volunteering at a school and a week on two separate tours with Matoke. From the very beginning Matoke provided a fantastic service - they were quick to respond to all our questions and provided all the information we needed to ensure we had the best tours possible. Our guide - Richard - was fantastic. In half a day at Murchison Falls we saw three lions, elephants, crocodiles, giraffes and so much more! Trekking to see the gorillas in Bwindi was one of the most amazing experiences I have had - not just for the gorillas, but this whole region is one of the most beautiful places I have seen. I would definitely travel with Matoke again.
Easter with Gorillas
Wonderful gorilla tour. Well organized and time well spent over the Easter weeekend.
Email Julie/Yasmin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trip of a lifetime!!
We have just returned from the most amazing week in Uganda. Our holiday from the start of booking with Matoke Tours was completely stress free and communication was very quick and efficient. As Uganda seems to be so under marketed in the UK we were a little unsure what to expect we certainly need not have worried, Our driver/guide Antoli met us at the airport with a huge smile!he was friendly, so knowledgable and a pleasure to spend our week with. We feel we have learnt so much about the country from him. A credit to Matoke.
The itinerary of our tour was perfect for us,the diversity of where we visited was astounding and the gorilla trek was magical. The sometimes long drives in between each location we were staying were both really enjoyable and seemed much quicker as there was so much to see and talk about.We felt very safe and completely at ease throughout our trip.
We could not have asked for more and would certainly book with Matoke again. Thank you all so much!
Email Jodie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stop looking start booking!
Thank you so much to Ilse and Matoke tours for providing such outstanding service, recommendations, tours and guides. From the first email I received after requesting details about a safari and gorilla trekking the information I received was so prompt and professional that I stopped looking at any other tour companies and booked with Matoke tours. From the booking process, being welcomed at the airport and accommodations the staff were professional, welcoming, friendly and incredibly helpful to ensure our stay was perfect.
The gorillas were absolutely incredible and one of our all time favourite life experiences. The gorillas are magnificent and I couldn't believe how close we were able to get. We had a guide called Francois on the day who was absolutely fantastic - he has been a tour guide for 30 years and was so knowledgeable, funny and passionate about the gorillas he made the trip even more special.
Words can't describe how amazing this experience is we were just in awe of these majestic, magnificent animals, everything else faded away and nothing else in life seemed to matter except for that moment right there being in the Rwandan jungle sitting less than a few metres away from a magnificent silverback whose commanding presence and sheer beauty was breathtaking. Seeing a mother gently hugging and kissing her newborn baby with such tenderness and radiating so much love was absolutely heartwarming. The experience is life changing as it reminds you what is truly important in life. The conservation work being done by all the people involved in protecting these endangered gorillas is nothing short of outstanding.
The Serengeti was just amazing. Our driver from start to finish in Tanzania was Jackson and he was the best! He was always fun, friendly, incredibly knowledgeable not only about the Serengeti and all the animals and Masai but also about the local culture and history of Tanzania and was able to answer any question we asked. He was always on time and did his utmost to make sure that our experience was the best it could possibly be. He found the big 4 every day in the Serengeti for us and the black rhino in the Ngorogoro crater. It was all so beautiful it was surreal. Jackson was also so incredibly patient and happy to wait 10 minutes or an hour… he would stay anywhere for as long as we wanted in any area so that we could enjoy our experience to the full of watching the animals. He was passionate about making our trip as special as he could which he certainly did. The Tortillis camp in the Serengeti was fantastic, all the staff there were absolutely wonderful, there was nothing they wouldn't do to ensure our stay was as comfortable as possible.
We absolutely loved the safari and seen such an abundance of wildlife. I couldn't pick a favourite as everything was so spectacular to see. At one point Jackson had a radio call and he asked us to sit down and raced off down the road, he didn't say why but we knew we were about to see something amazing! Not long after we came around a bend and there were 3 lionesses in the distance walking towards us down the road! He stopped the car and I quickly started taking photos expecting the lionesses to take off in to the grass but they just kept coming toward us it was absolutely incredible as they continued down and right past our car!
I highly recommend this tour as it is a trip of a lifetime and Matoke Tours made it perfect from start to finish!
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Email Julie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great gorilla trip
We chose Matoke based on recommendations from friends living in Uganda, and were glad we did. Everything was very well organized. We chose a mid-range booking, and stayed at Lake Mutanda Lodge. The views were breathtaking, the food was great and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. It was somewhat rustic, which was fine with us, but perhaps a bit more rustic than expected (cabins with canvas walls, very basic bathroom, beds not great, electricity during limited hours). That said, we would definitely choose it again because the positives far outweighed the negatives. Our driver was friendly and knowledgeable. Our arrangements were somewhat last minute, and Matoke was very understanding of the time it took us to arrange the wire transfer. They brought our permits and flight itineraries to our hotel in Kampala, which was very helpful. Of course, the gorilla trek was an amazing experience and totally worth the cost.