Safaris Reviews

  This is my review of Calabash and a response to Travelworld/christinewJ4034HQ who accused me of being one of "all fakes, all bogus shills and plants". She incorrectly said I "had... read more a great tour with her husband, another time with her 8 yr old daughter, and yet another time with her 12 yr. old daughter." And that I "posted extensively on the WhatsApp group". You will see by my review with whom I traveled - and I am not in any WhatsApp group. I've been published in travel magazines, was a top contributor for a travel site, and am active in family travel groups on FB. I've also contributed here. I don't need to lie about my travels, nor have I ever gotten compensation for any of my reviews. Below is the review I share on Facebook and I stand by it 100%. (I put in Nov 2023 as date of travel because there was no option for my original date, although my original date on my original review.) You will see that there are many very positive reviews of Calabash.

"My husband, myself, and our (then) 8 yrs old daughter did a private safari to Tanzania in June/July with Calabash Adventures (a local company). It was important for us to book with a local company. They came recommended by a friend who has done multiple safaris with them. For our trip, it was the 3 of us and the driver in a comfortable 8 seat safari vehicle. Our driver/guide was so great. He was the best spotter - we saw the Big 5 and so much more. Even our daughter became a proficient spotter a few days into our safari. We did see the starting of the migration but I'd love to go back and see the full-on migration! One of my favorite things was our picnic lunches (including tablecloth!) set up in the middle of the Serengeti or wherever we happened to be that day. Amazing accommodations - some with pool - everything from beautiful "tents" to a stone cottage with a fireplace on a coffee plantation. They accommodated my vegetarian daughter. All food was fresh and excellent.

The best thing for me was that every detail was completely taken care of. We had the flexibility to set our days - getting up and out when we wanted, going where we wanted, etc. They'll work with your budget. Tanzania is stunning and the whole trip was the trip of a lifetime! We finished up our safari with a few days on Zanzibar, which was so nice and relaxing (booked as part of our package)! Highly recommend Calabash. We're hoping to go with them again.

Where we went/stayed each day: Lake Manyara National Park/Kariby Kirumrumu Tented Camp, Mto wa Mbu/Ngorongoro Farm House, Ngorongoro Crater/Switched Accommodations from original, Olduval Gorge-Ndutu/Maseki Tented Camp, Serengeti/Kisura Serengeti Camp (2 days/nights), Tarangire/Marambol Tented Camp."

  Went on a 8 days safari to Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. A lot of close encounters with lions, lepards and many other animals. Truly a fantastic experiens. Stayed at Ngorongoro... read more Sopa Lodge, Seronera Wildlife Lodge, Kati Kati Tented Lodge and Ndutu Safari Lodge. Finished of with 7 days on Zanzibar Island. Stayed at Langi Langi Beach Bungalows. All of the above are fantastic places. Everything were perfectly planed by Hamadi Tillya and our fantastic safari guide Godson Malisa at Calabash Adventures. We can highly recommend this company for your safari and beach vacation .
Micke Ohlsson and Lena Kjellberg.
SWEDEN

  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."

  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!

  This is to warn everyone about Calabash Adventure Safari and its so-called owner, Tilly, based in Arusha, Tanzania. I texted and talked extensively with him on WhatsApp, then bank-transferred... read more US$4380.00 as 30% deposit. Once he got the money, he disappeared, and has since ignored all my texts, phone calls and emails.
Beware all those wonderful reviews about Calabash on TripAdvisor. i.e. ". . .Obviously some doubts come, when we have not met the person, and then you have to transfer a big amount of money. But the whole experience was great. Tilly made a customized itinerary for what we needed . . ."
A "Donna Young" has posted extensively on the WhatsApp group extolling the virtues of Calabash, how she had a great tour with her husband, another time with her 8 yr old daughter, and yet another time with her 12 yr. old daughter.
In hindsight, all fakes, all bogus shills and plants. BEWARE!!!

  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

  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

  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!

  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 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

  I can't say enough about our experience with Calabash Adventures! Right from the start Tillya was responsive and helpful in building an itinerary to show us the best Tanzania had... read more to offer. We spent 9 days in Tanzania and 3 days in Zanzibar. Our guide/driver Malisa was the best! I have no doubt that we saw so much more wildlife because of his skills. Each day I looked forward to his wonderful picnic style lunches in the middle of the Serengeti, or wherever we happened to be that day!

The tented camps were simply the best - many were even luxurious! All of the food was delicious (everyone went out of their way to accommodate our vegetarian daughter). All of the people working at the camps were so nice and went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable and happy - it was a pleasure to get to know them.

It was so great to have our own vehicle for the 3 of us. Plenty of room to move around inside and have great views of the wildlife. We loved the flexibility of our schedule as well. We could leave anytime we wanted in the morning.

We spent the last 3 days of our trip at the beach in Zanzibar, which was a perfect ending to a perfect trip. Having someone handle all the details was so relaxing for me! And Tanzania is absolutely beautiful! Thank you Calabash! We'll be back!

  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!

  So this was our first camping safari in Africa and so we had a number of queries, all of which were promptly answered by Tillya. There was a lengthy discussion... read more over email to the specifics of the safari and Tillya answered all promptly which gave us confidence in the company.

The safari guide we had was Malisa and he was amazing, a great guide to Africa and animals in general and a very nice man himself too.

Thoroughly enjoyed the holiday and looking forward to booking again with Calabash. Would recommend this company for sure.

  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. …

  We had an amazing trip with Calabash! It was just fantastic from start to finish as everything was perfectly organised. Our guide Mohammed was very knowledgeable and very friendly. Together... read more with him and our friends’ driver Malisa we were able to see all the animals you could just dream of. In the northern Serengeti we even watched a large herd of wildebeests crossing the Mara River. The safari in Tanzania and the follow up week in Zanzibar were just a unique experience. Tillya, the owner of the company, was really helpful and supportive when our kids joined us only some days later. We would highly recommend Calabash. Thanks to you all for this wonderful holiday, Tillya, Mohamed and Malisa!

  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!

  Father daughter 8 day private safari including Kambi ya tembo, Tarangire, Myanara, Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. Calabash is a local Tanzanian company with reasonable rates and experienced guides (recommend... read more Malisa!). Tillya the owner was very open to communication by email and Whatsapp in the planning of the trip and even met us in person on arrival. Malisa our guide had excellent knowledge and helped us see nearly all the animals. All the places we stayed had great hospitality and took good care of us. We travelled during covid and felt completely safe in Tanzania where there was seemingly no covid and life was normal. It is so relaxing to enjoy the peaceful safari rides and watch nature at work. If you enjoy the outdoors, animals and photography, this is the trip of your dreams. It was a dream come true for us!

  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

  Highly recommended! We took our family of 5 (including three sons aged 15 to 11) for a three day tour into Ngorongoro and to Ndutu. The experience was amazing,... read more the sites incredible and the memories (and photos) will last a lifetime.

Communication with Tillya was very clear and informative and everything was as described. Malisa was a wonderful guide - gracious, knowledgeable and the family embraced him as a friend and not just a guide. The lodge was great and the staff went out of their way to be friendly and helpful.

I strongly recommend Calabash!

  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! 🙂