Chabo Africa Safari
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 1997)
- Member Of:
- TTB & TANAPA
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $95 to $1,050 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Benjamin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience in a group of four (plus guide)
What can I say? Our Trip to Ruaha National Park and Udzungwa Mountains was great! Our guide was Serafino, who is very experienced and also a funny, decent and modest guy.
Everything went fine (well, we had a flat tire at 60 mph but Serafino handled it very well, and his driving skills are excellent, by the way), Chabo Africa adapted our safari to our plans. We wanted to travel from Dar Es Salaam to Iringa by airplane, and wanted to leave Udzungwa by airplane, too, which went very well - thanks to Auric Air, who offer direct flights from Dar Es Salaam to Iringa and from Kilombero (Udzungwa) to Dar Es Salaam.
The tour was totally worth the price, since we saw all of the big animals which are present in Ruaha National Park (even a Leopard, thanks to a hilarious collaboration between Sarafino and Ernesto, who spotted a Leopard in a tree during their talk while standing side-by-side with their cars, chatting). July is a great month to travel to Ruaha, since it is not rainy season anymore but there is still enough water making it worthwhile for the game to hang around or go for a hunt. There were also lots of elephants, buffaloes, giraffes and lions of course (we even saw those.. "cuddling"). The Udzungwa Mountains included some serious hiking (well, at least for us, it was, since we did not expect it to be that exhausting :-)). But the waterfalls and the views were totally worth it!
The mornings and the evenings were also very funny since we had the company of Serafino and sometimes also Ernest, who guided a Belgian group through the same areas simultaneously. The accommodations had a great value for the money, but we did book the budget option, so we did not expect much.
Many tour operators from Tanzania had major trouble with a new tax law that was introduced on very short notice in summer 2016. Due to the new rules, we had to pay an extra 10 % because there was an extra tax on accommodations which cause the majority of the costs. Since my wife lived in Tanzania for 6 months prior to our tour, always reading the newspapers, we knew that this was no scheme or something, but many customers became suspicious and cancelled their tours (instead they booked in nearby Kenia or Zambia, where taxes were not increased).
All in all, we would like to thank Chabo Safari for our great trip. It was a real adventure for us, since three out of four have never been outside of Europe before. My slightly younger sister is extremely frightened of flying (including crying, refusing to board in the first place etc.) but she went through all of that. Afterwards she said that she would do it all again, since she never saw something even remotely exciting like the wildlife in Tanzania.
BE
Email Caroline and Bart | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful moments
We had a wonderful time in Selous Game Reserve, Ruaha National Park and on the private island Bagamoyo! Everything was well organised! Elen and Ernest prepared our program that succeeded to all our wishes. We were so fortunate to have Ernest as tour guide. He is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about his job.
The accommodations were great too. We would recommend Chabo Africa Safari to everyone who wants a safari fit to their needs. Thanks for the wonderful moments Ernest!
AT
Email Claudia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overall an amazing experience with wildlife and people!
The colors, the sounds, the wildness, the smells, the intense intellectual challenge of learning as much as possible about all that was around me. It was a world apart from everyday life, and thus, a perfect place for an adventure.
Everything was perfecly organised and our tour guide, Modest from Chabo Africa Safari, is very professional, knowledgable with a good sense of humour. He has extremely good eyes for all animals, is an experienced, safe and patient driver, and last but not least, has consulted our wishes. A journey to remember.
The people are friendly and welcoming, and the scenery and wildlife are amazing. I can really recommend to book a customised safari with Chabo Africa.
CA
Email Jean | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experiences with an excellent guide and a very helpful company.
We were extremely pleased with both our budget safaris arranged through Chabo Africa. Our guide Modest was extremely knowledgeable with regard to all the animals and birds. It sometimes felt as though we were in a National Geographic documentary, as the information provided was so complete. He was excellent at finding and spotting game that we would have never seen. He is very personable with a good sense of humour and his English is excellent. He was on time and we were happy with his driving. Our communication with Chabo (Elen and Modest) was prompt and clear. Through many conversations with Modest we were able to learn a lot about present day Tanzanian culture which greatly enhanced our experience during the trip. We were so pleased with our experience in the Southern parks, that when our previously arranged safari in the Northern parks with a different company fell through due to payment issues, we requested a recommendation from Chabo for a Northern safari company. Modest said he could do the Northern safari for us as he had worked in that area also. Within a day or two, Chabo had a new personalized Northern safari all arranged with Modest as our guide again. We were thrilled to be met In Arusha by Modest a couple of weeks later to go on our Northern safari. Our Northern safari proved to be just as good and interesting as our Southern one as Modest proved again how good he was at spotting wildlife and explaining their different behaviors. We would highly recommend Chabo as a company and Modest as a guide for anyone who wants to go on a safari and experience Tanazania.
CA
Email Tami | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Chabo Africa Safari exceeded our expectations...in every way, from start to finish!
Chabo Africa Safari exceeded our expectations, from start to finish! We had an amazing 8-day safari through Selous and Mikumi, ending in Ruaha. Having requested a ‘Budget / Camping’ level of accommodation, we were prepared for a little ‘adventure’, but were pleasantly surprised with the variety of great lodgings: from permanent ‘tents’ overlooking hippos bathing in the Rufiji river to the lovely TanSwiss hotel with a pool, thru the more rustic Ruaha Bandas and the friendly Neema Craft House. Our guide Modest was outstanding, from our first phone conversation to arrange our pick-up in Dar Es Salaam, until our Safari was complete, he was prompt, professional, and personable! (and a patient, safe driver as well!)
Chabo is a very small safari company that made a very big impression with our group. They are Tanzanian owned, employ local people, and provide a very dedicated service; with extensive knowledge of the parks, the animals, the traditions and culture. Elen, who organizes bookings, quotes, etc. was very thorough and efficient. Despite a 10-hour time difference, most of our email questions were answered within 24 hours. The payment process was flawless; Elen provided very detailed information for the successful wire transfers.
With all those details so well taken care of, we were set for an amazing experience! We chose the ‘Southern Route’ safari, largely because it is the ‘less travelled’ and ‘less busy’ route, although we were aware that we might see fewer animals than the northern route, we would also see fewer people and have a more natural viewing experience. Our guide Modest’s amazing intuition and experience repeatedly lead us to incredible viewing opportunities, from waterholes with various species cautiously approaching to drink, to up-close, fresh lion kills where the dominant males were gorging while the females and youngsters lay panting in the shade, licking their wounds sustained in the hunt and resting from the exertion while awaiting their turn to feast. From giraffes and elephants to hyrax, kudus and zebras, dik-diks to jackals, crocodiles to hyenas and warthogs, the list goes on, not to mention the incredible array of bird species! Each day included multiple viewings, with Modest sharing his vast wealth of knowledge on the various plant, animal and bird species and their place in the environment.
Modest and Chabo Africa set a high standard for customer care, taking care of every detail from the moment we met up in Dar through to our flight from Iringa. Modest’s great sense of humour and his competent, considerate nature made it hard to say goodbye. We would certainly recommend Chabo Africa for your Tanzanian Safari adventure!
Great safari in Southern Tanzania
I went for "8-Day Southern Tz Safari Selous/Mikumi/Ruaha/Udzungwa".
Ruaha was very nice! There were a great numbers of Impala, giraffe, elephats, and also lions.
And three elephants came into the campsite, just front of my banda!
We wished to changed the schedule, staying longer Raha instead of Udzungwa, and Elen arranged for us.
Thank you very much, we really enjoyed Ruaha!
Our driver told us the best season of Ruaha is September. So I like to come back to Tanzania in September.
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Email Chen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great, affordable tour
I went on a 1-day tour led by Chabo Safari with a group of American students. Ernest and Chabo Safari took care of all the logistics for transportation, food, and housing. We were picked up at our hostel and taken directly to Ruaha National Park. I was very fortunate to have Ernest as tour guide, as he was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about ensuring we had a great experience. On our way to Ruaha, Ernest told us about the history of Iringa. Overall, the trip was excellent and I really enjoyed the adventure with Chabo Safari.
We have 21 people in our group. We did wonderful overnight trip with Chabo Africa to Ruaha Natl Park
We had a fantastic experience. Ruaha National Park is truly beautiful and the entire Chabo staff was great throughout the planning process. Our drivers were also very knowledgeable and fun to spend time with. We spent the night in the park: some of us in the park-owned bandas and some of us in the park-owned cottages. The rooms in both places clean, comfortable, and inexpensive and the park staff who hosted us were also great. Finally, the whole expedition was very affordable. I would absolutely go on safari with Chabo Africa again.
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Email Victoria | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome 1st safari!
Chabo Africa was a great pick! There was 21 of us, and they understood our needs and time constraints to work with us. The staff was super friendly and knowledgeable. Ernest was awesome: he definitely strayed from the path to help us find all the animals we wanted to see. He didn't mind that we were a rowdy group of 23 year olds and wanted to play some tunes on the ride to and from the park. He also didn't mind that we stood all over the seats of the car to get a better look! Great experience. Would definitely recommend.
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Email Leslie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Simply incredible and amazing experience with excellent customer service!
From the moment we were picked up at our place of residence to the moment we returned, Chabo Africa Safari operated with the utmost of professionalism. Understanding that not all factors are within their control, the drivers and other associated staff conducted their tour with courtesy, humor, and a wealth of knowledge that definitely enhanced my experience. We were able to see many of the animals present within the park (not all) and our driver was responsive to our remarks and comments if we happened to see something that we wanted to stop for. When we unfortunately got a flat tire, the staff was very responsive in handling the situation and ensuring that we were able to get back on the road with all due haste. I would definitely recommend using their service if you happen to find yourself in Iringa region and have the means and time to visit Ruaha National Park.