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
US
Email Cris F | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful experience! Booked through them for our gorilla tracking experience in Uganda
We had a great experience booking our recent trip to Uganda for gorilla trekking with Matoke Tours. We opted for a fly-in tour from Entebbe. I got in touch with Pleunie via safaribooking.com in January 2022. We just finished our trip last month. Miss Pleunie was very responsive and accommodating with our request and she made sure that everything was in order from the initial deposit all the way up to the end of our unforgettable trip. Our flight coming into Entebbe was delayed for 2 hours and although I wasn't able to reach Miss Pleunie via Whatsapp to give her an update (she didn't have power in her house that night and her phone had apparently died); our wonderful guide John who was waiting to pick us up in Entebbe airport on arrival tracked our flight and waited for us past midnight. It was such a relief to see him at the arrivals area holding a sign with our names after such a stressful journey. He then took us to our hotel for the night and helped us get settled in. The flight to Kisoro the next day went smoothly without any hitch. Our guide met us a Kisoro with their 4x4 SUV to take us to this beautiful hotel at a remote peninsula about 45 minutes to the airport. Valance was helpful in getting us registered for the gorilla tracking experience the next day and he waited for us for 4 hours to take us back to our hotel once the tracking was done. Overall, for our last trip, we had utilized the services of 5 tour companies across 5 different countries and Matoke Tours probably planned and coordinated one of the most complex legs of our trip and did they a wonderful job! We highly recommend this tour company for your gorilla tracking adventure!
NL
Email Sven | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unbelievable experience
Starting with a chat about travelling and holidays in general and our wishes with regards to a holiday in Africa we got a proposal for a trip to Kenya. After some discussions we ended up with what seemed a great 3 week trip.
And a great trip it was. We saw all the must see things (incl big five) in a very relaxed way. Travelling with kids is usually a challenge but due to the relaxed schedule it was a great experience.
Thanks to our fantastic guide we had a great experience!
Organized, Understanding, helpful
Matoke helped organize an fantastic trip for us. Their guidance along the way regarding activities, lodgings etc…was spot on.
Our driver/tour guide was excellent: intelligent, helpful and patient at all times.
Several in our group had special dietary needs which were accommodated at each of our lodgings.
DE
Email Isabelle | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely great, our expectations were surpassed and we loved the whole trip to Uganda
Great itinerary proposed by Matoke with a lot to see, but also some pauses towards the end of the 10 days; wonderful lodges (mid budget) - one nicer than the other incl. great food; very well organized, there was not a single hick-up during the 10 days; great, freindly and knowledgable driver and guide. Matoke can be 100% recommended. We (mum and son) felt cared for and safe every minute of this trip. Plus, Uganda is a wonderful country and all our expectations in every sense were even surpassed by the reality.
DO
Email Beatriz | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent service
We had an amazing experience with Matoke Tours. We booked before the pandemic started, tried re scheduling 1 year after and we postponed again because airlines were cancelling. Finally after 2 years we made the trip happened and the service from beginning to start was excellent. Our guide Edwin delivered everything on our bucket list and took care of us and everyone of our needs. I recommend Matoke 100% and will use them again in the future. Thank you Pleunie and Edwin for making our trip perfect.
Email Gary | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Just brilliant - thanks to Pleunie and Edwin,
Originally trip was organised for my wife and I in April 2020 with a UK Operator who went into liquidation as a result of Covid-19.
I identified Matoke as an alternative through Tripadvisor - I was looking for a local based company and the reviews of Matoke were excellent. I was not disappointed
NL
Email Jeroen Schmohl & Renée Keesman | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service, creative planning, reliable, very informative and knowledgable
Because we were invited for a wedding in Moyo Uganda, we were looking for a local touroperator and found Matoke. We got in contact with Pleunie and after a few short emails Matoke came up with a super nice creative itinerary. Even Matoke had to be inventive because Moyo is way out of touristic range. Everything went smooth. From pick up at the airport by master guide Musa, extremely friendly, smart, funny and well informed about nature, culture and safety. And birds! All information provided by Matoke was very accurate, chosen lodges were very good inclusive fine dining which we did not expect at all before our trip. Did a few nice additional things like hiking and making coffee in Sipi with the very funny guide Moses and a Kamaradjong visit with the lovely Maria. We saw leopards, lions, elephants, giraffe, zebra, buffalo's and hundreds of stunning birds in Murchison Falls and Kidepo national parks. The landcruiser was fine especially in combination with the super skilled driver Musa who had his very first vist in Moyo too after being a guide for several decades. In one word excellent. Thank you Pleunie and thank you Musa!!!
Highly recommended. Pleunie and Musa for president!
Email Lilo | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Matoke Tours is the most professional, customer-oriented, value-for-money tour operator, I have met
I had my friend from Germany coming to Uganda with her 2 teenage daughters and I booked a 7-days tour with Matoke Tours for us, based on the Value-for-money Tour advertised on the Website. As the girls are under 15 years of age, we couldn't do the gorilla tracking, but Pleunie was excellent in offering tailor-made alternatives. Her recommended options for accommodation were also superb. We went to Kibale Forest for chimp tracking, Queen Elisabeth National Park and Lake Mburo National Park. It has been a wonderful trip and even though I have visited Uganda's National Parks many times before, self-organised and self-driving, this trip has been the most wonderful experience, due to such professional service and excellent choice of accommodation by Pleunie (we had asked for mid-range and they turned out to be exactly what we wished for at a price we could afford).
I am sure that Pleunie did a lot more behind the scenes, but what I would like to thank her most for, is for giving us Jacob as our guide, driver, councillor, scientist, entertainer, ….
He is the best guide I have ever experienced. He advocated for us at the lodges and UWA, he managed so well to deal with teenage, sometimes stubborn girls, being able to balance our interest in an exclusive wildlife experience with the interests of two 12 and 14 years old girls.
Jacob has a wealth of experience and knowledge about wildlife and conservation, if he doesn’t know he says so and asks others, and most of all, I have never felt as safe with a driver, as I have felt with him.
He has certainly made this safari the most enjoyable and rewarding trip, especially for me, as I know differently. But also my visitors loved him and valued him so so much.
All in all, I can recommend Matoke Tours highly, for their Professionalism and Skill in matching people with what suits them best.
SE
Email Peter and Britt-Marie Bergfalk | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, responsive and verry dedicated to the clients and mission
We took a 8 days tour with two resting days at ViaVia Guesthouse in Entebbe one i the beginning and one in the end.
this was our first trip to East Africa and our experience of Ugandas nature and wildlife was fantastic, especially the nature in Biwindi was something extraordinary. Pleunie at Matoke Tours answered all our question before the trip and the comunication was so good. Even during the tour she was in contact with us and asked if everything was ok. She solved every question we had before we travelled so we where in a good mood when it started.
In Uganda we meet our driver/guide John a verry experient guide with 29 years in guiding. We also had a trainee Doris as his assistant.
Johns knowledge and his way to guide us about the nature and animals was so interesting and educating. He was always on time and had a verry good comunication with us. we are so happy that we got him as our main guide. We where also verry lucky to have Doris as a trainee on the trip as talked and teach us a lot about the culture and ordinary life in Uganda. She was also verry thoughtful and also always looking after us as clients. This combination of guides made the trip even more memorable.
During the trip we lived in different lodges and guesthouse. ViaVia Guesthouse beautiful garden a laidback atmosphere with a nice staff. The restaurant had good varity of different food. Next stop was Kibale Forest Camp. Verry nice accomondation but we had preferd more to chose from in the dinner menu and not just a 3 dishes menu. But we where offered hot sandwiches insteadso it worked out well. Also a beautiful garden. After that we lived at Bush Lodge. this was a i little more budget variant of living in a self contend tent with a shared bathroom some meters away. In the night we needed escort to walk due to the Hippos wandering around the tent. But it was totaly safe for us and had a beautifull view from the tent. Next stop was a verry nice lodge Enjojo. This place had it all. Good nature and a fantastic staff and verry nice restaurant and we could combine our own dinner menu. The manager always looked after the guests. Finaly we enden in Lake Matunda resort. another great enviroment and Lake Mutanda was nice to take a bath in.The cottage we lived in was verry nice, but the service was a little bit more confused due to verry young personel. We had no chance to to choose dinner other then the set menu and we should like to have more options.
Now to the exursions. All of them met and was beyond our expectations much due to John and Doris guiding. We see Leopards, Lions, hippos and Chimpanzees. The last tour was in Biwindi forrest to track the Gorillas and this was just amazing. We can higly recomend to book with Matoke Tours from start to end it was a perfect experience with a fantastic focus on the clients and Matoke is the obvious choise for us if we return to Uganda or another of there destinations.
NL
Email Elise, Jonathan and Wim | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Matoke tours exceeded our expectations! Well done! We absolutely enjoyed the trip through Uganda!
From the first contact we had with Matoke tours Uganda we were convinced we made the right choice to book our safari trip in Uganda with Matoke.
Everything was so well arranged.
We had a small schedule and budget but Matoke helped us to make this trip unforgettable.
Whenever there was a problem with the planning they supplied a solution.
The trip was absolutely great. The lodges they suggested were excellent: so nice, neat, clean, great service, very friendly and helpful staff and the locations were beautifull!
But what made our trip really exceed the expectations was our guide Richard Tumusiime!!!
What a great guy, the best guide ever.
With 24 years of experience as wildlife guide, ranger and trainer (for wildlife guides) he knew so much to say about all the beautiful things we saw during our trip. He is the best, safest driver I ever experienced. Traffic in Uganda can be scaring but we always felt safe.
Uganda is one of the most beautiful countries we have visited!
We hope to go to Uganda again soon and will absolutely have no doubt about which tour operator to choose: Matoke tours Uganda!!!!
Matoke tours Uganda: Thank you for making our trip one of the most beautiful, memorable trips we ever made!!