Small-group photo journeys abroad
Shuttermoon
Morocco, Uzbekistan, Peru, Iceland and Europe, with Jan or one of our guides. Groups of up to 10 travelers, and welcoming to those who don't photograph.
The Prague travel company behind your trip
Matkali is the licensed, insured Czech travel company that runs Shuttermoon and Johnny's Photo Tours. If our name is on your travel contract, you're in the right place.
Licensed Czech travel agency
Licence no. P10-571451/2025
Insolvency insurance with UNIQA
Valid through August 31, 2027
Based in Prague, trips since 2013
Korunní 2569/108, Prague 10
Small groups, real people
Led by Jan and our own guides
About
Hello, I'm Jan. I run Matkali.
I was born in Prague, and in 2014 I started leading photo walks around my city. Those walks grew into longer photo tours across Central Europe, and later into trips further away, to Morocco, Uzbekistan, Peru and Iceland.
I keep our groups small on purpose. With a handful of people, we can wait for the light when it matters, change the plan when the weather does, and still have time for a long lunch. A big group needs a schedule. A small group gets a trip.
Many of our guests come back, and more and more of them bring their friends. For them we design private journeys, built around their dates and their pace.
Matkali is the company behind all of it. It is a licensed Czech travel agency, insured for your protection, so the trip you book with us is covered the way the law intends.
See you in Prague,
Jan Miřacký
Founder and Managing Director
Our brands
One company, four ways to travel with us
CK Matkali s.r.o. operates Shuttermoon and Johnny's Photo Tours. Every trip sold under these brands is a Matkali trip, with the same licence, insurance and team behind it.
Private photo tours in Central Europe
Johnny's Photo Tours
Tailor-made photo tours across Czechia and its neighbors, for your group only.
Photo walks in Prague
Johnny's Prague Photo Tours
Where many of our guests first met Jan.
Expeditions for Czech-speaking travelers
Matkali.cz
Small-group trips around the world, led by Czech guides. The website is in Czech.
Private journeys
Your friends, your dates.
Travel with the people you choose, on a route designed for your group. Private journeys work best for 4 to 10 travelers: couples, old friends, families, clubs.
Places we know well
- Austria
- Cambodia
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Czechia
- Germany
- Iceland
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Malaysia
- Morocco
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Peru
- Scotland
- Sicily
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Uzbekistan
Photography is optional. Some groups photograph every sunrise. Others never take out a camera.
Tell us who's coming.
A few lines about your group, your dates and what you enjoy.
Jan designs the route.
You get a day-by-day proposal and a quote. The proposal is free.
We run everything on the ground.
Hotels, transport, local guides, and one of us traveling with you.
Your protection
Your trip and your money are protected
CK Matkali s.r.o. is a licensed Czech travel agency. Every package tour it sells is covered by insolvency insurance with UNIQA, under Czech law that implements the EU Package Travel Directive. We also contribute to the Czech Travel Agencies Guarantee Fund.
A licensed travel agency. Czech law requires a licence to sell package tours. Ours was granted by the Prague 10 Trade Licensing Office in September 2025, with the consent of the Czech Ministry of Regional Development.
Insolvency insurance with UNIQA. If Matkali ever became insolvent, you would get back what you paid. If you were already traveling, you would be brought home. Our policy with UNIQA pojišťovna runs from September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2027.
The Czech Guarantee Fund. We also pay into the Guarantee Fund of Czech travel agencies, overseen by the Ministry of Regional Development.
A written contract. Every trip comes with a written travel contract under EU package travel law. Your payment schedule is set in that contract.
Click a certificate to see it full size.
Team
The people who travel with you
You'll get to know us before your trip, and one of us will be with you on the road.
Jan Miřacký
Founder and lead guide
Jan founded Matkali and still leads many of our trips himself. He is a Prague-born travel photographer represented by AWL Images, 4Corners and Robert Harding, and he has led photo tours in Prague and Central Europe since 2014.
Pavlína Koukalová
Guide, co-leads Morocco
Pavlína has returned to Morocco twice a year since 2012, and she likes to meet a country through its people and its food. She is also a certified leader and assessor for The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award.
Petr Maděřič
Guide, co-leads Uzbekistan
Petr is a street and documentary photographer who likes to photograph people and everyday life. He is learning Russian to make travel in Central Asia easier, and his work as a caregiver taught him patience.
Nikola Abudová
Guide, leads Cuba
Nikola first traveled to Cuba in 2014 and has gone back many times since, about a year there in all. She speaks English and Spanish, and she likes to get to know a place through the people who live there.
Ivana Dragoun
Guide, Africa and East Asia
Ivana worked in film production for more than 20 years, including half a year in South Africa, and Africa has stayed close to her heart. She leads trips to South Africa, Tanzania, Japan, Taiwan and Sicily, and she is good at turning a change of plan into a good day.
What travelers say
In our guests' words
“First tour with Jan Miracky, seeing the Czech Republic for the first time. Highest recommendation. Accommodations, food, itinerary (adjusted to fit the weather) and leadership all top notch. For a photo tour, I feel the most important thing is photo guidance and I was especially pleased with Jan's proactive helpfulness while in the field -- arguably the best among a dozen photo tours I've been on.”
“With only three guests on our tour, it was like traveling with best friends. Jan planned every detail perfectly. The accommodations in the city and the rural areas were unique and charming.”
Roxanna R.USA · Czechia photo tourFrom a longer review “We loved our photography tour of Cappadocia and Istanbul, Turkey. Jan did a great job of organizing all of the trip details including arranging for very good local guides. His communication skills are stellar and we always felt informed both before and during the trip. Jan is great at making any necessary adjustments during the tour and does so with a smile on his face.”
Karyn and Bill W.USA · Cappadocia and IstanbulFrom a longer review “Although the focus of the tour was certainly photography, my husband is a non-photographer and still found the trip to be very enjoyable.”
Cindi K.USA · Cinque Terre, ItalyFrom a longer review
FAQ
Questions we hear often
Who is CK Matkali?
CK Matkali s.r.o. is a licensed Czech travel agency based in Prague, run by its founder, Jan Miřacký. It operates Shuttermoon and Johnny's Photo Tours. “CK” is the Czech abbreviation for a travel agency (cestovní kancelář).
Why is Matkali on my Shuttermoon contract?
Because Matkali is the company that runs your trip. Shuttermoon and Johnny's Photo Tours are our brands, so your travel contract, invoice and insurance are in the company's legal name, CK Matkali s.r.o.
Is my payment protected?
Yes. Every package tour we sell is covered by insolvency insurance with UNIQA. If we became insolvent, you would get your payments back, and if you were already traveling, you would be brought home. We also contribute to the Czech Travel Agencies Guarantee Fund.
Do I need to be a photographer?
No. Many of our guests don't photograph at all. They travel with a partner who does, or they simply want a well-run trip with a good host. On a private journey, photography is entirely up to you.
How big are the groups?
Small. Shuttermoon departures have up to 10 travelers, with no more than 8 photographers, and private journeys usually 4 to 10.
Can you organize a trip just for our group?
Yes, that is what our private journeys are. Tell us who is coming and when, and Jan will send you a route and a quote. The proposal is free.
How far ahead should we plan?
For a private journey, 6 to 12 months ahead is ideal. That gives us time to design the route and reserve small hotels and good local guides.
How do I pay?
By bank transfer or by card. Prices are in euros, and you can pay in euros or US dollars; a payment in dollars is converted at our bank's rate on the day it arrives. Payment terms differ from trip to trip and are written into each travel contract.
Contact
Write to Jan
A question about your booking, a private trip, or something else. Jan reads every message himself and replies within two working days.
- Phone
- +420 737 382 203
- Postal address
- CK Matkali s.r.o.
Korunní 2569/108
101 00 Prague 10
Czech Republic