Safaris Reviews

  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 …

  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.

  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!

  Booked with Calabash as a result of a recommendation from friends who travel with them regularly. Itinerary was great and our driver/guide, Marisa, was great. Excellent driver, knowledgeable... read more guide and a great guy as well. The wildlife we saw was far more than we could have hoped for. If we are fortunate enough to visit Tanzania again we will certainly be contacting Calabash

  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.

  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. …

  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!

  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 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.

  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!

  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 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!

  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!
:):)

  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!

  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!

  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 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."

  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 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!