US
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!
IL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience
Very nice experience !
In tow days we get to see the whole 5 !
Masi Mara was great!
Thanks a lot to Silas that help us in any way he could.
The drivers are nice and friendly.
Great for young people !
Thanks again,
Yuval and Yamit.
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful safari!
Everything was just amazing. Manager Silas was super supprotive and provided all the necessary advise prior to booking. We saw all of The Big 5 and much more: lions, elephants, buffalos, giraffes at a very close distance. Our guide was super proffesional and knew where to go in order to find animals. The hotel was also great and very comfortable, with glass walls and swimming pool. Highly recommend this company for organizing your safari trip.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was amazing and the guide was informative
The communications and service rendered was top notch...the tour lived up to my expectations as the tour guide kept explaining to us every step of the way of the tour
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Happy outcome
Had a tour booked in May of 2020 and had to postpone a year due to Covid. Due to the continued pandemic situation we had to cancel our tour. The company was willing to work with us for an outcome that we were all happy with. Hopefully we can use them in the future when the situation and world is a bit more stable!
MX
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A DREAM COMES TRUE
the safari to Serengeti and Norongoro was a dream that came true thanks to Bartho who organized it perfectly well and who made sure that the trip was carried out according to schedule and without any problems. Our guide Malisa is an extraordinary guide and driver who took us on the safari and explained and made it easy for us to enjoy the depth of the fauna and flora, and provided us with protection and security throughout the trip, and Abdulla our cook Chef cooked all the days an excellent meal, with desserts and cakes and above all he prepared hot handmade bread every day. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM AS I ASSURE YOU THAT BY BEING WITH THEM THEY WILL ALSO REALIZE YOUR DREAMS OF ENJOYING A WONDERFUL SAFARI. I AM SO GRATEFUL WITH ALL MY HEART MALISA, BARTHO AND ABDULLA THEY HAVE MADE MY DREAM COMES TRUE
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A flexible and dedicated team who made my safari a magical and taylor-made experience.
I went for a private safari with Samson's Safari and they made their best to take in consideration my really specific schedule, constraints and budget limitation. Their flexibility and understanding made my safari a Taylor-made and seamless experience. Dedicated and punctual, Daniel is a passionate and great safari driver. He did his best to make my safari unforgettable going the extra-mile and exploring every corner of the Masai Mara. On top of that he is a great good person, I really enjoyed his company and our conversations. The camp tent was also a great experience keeping me in the safari adventure context.
I really enjoyed every second of this safari and for a really correct value. I would definitely recommend.
EG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good vibe, well organized, and had a great fun!
I did my 4-day Safari tour with Wakanda in Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Overall, I enjoyed and appreciated very much how they organized and made the whole experience more fun.
First of all, Bartho (the owner of Wakanda) has been very responsive to my inquiries in pre-booking stage. Upon my arrival at the airport he picked me up and provided a good care till I joined the safari team. Our team was comprised of Praise - driver/guide and Sule - the chef. The two were a wonderful combination supporting each other. I am a vegetarian and Sule's cook was always beyond satisfaction - he even bakes own bread in the public camping place!
The parks are well equipped with good facilities and toilets and shower places are very clean with someone dedicated to clean daily. Most of all, the places are magical - in particular, Ngorongoro is a natural wonder. We saw all big five including black/grey rhinos.
GH
Very pleasant and exciting
Mr David Kibani is a top notch professional tour operator. He really knows his job. He knew exactly what our interest were and that helped us to reorganize our tour all over to make most use of our time in Kenya. David is very helpful, patient and very accommodating. He really saved us when it came to assisting us with our COVID19 test. We really appreciate him and will recommend his company anyday..
AR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
ABSOLUTELY WORTH THE MONEY!
In booking our trip with Tanzania Exclusive Journeys we could not be more thrilled with not only the amazing time we had but also the attention that we received before the trip even began. Jane was unwavering in the high level of service she offered by answering the many questions we had, offering the best suggestion and solutions for what we wanted to do and any changes we wished to make. We were initially a little apprehensive about being in a truck with our driver/guide for six days but this was totally unfounded. Our driver Peter was incredible, he fit in like part of our family from the beginning and made sure that the trip was not only great for us but also for our two girls. It’s understandable that many families he has done safaris with in the past return time and time again to do it all over again. Peter’s knowledge extends to not only animals and the landscape but also to the country's various tribes, the environment, and the many different social and economic aspects of it – this was imperative in answering all of my list of questions. Overall we were highly impressed with the service we received from Tanzania Exclusive Journeys, the comfort of our vehicle, the standards of accommodation at all lodges/camp sites/etc and most importantly our driver/guide Tom. We will definitely be back at some time in the future and will look towards this company to help us arrange our itinerary – and of course request Peter!
Our sincerest thanks Jane, Peter and the rest of the Tanzania Exclusive Journeys team for making our safari as amazing as it was!