Matius Nelson
Greystoke, Mahale, Western Tanzania
Matius was born into a fishing family in the town of Kigoma, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania. He made his way to the Mahale Mountains National Park, where he started working for the Japanese chimpanzee research centre based there. At that time, he was a member of the guiding team and also worked alongside a man who, coincidentally, was the father of Nomad guide and resident Mahale chimp expert, Butati Nyundo. Matius' passion for the chimps and the magical Mahale mountains has continued to grow over the years.
He started with Nomad in 2011 as a ‘tracker’ navigating the forested foothills of the Mahale Mountains in search of the chimps. Now he is one of our Greystoke guides and loves the opportunity to share his passion for this unique corner of the world with our guests.