Kelvin Matari

I visited Tarangire National Park on 14 August 2026 with colleagues from Kenya, and Kelvin was our guide for the day.

With Kelvin, a passionate birder and ornithologist, the tour was memorable from beginning to end. I especially enjoyed his explanation of hornbill breeding behaviour, including how the female seals the nest entrance with mud. His explanation of the relationship between elephants and baobab trees was equally fascinating, as was his knowledge of Tarangire’s many bird species.

I would rate the entire experience with Kelvin five out of five.

We had such a great day birding with Kelvin at Arusha National Park! He spotted so many birds we would have completely missed on our own, and he was genuinely fun to have in the car the whole drive. Friendly, knowledgeable and easy to be around. I couldn't recommend him more if you're keen on birding in Arusha.

In February 2026, my wife and I joined a Green Hippo-organised tour of Tarangire and northern Tanzania. We had told Green Hippo that birdwatching was a particular interest of ours, and they arranged for Kelvin Matari to join our trip.

What followed was an extraordinary experience. Over the course of one week, we saw an enormous number of bird species, in addition to many other remarkable animals. On our own, we would have seen only a small fraction of these birds, and would not have been able to identify or distinguish many of the species.

Kelvin was exceptional. For each species, he clearly pointed out the key field marks that made identification possible, always with infectious enthusiasm and deep knowledge. I highly recommend Kelvin to anyone interested in birding who has the opportunity to join a trip he leads or is involved with.

In 2025, the three of us visited Tanzania, and it was a wonderful experience. The nature, wildlife and people were all fantastic, and everyone was so friendly.

We had an excellent birding experience with Kelvin. His knowledge of birds is impressive, and his exceptional hearing helped us detect and identify many species that we would probably have missed on our own. He was very skilled at locating birds and explaining their behaviour and distinguishing features.

Around Ngaresero Lodge and Arusha, we saw many wonderful species, including Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Retz's Helmetshrike, African Crowned Eagle and Common Buzzard.

Kelvin is knowledgeable, patient and passionate about birds. We really enjoyed having him as our guide and would highly recommend him to anyone interested in birding and wildlife in Tanzania.