Tillya was our contact and he was great about responding to emails and giving us information.  He was also the only one we contacted that seemed to understand we wanted to see the Wildebeest migration and specifically altered our itinery so we would be able to see them.  Our journey to Tanzania was fraught with difficulties which meant that we couldn't send a deposit after booking with Calabash, nor could we go to their office when we arrived to give it to them ( we were in Moshi, they are in Arusha) but through it all, Tillya and Calabash were helpful, understanding and booked our safari anyway.  Tillya also booked us into a hotel in Arusha (we had no idea where to stay), the Olduvai Inn, centrally located US$25 per night bed and breakfast.  He was great and helpful even before our safari started and got even better after.

We were supposed to start our safari on February 25th at 7:30 am, but we didn't get off of Kili until Feb 24, we hadn't booked a hotel in Arusha and had to leave one of our bags there, had no idea where to stay and hadn't given Calabash our deposit, and we were unreachable the week prior as we were on the mountain. I had sent TIllya a frantic email before we departed up the mountain wiht all this info. Despite all this, Tillya booked our safari, found us a hotel and said he would meet us there the morning of the 25th to get the deposit and give us our detailed safari info.

Then sent us on our way with Joseph who took us to Lake Mayanara.  That day was fabulous, we saw so many animals.  The next day our other driver and jeep picked us up.  Tillya had sent a converter - which was a lifesaver as we could charge the cell phone or camera batteries as we drove (we couldn't charge everything at night as there is only a small window of electrical power at the camps).  He also sent 'bean bags' for our cameras which were a great addition.  It was little extras like this (along with some major stuff) that really set Calabash apart from other operators for us. Another great thing was the fabulous mix of lodges and tented camps we stayed at (Tillya had to really work to get us into Ndutu safari lodge which was a great place, but he perservered).  We were so impressed with all the places.  Our favorite was Ikoma Bush Camp.  It really exceeded our expectations and Calabash was much cheaper than many operators we had inquired with.

Of all the other safari goers we talked to, we were the only ones that had so many different drives and it allowed us to see such a great range of animals.  The walking safari with the armed ranger was very cool.I had called Tillya mid way through our safari to ask for his help with the next portion of our trip - Zanzibar.  He said he would work on it and have something for us by the time our safari was over. Our safari ended on March 2 and we got back late to the Olduvai Inn.  The next morning at breakfast, just as I was going to call Tillya, he came around the corner!  He had information on flights to Zanzibar and had been in contact with a dive shop on the island.  He was working with Frieda from Tropical Trails Tours on Zanzibar who was also great.  He asked our price range for hotels in stone town and as soon as we told him, he called Frieda and booked us into a place. 

Then when we said we wanted to fly out the next day, he drove us to the bank (there was a huge line so we told him he didn't have to wait) and then went to get our airline tickets after giving us advice on where to shop.  He phoned us later in the day to say that he had our tickets and met us downtown so we could pay him for them!  The flights had been sold out for the entire day but he somehow managed to work a miracle and get us on a morning flight to Zanzibar.

At the airport in stone town, we were met by someone from Frieda's office who took us to our hotel to drop off our luggage and then took us to their office where we booked a couple tours.  The next day we met Frieda who arranged our hotel in Ngwai, our transportation there and back and our flight back to Dar the following week - great one stop service.  I can also highly recommend Tropical Trails.

All in all, we had an amazing couple of weeks and in a large part it was due to Tillya and Calabash.  The above and beyond service he gave us was great and much appreciated.