Calabash Tours

Calabash Tours – Gqeberha, Eastern Cape South Africa.We offer Ethical tours to the townships of Gqeberha daily. Also Addo National Elephant Park. Calabash Tours is a small, locally focussed tour company that has been operating since 1997. We offer a range of services to both Inbound Tour operators, and to individual tourists who are interested in exploring Nelson Mandela Bay, its people, and the fantastic wildlife experiences within close proximity to the City. Calabash tours offered:

• The Real City Tour
• The Shebeen Tour
• Addo Elephant Park
• Addo Schotia
• Untold Stories

Other Tours:

• Home is where the heart is: The townships of Gqeberha are home to the majority of citizens of NelsonMandelBay. It is where the major changes of the past 20 years of democracy are most visible. Its home to the proud, friendly and engaging Xhosa people who have made it their home for the last 100 years. We have developed some products to serve a variety of interests, and all are guaranteed to be beneficial to hosts and visitor.
• The Beating Drum: The drum is like the heartbeat of Africa. After an orientation of the township, you will meet some young passionate drummers, who will share with you their love of drumming, and what drums mean in African Culture. And then its your turn, as the drummers run a workshop for those of us with less rhythm!
• Stories of Hope: Townships are home to some interesting, inspiring people. Join us on a Journey of Hope as we visit some amazing self-help projects, where community members will explain their work, and show you around the projects. From burgeoning vegetable gardens, to community care workers, this visit will leave you in awe.
• Schools at the heart of the Community: This tour will take you into the heart of the township community – its schools. It is here, where despite many challenges, we can introduce you to teachers and principals who are making a difference. These visits are well co-ordinated to minimise any disruptions to learning, and give a wonderful insight to the opportunities schools are creating for ordinary township children.

Nelson Mandela Bay incorporates Gqeberha, Kariega and Despatch and is situated on the Garden Route. Hosting excellent Blue Flag beaches, attractive architecture and interesting British as well as Xhosa heritage, it is a ‘must see’ inclusion on any visit to South Africa. Nelson Mandela Bay offers the perfect conditions to explore and understand contemporary Black culture, with 75% of its 1.4 million residents being Xhosa speaking, proud and hospitable. Steeped in responsible tourism and pro-poor tourism thinking, our ground breaking approach allows visitors to access, understand and appreciate the social history of the people, their day to day experiences of being black South Africans during apartheid, as well as during our emergence as a democracy. Our experiences are real, authentic, and ethical. Calabash Tours is owned and operated by a dynamic team, who share a vision of tourism being a powerful development tool, while balancing the social needs of the poor with the desire by our visitors to have fun, to learn, and to engage with the South African people in an ethical way.