Safaris Reviews

  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

  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!

  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!

  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 contacted Tillya from Italy months beforehand, and he was always invaluable with his advice and suggestions for a 6-day safari between Ngorongoro, Serengeti and the Mara River. Together, but... read more especially with his input, we tailor-made a safari exactly as we imagined it. Tillya's patience at this stage was incredible. No change or second thought on our part put him off. Everything was hakuna matata!
Once on site we met Malisa, our driver. Thanks to his immense friendliness, his in-depth knowledge of the local fauna and flora and his long experience of the animals' habits, we really saw everything up close and the safari was a fantastic experience. Tillya also booked our 8 day followup in Zanzibar, without any problem and for fair prices. We now are friends and we are still in touch with both of them here at home. Asante sana, kaka Malisa! Grazie Tillya!

  16 days travelling, 5 different National Parks including: Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Ndutu and Arusha.
First Class accommodation and food throughout the tour. Amazing knowledgeable guide who made the whole holiday... read more so special, thank you Malisa. Nothing was too much trouble.
To Tillya who arranged everything for us, even to adding a couple of days due to flight issues. Thank you both for making this such a memorable trip.
I now have to go through the 9K of photos.

  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. …

  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 spent 3 days in Tarangire, Lake Maniara and Ngorongoro crater. The guide, Malissa, was really helpful, patient and well prepared. He could look far away each interesting animal in... read more the sourrandings. One day me and my wife did not feel well probably due to food so he took us at the near medical center and we were treated fast and nicely. I do really reccomend Calabash also for the value for money side.

  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!

  Me and my friend did a 5 day Safari with Calabash and I am amazed. It was the best time of my life. In advance of the trip they provided... read more us with lots of information and answered every question immediately. They picked us up in Arousha and we spent a night in a pretty good hotel. The next day our Safari through Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorogoro started. Thanks to our fantastic guide we have seen so many animals- very close. It was a very intensive time.He took very good care of us, fullfilled every wish and was so passionate about the nature and the animals. We stayed in lodges close to the parcs which were chosen very well. Also we spent 2 nights in a tented lodge in the Serengeti which was incredible. Highest comfort in the middle of wilderness. The whole package was really amazing and I would highly recommend to do Safari with 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! 🙂

  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 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

  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."

  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!

  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. …

  I'm not sure if I will ever have a trip that will top my experience in Tanzania with Calabash Adventures. Tillya was excellent in setting up my trip for... read more maximum animal spotting and even adjusted it on the fly as he got new information about the great migration. My guide, Malisa, was the absolute best. We frequently were spotting animals way before other tours because he was so knowledgeable about the habits of the animals he follows. We even saw a baby zebra born right in front of our eyes, and no one else was around! I was continually amazed every day and wish I could do this trip once a year. I still stay in touch with Tillya and Malisa. They go out of their way to make sure your experience is the best. I have referred another couple to go on their honeymoon with a Calabash Adventures tour and they also said it was the trip of a lifetime. As I have told several people, Calabash is not the biggest, but they try harder and are the best. They make you feel special. If there is any chance you can afford it, I would always recommend doing the private tour to make the most out of your adventure. It is truly the most memorable trip I have ever done! Thank you Tilly and Malisa!

  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 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!