Matoke Tours Africa DMC | Traveling Sisterhood Safaris

Connecting Women

explore together, build community & spark inspiration

Uganda will take your breath away with her radical abundance: endless shades of lush green against bright red soil, crystal clear volcanic lakes, vast savanna plains and the mystical Mountains of the Moon. People who are so genuinely welcoming, you will immediately feel a sense of belonging. A place so full of life, it awakens all you senses.

At Matoke Tours Africa, all our travel experiences are a catalyst for human connections, bridging barriers between cultures and revealing how interconnected our lives are. A premise, which now seems more relevant than ever.

Our Traveling Sisterhood Safaris are a particularly meaningful endeavor for us: Designed to create a space for women to explore together, build community, spark inspiration and leave us with a much-needed reminder that the world is a place of beauty and abundance if we make it so.

Traveling Sisterhood Safaris

led and created by women, for women

Through our Traveling Sisterhood Safaris we aim to create a deeper travel experience by offering immersive cultural encounters. The concept features important conservation efforts and supports social impact initiatives that act to empower women to take a more prominent part, throughout the value chain, in the domestic tourism industry of Uganda.

The Traveling Sisterhood Safari concept is designed to offer tours, led and created by women, for women who;

are bold, adventurous, open-minded and curious, not afraid to step out of their comfort-zone to really get at the heart of a destination;
want a safe, authentic and meaningful travel experience, without the stress of having to do all the necessary research that goes in to creating an epic journey;
want unique travel experiences that can be challenging to get as a solo-female-traveler, for both financial or safety reasons;
are a responsible traveler who wants to support local businesses and communities.

Matoke Tours - photo by Manuel Fernandez.jpg

Get inspired

Our Traveling Sisterhood Safaris invite women to experience Uganda in a way that goes beyond traditional travel, embracing a journey that’s as much about personal growth and connection as it is about exploring the beautiful landscapes. These safaris weave together activities that foster deep connections—among travelers, with local women, and with nature—making this journey unforgettable. Here are some of the special elements that can be included when developing your own Traveling Sisterhood Safari experience, in collaboration with Matoke Tours DMC.

Create meaningful connections

The Traveling Sisterhood Safari is about building authentic connections, not just with the destination but with each other. Our itineraries are thoughtfully designed to include ample time for bonding moments over mimosas, sunset chats, and shared meals. These conversations create a space where like-minded women can exchange stories, offer support, and forge friendships, enriching each experience with the power of shared connection.

Support Women in Tourism

Meet the pioneering women shaping Uganda’s tourism industry, from female rangers safeguarding the national parks to owners of women-led lodges and skilled female driver-guides.

Culinary Experiences

Experience the heart of Uganda’s culinary heritage by learning traditional cooking techniques directly from local women. Together, you will prepare beloved dishes, understanding the techniques and stories behind them. This exchange not only celebrates cultural heritage but also helps preserve culinary practices for future generations, giving travelers a chance to taste Uganda’s rich flavors while supporting the women who keep these traditions alive.

Get creative

Unlock creativity and cultural insight through hands-on sessions in traditional Ugandan crafts, like basket weaving, tailoring, or pottery-making. Guided by local craftswomen, travelers can create meaningful mementos while supporting local artisans.

Embrace Natural Produce

Learn about Uganda’s incredible agricultural wealth—shea butter, coffee, tea—directly from women’s cooperatives that focus on sustainable, local production. These visits highlight how women in agriculture drive economic growth and connect travelers with the authentic, sustainable processes behind everyday products. Visitors can support local women farmers while exploring the unique flavors and uses of these natural resources.

Conserve nature & wildlife

This generation of travelers has the power to inspire real change in conservation. Participating in initiatives such as gorilla or chimpanzee tracking offers a rare chance to connect with wildlife while supporting Uganda’s critical conservation efforts. These activities also reveal how local communities play an essential role in preserving wildlife and ecosystems, offering travelers an opportunity to witness conservation in action and learn how they can contribute to protecting our planet.

Wellness

Slow down and recharge in Uganda’s natural beauty. Wellness activities like yoga, nature walks, and meditative moments inspire travelers to reconnect with themselves, drawing positive energy from nature’s soothing rhythms.

AWARD-WINNING INITIATIVE

WTM Africa Responsible Tourism Awards

Tourism plays a crucial role in generating employment opportunities, particularly within local communities. However, despite its benefits, the industry still faces challenges such as employment disparities, seasonal instability, and limited growth prospects. Within the category ‘Employing and Upskilling local communities” WTM Africa seeks to highlight tourism enterprises that actively engage in recruiting, training, and empowering local residents, thereby providing stable, long-term employment and fostering growth opportunities within their communities. Matoke Tours Africa has been awarded a certificate of recognition for our outstanding effort in creating opportunities for Women in Tourism;

“This DMC emphasises the importance of human connections in travel and tourism, bridging barriers between cultures and driving economic development. […] They have a Women in Tourism initiative providing guide and driver training and are developing women-only itineraries” – WTM Africa

More about Matoke Tours' awards

Get to know Matoke Tours

Spearheading sustainable tourism in Uganda

Matoke Tours is one of Uganda’s leading destination management companies with nearly 20 years of experience, specialized in providing quality, customized, private and group tours within the region.

We share our love for Africa by creating unforgettable travel experiences which reflect our care and respect for the destination and its people. With sustainability as a guiding principle at the core of our business, we develop creative and innovative products based on our extensive local knowledge and profound understanding of the global market.

More about Matoke Tours

Supporting trailblazing female tour guides

Working towards a more inclusive tourism industry

In Uganda, female guides are dramatically underrepresented due to societal, cultural and economic barriers: traditional gender roles, perception of women as “the weak gender”, lack of support and funds for a professional training are just some of the factors. Although women make up the majority of the workforce in tourism, they often only have access to low-pay, seasonal jobs, without a prospect to advance their career.

Anna Grodzki, Managing Director and initiator of the program, shares: “At Matoke Tours Africa, we are proud to be a leader in sustainable tourism and this involves more than considering the environmental footprint of our tours; positive social impact and a more inclusive tourism industry are the values we stand for as a company. Every travel experience with Matoke Tours is crafted for our travelers to get an authentic insight into what makes this beautiful country special. But the picture is not complete if we leave out female voices and if we do not give women the opportunity to shape the destination narrative. The Female Tour Guide Training is much more for us than a CSR activity: For our all-female project team, this is a true passion project and we all strongly feel that we want to contribute to making a lasting difference in the industry.”

Since October 2021, a total of 31 young women have successfully graduated from the 6-month program and have gone on to pursue their careers in tourism, now well-equipped with the knowledge, practical skill and professional network needed to make it as a tour guide in the field.

More about our commitment

Meet Hamida – Graduate & Tour Leader at Matoke Tours

“I joined Matoke tours as a trainee back in October 2021, where I was given the opportunity to do an internship as an (assistent) guide during their tours. Even before finishing my first trip, I was overjoyed in receiving a 5 star review!

Currently I’m leading big tour groups across Uganda. During a trip, I’m making sure everything runs smoothly and be a source of information, so our clients can fully enjoy all the great things that Uganda has to offer; beautiful nature, great wildlife and last, but definitely not least, it’s interesting culture.

One of my personal goals in life is to inspire women who would love to be a guide, but feel nervous stepping into a typically male dominated industry. I’m happy to say that Matoke shares my believes and therefore organises bootcamps for (aspiring) female tour guides and female travel leaders. During one of these bootcamps, I was given the opportunity to give a speech about my experience being a female tour guide in the industry. I shared my journey thru life with a group of about 15 young ladies and it made a big impact! After the speech, they were inspired and motivated, some even started sharing their own stories and experiences! This is exactly why I did it; inspire, motivate and help. A succes in my book!

So with all this being said, I’d like to close this story by thanking Matoke tours for placing trust in me and giving me the opportunity in becoming a guide in your company.”