Alibaba Tours
Alibaba Tours
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5.0
59 reviews
Excellent
50
Very good
7
Average
0
Poor
1
Terrible
1
GuyK001
York, UK8 contributions
Apr 2022
Alibaba is a genius! Not only is he incredibly knowledgable about the coastline and the birdlife but he can find dolphins and turtles to watch, he is a great chef and a wonderful host. 6 of us enjoed a wonderful trip on a boat up the island together with snorkelling and swimming. We had a full description of the bays that we passed or swam in and then a bbq lunch on the beach complete with a fish that we'd caught on the way. We cannot recommend him and his friend Porridge highly enough and we will be sure to embark on another voyage with them when we return to Tobago. Forget the tours from Crown Point - this is the real deal.
Written 22 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sunny260467
Vienna, Austria711 contributions
Mar 2022
We went on a full day tour with Alibaba and had a brilliant day. We went from Castara north to Charlotteville stopping at Englishman's Bay and Parlatuvier but Alibaba also took us to hidden beaches which you can only get to on gravel roads and which we would have never found with a rental car. We had fish and chips in Charlotteville and then went further on to Speyside and even visited Argyle Waterfall at the end of the day. Alibaba has a lot of knowledge about the island, the fauna and flora and the history of Tobago. It was lovely to chat and laugh with him about so many things. The day was very relaxed, my husband had all the time he needed to take photos and we really enjoyed it. If we come back we will definitely ask Alibaba to take us to more beautiful places in Tobago.
Written 19 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Guerilla P
9 contributions
Oct 2022 • Solo
I made the rainforest tour.
Our guide was Alibaba himself.
It was a great experience.
Baba was a very good guide with a big knowledge of the rainforest, the plants and animals.
It was a great adventure and it was not a second boring.
I would advise to rent rain boots which is possible.
Have a good breakfast because it will be not too easy.
I recommend this tour to 100 %
Our guide was Alibaba himself.
It was a great experience.
Baba was a very good guide with a big knowledge of the rainforest, the plants and animals.
It was a great adventure and it was not a second boring.
I would advise to rent rain boots which is possible.
Have a good breakfast because it will be not too easy.
I recommend this tour to 100 %
Written 15 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jezw1972
29 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
The best day out ever!! We did the Snorkelling, fun fishing and bbq tour today and what a fabulous day it was. The most friendliest of tour guides, lots of fun and they really looked after us. The food that we had was seriously amazing and we had plenty of rum punch as well. One of us even caught a fish which was then cooked for us, great day. If you go to Tobago you must do this day trip.
Written 22 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
millgood0
Chandler’s Ford, UK44 contributions
Jan 2020
We had an excellent full day's boat trip with Alibaba which was most enjoyable. Ali is very knowledgeable and he and Peter made a great team. We had a delicious BBQ and stopped to be able to go snorkelling. Thoroughly recommend it.
Written 2 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ricklori
Barefoot Bay, FL33 contributions
Jan 2015 • Couples
We walked over to Alibaba Tours today to get some information on the tours that they have. We asked the lady sitting behind the counter for some information on their tours. She asked what we wanted to do. I told her we wanted to go to the Rainforest and the popular waterfall, Argyle Falls. She said go back out the door tour and pick up the brochure and decide what we wanted to do. Even though I had already told her what we wanted to do, we did so. She never offered us any more information or got up from behind the counter to talk with us. She seemed totally disinterested. She asked if we had the brochure. And, we told her yes. She seemed to be bothered that we were there. Prior to walking over to Alibaba we checked trip advisor and found them to be No. 1 for tours. It was quite a disappointment for us to see that a business rated No. 1 in Castara has someone like this representing it. We were looking forward to seeing Tobago and visiting some of its sights. We read some of the reviews and the tour guides seemed to be well liked and fun. But, after dealing with this lady we're not going to book anything. It is sad to see that the No. 1 tour company in Castara would have someone like this representing them.
Written 12 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Diane D
7 contributions
Jun 2014 • Couples
We booked a tour with Alibaba. He arranged a guide for us - Jackson, who was very knowledgeable and friendly!
We did the full day 'island tour' for $90USD, which consisted of a tour of the rainforest, lunch in speyside, and a swim at Argyle water falls.
Rainforest - Jackson was VERY knowledgeable and we could tell that he had experience working as a hunter in his early days. He explained everything to us and took us through the rainforest himself. We did the Gilpin trail which was a very easy trek (not much uphill). Tip: There's a vendor outside the rainforest who tries to sell you on renting his rainboots... if you're wearing sturdy running shoes, you will be fine. Also, there's no actual charge to enter the rainforest.
Lunch - decent. Although Speyside is a 15-20 min drive from Argyle waterfall, Jackson didn't really take us around Speyside to visit the little city. We literally drove their for lunch and back.
Argyle Waterfall - there's a small entrance fee ($60TT for adults) covered in the cost of the tour. Jackson did not acompany us to the falls, which is about a 10 minute walk from the entrance. He sat outside the gates and waited for us. This was ok, since it's pretty self explanatory and we could swim as along as we wanted.
TIPS:
1. I think we could have done more on this trip if we wanted to, but didn't end up doing so since we were tired. If you are interested in seeing more, think about it ahead of time and request it.
2. It's a good tour to do - just for the rainforest, if you are interested in the explanations.
3. If you're pretty independent and are ok with renting a car for the day (about $50 USD) you can probably skip this tour and do everything yourself. We did this tour because we previously read that it is unsafe to do the rainforest tour by yourself. HOWEVER, the Gillpin trail that we did was very easy and I found it to be safe. Argyle falls is an organized area with a small ticketing counter (also easy to do yourself). Also, other than the windy roads, it was relatively easy to find the rainforest / argyle falls and speyside. There is basically one or two roads that you take, and if you have a map you should be fine.
We had previously read that it wasn't
We did the full day 'island tour' for $90USD, which consisted of a tour of the rainforest, lunch in speyside, and a swim at Argyle water falls.
Rainforest - Jackson was VERY knowledgeable and we could tell that he had experience working as a hunter in his early days. He explained everything to us and took us through the rainforest himself. We did the Gilpin trail which was a very easy trek (not much uphill). Tip: There's a vendor outside the rainforest who tries to sell you on renting his rainboots... if you're wearing sturdy running shoes, you will be fine. Also, there's no actual charge to enter the rainforest.
Lunch - decent. Although Speyside is a 15-20 min drive from Argyle waterfall, Jackson didn't really take us around Speyside to visit the little city. We literally drove their for lunch and back.
Argyle Waterfall - there's a small entrance fee ($60TT for adults) covered in the cost of the tour. Jackson did not acompany us to the falls, which is about a 10 minute walk from the entrance. He sat outside the gates and waited for us. This was ok, since it's pretty self explanatory and we could swim as along as we wanted.
TIPS:
1. I think we could have done more on this trip if we wanted to, but didn't end up doing so since we were tired. If you are interested in seeing more, think about it ahead of time and request it.
2. It's a good tour to do - just for the rainforest, if you are interested in the explanations.
3. If you're pretty independent and are ok with renting a car for the day (about $50 USD) you can probably skip this tour and do everything yourself. We did this tour because we previously read that it is unsafe to do the rainforest tour by yourself. HOWEVER, the Gillpin trail that we did was very easy and I found it to be safe. Argyle falls is an organized area with a small ticketing counter (also easy to do yourself). Also, other than the windy roads, it was relatively easy to find the rainforest / argyle falls and speyside. There is basically one or two roads that you take, and if you have a map you should be fine.
We had previously read that it wasn't
Written 30 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kathryn O
13 contributions
Jun 2015 • Family
My spouse, 6 yr old daughter and I visited Castara, which by the way is an amazing hidden little gem, but had no specific plans on what we wanted to do.
Our first night in the village, and we were approached by Glen on the Big Beach to see if we would be interested in doing a full day boat tour the following day. Normally I'm wary of these, but he was very engaging, and the tour sounded amazing for a pretty good price. A quick check with someone coming back in to shore from the day's excursion confirmed the trip definitely worthwhile! We were sold!
They picked us up at the beach in the morning, and we quickly headed out. Amazing sights. Alibaba was great to talk about all the different historical markers, beaches, and different things that we were seeing along the way. Then, snorkeling time at Arnos Veil reef with the nice, provided equipment. Beautiful! Fun! My daughter swam with a life vest they provided, and loved it :-)
Our second snorkeling stop for the day was plagued by very rough seas so we had to cut it a bit short. But you could tell on a calm day it would be absolutely amazing. Then, we headed to lunch on a beautiful, sandy point with great shade, beautiful sand beach for walking, and prefect shallow water all around for swimming . Amazing several hours of rest relaxation and a fantastic, hearty lunch featuring BBQ grilled on the beach by Duck and Alibaba.
After lunch, the day featured a beautiful and fun excursion into the Mangrove forest, and an unforgettable time at the Nylon Pool--great music, great fun, and great rum punch :-) An awesome day, we'd absolutely do again!!!
Now, the facts for the detailed planners... The boat. The boat we were on was a smaller powerboat, twin engines with an open top. Access via a sturdy ladder over the side for easy in/out. Clean, comfortable, safe.
Group size. They said the groups are capped at 12. Our group was 10, plus Alibaba, the captain and Duck, the assistant. A perfect size!
Season. We are here during the low season (June) I would imagine the experience would be different during high season. Our beach lunch was only visited by one other boat. But in high season it would likely be more. Our time at the Nylon Pools was just us, though I am quite sure that in high season it is the go to destination and very busy with many boats. So season does make a difference!
Cost / financials. A good value means different things to different people however, I did feel it was a good value and I am a stickler about prices. Our advertised rate was just under$100 US dollars per person, and for my daughter it was 60 US dollars. We'd priced other excursions in TNT of similar type at well over 125 or more, so this I found was very fair. You could, if you are so inclined, negotiate, I would imagine. Either way, for the great experience and quality service you get over +7 hours during the day long trip you receive, it's worth it. We paid a small down payment the night before, received a receipt, and then paid the balance at the conclusion of the trip itself. All in TT dollars.
The guides. Alibaba and Duck. Polite, interesting, and approachable. Alibaba is Captain, and was very conscious of safety-- checking guests comfort level, making sure everyone had the right equipment, and ensuring that we were all safe when the boat is in motion. I felt my family was well cared for. Duck is the trusty assistant...They are a good team. Turns out, Alibaba is part of a family that has been at the core of careful tourism development in Castara over the last 40+ years. This is his livelihood, and his attention to customer service shows.
How to find them. Online, or, Alibaba Tours has a little shop behind the restaurant and near the car rental on the Small Beach in Castara.
Hope you enjoy your tour as much as we did!! :-)
Our first night in the village, and we were approached by Glen on the Big Beach to see if we would be interested in doing a full day boat tour the following day. Normally I'm wary of these, but he was very engaging, and the tour sounded amazing for a pretty good price. A quick check with someone coming back in to shore from the day's excursion confirmed the trip definitely worthwhile! We were sold!
They picked us up at the beach in the morning, and we quickly headed out. Amazing sights. Alibaba was great to talk about all the different historical markers, beaches, and different things that we were seeing along the way. Then, snorkeling time at Arnos Veil reef with the nice, provided equipment. Beautiful! Fun! My daughter swam with a life vest they provided, and loved it :-)
Our second snorkeling stop for the day was plagued by very rough seas so we had to cut it a bit short. But you could tell on a calm day it would be absolutely amazing. Then, we headed to lunch on a beautiful, sandy point with great shade, beautiful sand beach for walking, and prefect shallow water all around for swimming . Amazing several hours of rest relaxation and a fantastic, hearty lunch featuring BBQ grilled on the beach by Duck and Alibaba.
After lunch, the day featured a beautiful and fun excursion into the Mangrove forest, and an unforgettable time at the Nylon Pool--great music, great fun, and great rum punch :-) An awesome day, we'd absolutely do again!!!
Now, the facts for the detailed planners... The boat. The boat we were on was a smaller powerboat, twin engines with an open top. Access via a sturdy ladder over the side for easy in/out. Clean, comfortable, safe.
Group size. They said the groups are capped at 12. Our group was 10, plus Alibaba, the captain and Duck, the assistant. A perfect size!
Season. We are here during the low season (June) I would imagine the experience would be different during high season. Our beach lunch was only visited by one other boat. But in high season it would likely be more. Our time at the Nylon Pools was just us, though I am quite sure that in high season it is the go to destination and very busy with many boats. So season does make a difference!
Cost / financials. A good value means different things to different people however, I did feel it was a good value and I am a stickler about prices. Our advertised rate was just under$100 US dollars per person, and for my daughter it was 60 US dollars. We'd priced other excursions in TNT of similar type at well over 125 or more, so this I found was very fair. You could, if you are so inclined, negotiate, I would imagine. Either way, for the great experience and quality service you get over +7 hours during the day long trip you receive, it's worth it. We paid a small down payment the night before, received a receipt, and then paid the balance at the conclusion of the trip itself. All in TT dollars.
The guides. Alibaba and Duck. Polite, interesting, and approachable. Alibaba is Captain, and was very conscious of safety-- checking guests comfort level, making sure everyone had the right equipment, and ensuring that we were all safe when the boat is in motion. I felt my family was well cared for. Duck is the trusty assistant...They are a good team. Turns out, Alibaba is part of a family that has been at the core of careful tourism development in Castara over the last 40+ years. This is his livelihood, and his attention to customer service shows.
How to find them. Online, or, Alibaba Tours has a little shop behind the restaurant and near the car rental on the Small Beach in Castara.
Hope you enjoy your tour as much as we did!! :-)
Written 13 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cath W
London, UK2 contributions
Feb 2015 • Solo
I went on the boat trip twice while I was in Castara - a great way to spend the day! Alibaba shows you around the bays, coves and reefs of Tobago near Castara, including snorkelling (with instructions - perfect for a beginner like me)...his team are all friendly, knowledgeable and good fun!
There's plenty of drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) all day, and a delicious BBQ on the beach with time to relax afterwards.
I can't recommend it enough (but watch out for the rum punch!)!!!
There's plenty of drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) all day, and a delicious BBQ on the beach with time to relax afterwards.
I can't recommend it enough (but watch out for the rum punch!)!!!
Written 7 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Easyutan
Bristol, UK38 contributions
Apr 2018 • Friends
Such a great day! Left from little castara beach, alibaba gave a very knowledgeable and perfectly rounded trip. Cleverly mastered tour of the bays, with historical pointers and all the nature spots you could want. Rock crabs, pelicans etc. Awesome snorkel, then on to no mans land for a yummy lunch! And further snorkel and a visit to nylon pool. A summary to die for! History, clever boat skills, snorkelling, nature and more rum punch than you can actually drink.
Hats off to Alibaba and his team, the best trip out to see the wonders of Tobago.
Go, enjoy, live and tell your friends. You won’t be disappointed 😎
Hats off to Alibaba and his team, the best trip out to see the wonders of Tobago.
Go, enjoy, live and tell your friends. You won’t be disappointed 😎
Written 29 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are there suggested tours to take if you are travelling with very small children?
Written 12 November 2018
Depends on the age of the children - this tour would be good for any child who is fine in a boat and can swim
Written 3 March 2019
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.