Safaris Reviews

  Wonderful experience! We had a few hiccups (our fault) on our trip and this company went above and beyond to help us! We stayed at amazing tented camps and... read more saw so many more animals than I ever dreamed we would! Our guide, Malisa, was fantastic and we would consider him family by the end of the trip. If we are ever blessed to go again, we will most certainly use this company and guide again. I found their pricing to be fantastic for the services we received. Highly recommend all the way around!

  Calabash was great! Tillya was very helpful in organizing the tour. He answered all my questions and was very receptive. When we arrived to Arusha, the airline had lost our... read more bags. Tillya was there and was SO helpful. He handled all the communication with the airline and did all the follow up needed to get our bags. If it wasn’t for Tillya and his consistent follow up, I truly feel that the airline would not made finding out bags a priority.

We (my sister and I) did the 5 day safari tour through Tarangire, Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater and it was one of the best experiences both of us have ever had! Our tour guide was Malisa and he was also great! He was very friendly, personable, and just as excited to see everything as we were. He was very knowledgeable of all the animals and the environment. We had a great experience, in large part to Malisa.

Would highly recommend Calabash and would love to go back for another Safari!

  I have been a regular traveller for more than 25 years and in the last 10 I have focused more than seriously on wildlife photography, which makes me a more... read more demanding client, furthermore I have almost always organized my trips by myself so it's not easy to amaze me.
But Calabash Adventures is very careful of client's needs and wishes and when I travel to Tanzania, I only stick with them!
They are a locally owned and run company which is an advantage because they know the country very well and Tillya can plan a great safari for you or tailor it to your interests. Furthermore you don't have to pay commission to a third party.
They offer any level of accommodation and the service is axcellent in any case: when I travelled to Tanzania for the first time, I chose camping and both in public than in special campsites everything was well organized and safe. Then I have a nice memory of the cook who made a St. Valentine's cake for husband and me.
During my second visit I stayed in lodges and the service was of high quality even if I had chosen budget accommodation.
But what makes the difference for me is the guide and their guides/drivers are polite, experienced and speak good English.
During my last trip I had the best guide for me and I stick with him now that Tillya is organizing my next visit!
Last but not least, Calabash's prices are competitive and they are a reliable company so go with them!
If you have any question on my experiences with Calabash, I'm happy to answer.

  Wonderful experience! We had a few hiccups (our fault) on our trip and this company went above and beyond to help us! We stayed at amazing tented camps and... read more saw so many more animals than I ever dreamed we would! Our guide, Malisa, was fantastic and we would consider him family by the end of the trip. If we are ever blessed to go again, we will most certainly use this company and guide again. I found their pricing to be fantastic for the services we received. Highly recommend all the way around! …

  Tillya from Calabash made all my individual wishes true. I had no standard package and was travelling allone. I visited Arusha NP, Tarangire NP and Manyara NP. ... read more The guide Mood was excellent and a very careful driver. He showed me all the beautiful animals and african nature. Pre- and post contact were very easy and reliable by email and WhatsApp. I appreciated it very much and can recommend Calabash warmly. …

  We absolutely loved our 5 day safari through the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Calabash were amazing to deal with: so friendly, reliable, reasonably priced and knowledgeable. Would be happy to... read more answer any questions if you had!
:):)

  We haired Calabash for our 6 days safari in Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro, reccomended by some friends. The organization was good and nothing went wrong. The driver, Mudi, is a... read more very good guide with a real eagle eye to catch animals and is very nice and polite. And he’s also a great driver despite his young age. The car was ok, seemed the same of all the other cars seen in the parks. We would have loved if the car fridge worked but it’s ok...The accomodations proposed were all good especially the one we had when we flew to Zanzibar for the last 3 days on the beach (Gold Zanzibar resort). The Coffe House hotel in Stone Town as well is very charming. The Zanzibar tour guide was the only thing that did not satisfy our expectations, and they asked for money for the very basic tour, even if we were sure it was included. Final balance: go to Tanzania and go with Calabash! Tillya, the owner, is a good guy and you can trust him!

  We travelled to Tanzania in December 2017 until January 2018 and spent 4 days for safari. Serengeti, Tarangire and of course the Ngorongoro crater was amazing, Tillya and his team... read more is very friendly and helpful and they gave us beautiful, unforgettable day's in this great country. We did the safari the third time already and for the forth time I would choose Calabash again.Ben

  This is the self explanatory email I sent to Tillya. He gives me the run around and never returned my money. He is a scammer.
"Hello Tillya,

I... read more am no longer with the tour you planned for October 8 to October 21, 2023.

I wired you US$50 on August 15, 2023 and US$4330 on August 18 and you acknowledged receiving the monies on August 26. Subsequent calls, texts, and emails for confirmation of the tour went unanswered; I sent you information about our flight schedule and arrival date in Tanzania but received nothing. Until Monday October 2nd, 2023, the day before my departure, on that day you texted “Hi, how are?”

For over a month, despite having paid US$4380.00 I got no communication. I had severe doubts whether the tour would really take place, let alone if Calabash is a real company, and where I would stay and tour once I got to Tanzania. I had booked my airplane tickets on the premise that you would send me details of the booking but to my surprise and disappointment, I did not hear a word from you for more than 5 weeks. I was forced to go with another tour company.

I would like a refund for US$4380. My bank’s instructions for the wire transfer are as follows."

  We spent almost five (5) safari in Tanzania with Moody in November 2019. This days has been excellent. Moody" He is a very excellent guide, a nice fellow and one... read more of the 3 best game trackers I ever had in some 9 times I went to Eastern Africa. Great experience ever

  We did not really know what to expect as we booked the tour the day before but had a wonderful 4 days trip with Calabash Adventures : 1 day Tarangire,... read more 2 days Serengeti and 1 day Ngorongoro. We took the camping option, around 1500$ per person for 4 days all inclusive. The guide, Mood, was very nice and we keep him as a friend! He took a lot of time to try to show us the best and the most of where we have been, no rest for him! He was a very good driver and knew a lot on the parks and animals, it was very nice to do the tour with him. The cook was also very fine, with oven baked fresh bread at every meal, we did not miss anything. Finally we saw the big 5 and thousands of animals, more than expected! If you are looking for a tour we can recommand you Calabash, flexible and professional! Simon and Julia

  Our trip was a personalised safari arranged in consultation with Tillya, the owner of the company, via email. Tillya responded immediately during our planning stages and nothing we requested was... read more deemed impossible. On the safari every eventuality was planned for and accommodated by our guide Simba who was ‘knowledgeable, skilful and deeply in tune with the environment and the animals. We stayed in a variety of accommodation types because our safari was a mobile safari. Some options were lodges, others were semi-permanent camps, all of which were of a high standard. Staff at our accommodation were helpful and friendly and expected nothing in return, apart from us experiencing a positive outcome. We were up close and personal with extraordinary animals on a daily basis. Highlights are too many to mention but a couple Include Tarangire National Park around the waterhole, Lake Natron and the flamingoes and the Mara River area where we saw 4 wildebeest crossings and had a balloon ride over the Mara River at dawn.

  Malisa, our driver and guide, is now considered part of our family after having so much fun with him. We spent an amazing week with him in Ndutu, Serengeti... read more and Ngorogoro. He has such great knowledge of the terrain, the animals and their behaviors, and even of the other drivers so as to receive and share crucial information in order to find animals doing amazing things. Malisa was well-tuned to our needs and anticipated what activities we would like and when we needed a rest. And Tillya was an amazing communicator when organizing and setting up the tour ahead of time. What a great partnership they have with the best local knowledge to give us the safari of a lifetime!

  Our trip was a personalised safari arranged in consultation with Tillya, the owner of the company, via email. Tillya responded immediately during our planning stages and nothing we requested was... read more deemed impossible. On the safari every eventuality was planned for and accommodated by our guide Simba who was ‘knowledgeable, skilful and deeply in tune with the environment and the animals. We stayed in a variety of accommodation types because our safari was a mobile safari. Some options were lodges, others were semi-permanent camps, all of which were of a high standard. Staff at our accommodation were helpful and friendly and expected nothing in return, apart from us experiencing a positive outcome. We were up close and personal with extraordinary animals on a daily basis. Highlights are too many to mention but a couple Include Tarangire National Park around the waterhole, Lake Natron and the flamingoes and the Mara River area where we saw 4 wildebeest crossings and had a balloon ride over the Mara River at dawn. …

  We arranged a personalized travel with Calabash Adventures. Two days at/in the Ngorongoro crater and five days in the northern Serengeti to watch the "big migration" at the Mara river.... read more Tillya, the owner of the company, was kind and very responsive when we negotiated the itinerary by e-mail. Prices are significantly lower when contracting directly with a tanzanian tour operator. Accommodation + meals were good standard or better. Transportation by Landcruiser or with local airlines worked flawlessly. Our driver/guide was a walking encyclopedia and knew instinctively when and where to find animals. We saw much more than we expected. …

  Jambo!
It was our second time with CALABASH ADVENTURES and again they have allowed us to take full advantage of the Safari. The continuous attention, and their expert knowledge... read more of the terrain and wildlife were 10/10, top level. They are totally friendly people, rigorous and involved in their work. I recommend them all for their safaris in Tanzania ... and beyond!
Safari njema! 🙂

  Tillya from Calabash made all my individual wishes true. I had no standard package and was travelling allone. I visited Arusha NP, Tarangire NP and Manyara NP. ... read more The guide Mood was excellent and a very careful driver. He showed me all the beautiful animals and african nature.
Pre- and post contact were very easy and reliable by email and WhatsApp.
I appreciated it very much and can recommend Calabash warmly.

  We did not really know what to expect as we booked the tour the day before but had a wonderful 4 days trip with Calabash Adventures : 1 day Tarangire,... read more 2 days Serengeti and 1 day Ngorongoro. We took the camping option, around 1500$ per person for 4 days all inclusive. The guide, Mood, was very nice and we keep him as a friend! He took a lot of time to try to show us the best and the most of where we have been, no rest for him! He was a very good driver and knew a lot on the parks and animals, it was very nice to do the tour with him. The cook was also very fine, with oven baked fresh bread at every meal, we did not miss anything. Finally we saw the big 5 and thousands of animals, more than expected! If you are looking for a tour we can recommand you Calabash, flexible and professional!
Simon and Julia

  Wonderful experience! We had a few hiccups (our fault) on our trip and this company went above and beyond to help us! We stayed at amazing tented camps and... read more saw so many more animals than I ever dreamed we would! Our guide, Malisa, was fantastic and we would consider him family by the end of the trip. If we are ever blessed to go again, we will most certainly use this company and guide again. I found their pricing to be fantastic for the services we received. Highly recommend all the way around!

  Calabash was great! Tillya was very helpful in organizing the tour. He answered all my questions and was very receptive. When we arrived to Arusha, the airline had lost our... read more bags. Tillya was there and was SO helpful. He handled all the communication with the airline and did all the follow up needed to get our bags. If it wasn’t for Tillya and his consistent follow up, I truly feel that the airline would not made finding out bags a priority.

We (my sister and I) did the 5 day safari tour through Tarangire, Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater and it was one of the best experiences both of us have ever had! Our tour guide was Malisa and he was also great! He was very friendly, personable, and just as excited to see everything as we were. He was very knowledgeable of all the animals and the environment. We had a great experience, in large part to Malisa.

Would highly recommend Calabash and would love to go back for another Safari!