Activities:

• Gorilla tracking
• Wildlife Safaris 
• Trekking safaris in Bwindi and Mgahinga Forests 
• Chimpanzee tracking
• Primate adventures
• Forest walks
• Bird watching tours
• Mountain trekking and climbing in Rwenzori and Mt Elgon
• White-water rafting on the River Nile
• Cultural activities

Vehicle Types: (all four-wheel drive)

We use the highest quality land cruisers and minibuses.

Available languages: English, German, Dutch, Russian, Swahili, and Luganda

National Parks included in itineraries:

• Kidepo Valley National Park
• Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• Kibale Forest National Park
• Mgahinga National Park
• Murchison Falls National Park
• Queen Elizabeth National Park
• Rwenzori Mountains National Park
• Semuliki National Park
• Lake Mburo National park
• Mt Elgon National Park
• Pian Upe Game Reserve

Responsible Travel

Matoke Tours has a passion for Uganda, its people and its nature. We want to show it off to the rest of the world! To ensure that generations of people can continue to enjoy the natural beauty of the ‘Pearl of Africa’, we feel that it is our responsibility to do as much as we can to preserve this fascinating country. “Sustainable Tourism” isn’t just a term to us; we see it as the main ingredient for running a successful operation in Uganda.

Matoke Tours is also involved in several community-based projects. Read on for more information on our own initiatives and those which we support.

Dairy Farmers Project

This is one of our direct initiatives (in co-operation with a Dutch Tour Operator called Sawadee), which is based in the small village of Namwendwa, in Kamuli District (Eastern Uganda). If you’d like an authentic Ugandan experience, we strongly recommend that you join one of our hiking and cycling tours through the village. During your visit, you will learn how to cook the local food (such as Matoke), brew your own Ugandan Gin (Waragi), and of course meet the local people and experience how they live day-to-day. You can choose either to stay at a local homestead or camp on the farmer’s land. Our trained guides (resident villagers) will accompany you and introduce you to the members of the community. All proceeds from the trip (approximately $30 per person) will go towards supporting the community’s milk production. This is a great opportunity to mix with local people and experience the true flavour of Uganda!

Matoke Art Studio

Uganda is full of talent; We are proud to promote the most talented young artists in Uganda’s Art scene. These people are considered the big artists of the future. We give them a stage so they can show their talent and skills. We welcome you into our office to have a look at their exhibitions in the Matoke Art Gallery. You can have a look at their work and be surprised by their techniques, color use and creativeness. You can buy their art work as well; not only to bring a great souvenir from Uganda back home, but also to have some unique piece of professional Ugandan art in your home, be an ambassador of Ugandan art and to support Ugandan talent!

Micro Finance

All of our drivers and guides and the majority of our office-based staff are Ugandan. Not only do they know their country well, they are hard working professionals who help to make Matoke Tours into the successful business it is. We provide our drivers/guides with micro-credits to build up their own income-generating businesses like car rentals. This means that they can eventually purchase our safari vehicles and then rent them out to us or other companies for their own profit.

Solar light:

When people travel in Uganda they often want to contribute in some way to the people they meet during their tour. Matoke Tours is often requested to give some advice. We came across a great initiative that we would like to promote; Barefoot Power developed a small light that works on solar power; the Firefly. The goal is to provide affordable, clean and safe solar lighting and phone charging systems to the people of the bottom of the global economic pyramid.

You can order the Firefly(s) through Matoke Tours for only 12 US dollars. Please order the Firefly(s) on your bookings form or by email. We will make sure your guide will give it to you on the first day of your tour, so you make someone happy at any stage of your tour!

Social responsibility:

Matoke Tours is a yearly sponsor of both the Bayimba Festival and the This is Uganda Festival. Both festivals promote new young talent in the music and art industry. For more information check: www.bayimba.org and thisisugandafoundation.org/?events=this-is-uganda-festival-3

Volunteering, sponsorship and charity work (if applicable) 

Matoke tours is funding local projects and we train and employ Ugandans as guides, drivers and office members.

Other ways Matoke Tours operates sustainably:

We supply our clients with information on all of the ‘dos and don’ts’ on a trip to Uganda. Please read our article ‘What can I do to make my trip sustainable?’ for more information at www.matoketours.nl

We work with Ugandan-owned hotels and lodges, thereby supporting local businesses. Please visit: www.ucota.or.ug for more information.

We promote cultural activities that are developed by USAID-STAR and UCOTA (Pearls of Uganda).

We support the Jane Goodall institute, which provides a sanctuary to orphaned or rescued chimps on Ngamba Island, near Entebbe. As part of your tour you can visit the island and interact with the Chimps, which is a true delight! For more information, please visit: www.janegoodall.nl. and www.ngambaisland.org

We support the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Both Kidepo Valley and Murchison Falls National Parks once had both black and white rhinos; however widespread poaching during the Idi Amin era resulted in the disappearance of these majestic animals from the wild. Founded in 1998, Rhino Fund Uganda works to reintroduce black and white rhinos into Uganda and runs a breeding programme, in addition to programmes that educate communities on endangered rhinos, poaching and environmental conservation. In 2009, three baby rhinos were born at the sanctuary! If you choose to visit the sanctuary, you will be able to track the rhinos and have the opportunity to view them at very close range. With this visit you are not only completing your sightings of the ‘Big Five’, but you will also be contributing to this lovely initiative! www.rhinofund.org.