It Started in Africa
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- IATA, TATO & TALA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $550 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
FI
Email Paavo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience of a lifetime
We booked a safari with It Started in Africa in May 2015 and finally made the 5-day journey over the New Year 2016. It was an incredible experience and everything was quite perfect.
The booking process was simple. Joao and his team presented the options and then I spent some time in comparing especially the various camps, testing my ideas with Joao. They are incredibly responsive and typically (of course not always) replied within minutes rather than hours.
The final outcome was perfect (Lake Manyara - Serengeti Central - Ndutu - Ngorongoro), a balance of the widest plains on the planet, lakes and forests. We stayed in lodges and the two Ang'ata camps were an experience of a lifetime. Our guide, Siloh, was very efficient in locating the big five and beyond.
I requested a quote for a similar safari from a few other companies and found ISiA to be very competitive in addition to having great customer service and, eventually, delivering a highly recommended safari!
PL
Email Robert | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
excellent experience
It was our first visit in Tanzania but not in Africa.Great staff It Started in Africa who create a fantastic atmosphere, our guide is the best tracker in the World, Louis answered for one million mail in one second! It was great experience at all . Accommodation in Tented camps(Agata and Kati Kati) was excellent. We saw all the animals that can be seen. The views in Serengeti National Park and specially in Ngorongoro National Park was amazing.It was the best tour in our life!
US
Email Derek | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari
I initially contacted several safari companies, and It Started in Africa always provided the quickest and most detailed email responses. They answered all my questions and were up-front about pricing for all the different options I asked about. I did an 8-day safari visiting Arusha NP, Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Lake Ndutu, Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Eyasi (Datoga and Hadzabe tribe visits). I stayed at public and private campgrounds, with one night in a mobile tented camp.
I really enjoyed the safari. Tanzania is a beautiful country. I loved seeing all the animals in the wild. I got to see several lions in trees and walking or lying around, many giraffes, elephants, and impalas, and the plains full of zebra and wildebeest. Many of the colorful birds and smaller animals were a lot of fun to watch, like the jackals running around and playing in the early morning. I liked the variety in scenery between the different parks. Ngorongoro Crater was like a green paradise, so peaceful and full of animals. It was interesting meeting people from all over the world in the campsites. My guide Deo was friendly, spoke English very well, and helped me see a lot of animals. The cook prepared very good meals with plenty of food; I was never hungry. All the Tanzanian people I met were very friendly. The tribe visits were also interesting, seeing the very different ways these people live. We stopped at a Maasai village on the way back to Arusha, and, as I had a little bit of time before we had to leave for the airport, the airport driver gave me a quick tour of the city. I was a little concerned going to Africa for the first time by myself, but everything worked out well from airport pickup to dropoff and I had a lot of fun.
QA
Email Michelle | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari, made extra special by wonderful people
We had an amazing time on this safari, made possible by a great group of people in It Started in Africa. We had emailed a few tour operators to help in planning for this trip, and this company stood out on so many levels. We found their email correspondence to be very prompt, professional and comprehensive which made it very easy to customise our trip. They were also very reasonably priced compared to some other operators.
We did a 6 day safari trip, alternating between camping and staying in lodges and covered Lake Manyara, Central Seregenti, South Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Eyasi to visit the Hadzabe tribe. We got very lucky (plus thanks to our guides' eagle eyes!) and saw the big 5, lions mating, a wildebeest giving birth, elephants, thousands of zebras and wildebeest, plus also had the special experience of having lions surround our car to take shade from the sun. The trip to go hunting with the Hadzabe tribe was also another highlight, and we couldn't recommend it more.
What made our experience extra special though was Alfred, our guide, Zaire, our driver and Peter our chef. They were so friendly, so helpful, knowledgable, professional, and nothing was too much trouble for them. They went out of their way to make us feel comfortable, and even after 6 to 8 hours driving on the road in rough terrain, they still had a big smile on their faces for us. At the end of 6 days, it was very difficult to say goodbye and as Alfred said, we came as tourists but left as friends.
Asante-sana to It Started in Africa for making our trip so wonderful, we will always be grateful for the experience.
CA
Email Lindsay Bisson | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I would give It Started in Africa 6 starts if I could!
We had the best 5 days of our entire lives when we were on safari with It Started in Africa! Our guide, Emmanuel was extraordinary! He was very knowledgeable, easy to get along with and funny! Overall I was very impressed with the entire experience- it far exceeded my expectations! From the very first email I sent to the send off at the airport, the staff were professional and exhibited exceptional hospitality! It was simply an amazing experience!!! The food and lodges were world-class and we only chose the mid-level accommodations! We felt very spoiled!
I have told all of my friends and family in Canada that they must visit Tanzania!
PT
Email Ze Paixao | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
7 days Nomad Tour Level A - I couldn't ask for more!
We went to Tanzania in our honey moon to do a Safari with It Started in Africa. We get their contact from a friend who has been there and done the same safari and we get a lot of good points from the It Started regarding the organization and what they provide to clients during the safaris. I'll certainly do another Safari and I'll ask It Started to arrange it for me.
SE
Email Melanie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It Started in Africa delieverd the best service and we had the best trip ever!
From the first contact til the last I've been amazed by It Started in Africa service. They've always answer fast and really did everything they could to make it til our best trip ever.
We did a five day safari (Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater) and we can't describe with words how fantastic it was. We had a really good guide, Erisdo and a really good chef who made us good food during the safari. Over all every employee we met was extremely helpful and friendly.
We really recommend to book the safari with It Started in Africa. You'll not be disappointed!!
US
Email John Hopkins | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It Started in Africa is a really customer friendly company.
It Started in Africa built a safari trip just to my specifications for a safari in Sept/Oct 2015. This company was a pleasure to work with from beginning to end. On an 8 day Safari I visited Tarangire NP, Lake Manyara NP, Ngorongoro Caldera, and the Serengeti, both the central area and the far north.
As I was travelling alone I had different needs from the normal but ISIA tailored the trip just for me and my needs.
From day one I sent many questions to ISIA by email and Joao Oliveira replied to all of them very promptly answering all my questions in a detailed and very clear way. ISIA provided very transparent information on how they price a safari. They gave a detailed breakdown on the cost of each individual component of the safari. This made it very easy to decide what to select in terms of accommodations, activities etc.
I had a vehicle and guide all to myself although there was room for 6 in the vehicle. The vehicle was a good Toyota Land cruiser with a pop up roof perfect for negotiating the tough terrain of the Serengeti. There were charging facilities in the vehicle for phones, cameras etc. Binoculars were provided.....although if you have your own ones that you really like then I would advise bring them also.
My guide and driver, Deogratis, was extremely pleasant to be with and very friendly. He was happy to take me wherever I wanted to go and stay at any particular viewing as long as I wished. He also helped with photography. And he was very knowledgeable about where to find good sightings. He started early and kept going all day or as long as I wished and was also very nice company at dinner times. I saw the full range of animals (all you could possibly wish for) over the course of the safari and we were also lucky enough to observe many of them engaging in a variety of behaviors such as eating, fighting, migrating, hunting, rearing young, family moments etc and even a couple of wildebeest river crossings.
I also experienced a really good range of accommodations. I chose to stay in public campsites for 6 nights at a really reasonable cost. I didn't care about the level of accommodation as a solo traveler. The public campsites were very satisfactory and the food provided by ISIA each day, both meals and packed lunches, were very good. Plenty of water was provided as well. It was a wonderful experience to sleep in a tent in unfenced campsites in the Serengeti.
To view the wildebeest crossings in the far north I had to stay two nights in the Ang'ata Migration Camp suggested by Joao. It was a luxurious tented camp set up specifically in a remote location near to potential crossings at that time of year. We saw two river crossings thanks to Deogratis finding them and the good luck that they happened while we were there. It was well worth it to travel to the far north to see this spectacle.
Aside from all of this ISIA met me at KJO airport and returned me to KJO airport after the safari. They also arranged a guesthouse for me near Arusha on the day before the safari started and the day the after the safari ended . My luggage was lost by the airline on the flight to Arusha. ISIA managed to take care of chasing down my missing bag and brought it to me the next day after we had already started the safari. What a wonderful service!
On the way to the Serengeti I spent 2 nights at Haven Nature Campsite. This campsite was very pleasant and significantly better than the public ones in the Serengeti while similar in price range. Staying there allowed me to visit both Tarangire National Park and Lake Manyara National Park. I would highly recommend both when visiting the Serengeti as they are very different experiences in terms of landscape and vegetation. On the way back I stayed at a campsite near Ngorongoro for visiting the Caldera the next morning.
I would strongly advise anyone visiting the Serengeti to break the trip from Arusha. It is an extremely long drive and there is lots to see both going and coming. All the parks I visited were great experiences but the Serengeti was my favorite. It easily lived up to its reputation.
Thank you to Deogratis, my guide. Also to Joao Oliveira for arranging a wonderful trip for me over the internet. And to all the other staff at ISIA who I communicated with and/or met.
I highly recommend ISIA to anyone planning a safari or any other trip in Tanaznia.
John Hopkins
best, best, best trip ever
i had this trip for 5 days to mount kilimanjaro, i did all the booking through emails and it was done so easily and with out any complications. the trip was one of the best i've ever been to in my entire life. excellent service, excellent guides, excellent people. to be honest the tour was amazing, i'm recommending it to all of my friends and family members. i wanna thank all of you for the preparations and want to send my regards to the crew and guides, and tell them that we miss them and wish them a all the best.
its funny how u can miss the people, who u only saw for 5 days "this much"! they are the kindest people and they do everything for you to have the best and most wonderful memories ever!
thank you for the amazing trip! and i wish u had the expeditions to all 7 summits! it was a guarantee i would book again with you guys!
CA
Email Karrie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
We had an absolutely amazing and unforgettable 5 day safari with It Started In Africa. From the moment that we first spoke with the company to begin the process of booking, we knew they would go out of their way to make our safari an experience of a lifetime. We were blown away with the dedication of the staff. When our flight had an unexpected last minute change and flew into a different airport, they quickly made arrangements for a driver to come and collect us there. When our luggage was lost in Switzerland on route to Africa and didn't arrive to Arusha until a day after we started our safari, our driver Elia, added a 3 hour drive back to to the city, after a day long safari drive, to collect our luggage and bring it to our lodge. An unbelievable act of kindness that enhanced our trip further by having our belongings with us!
Our first day in Lake Manyara National Park was a brilliant start to our 5 day adventure. Seeing baboons, monkeys, zebras, giraffes, buffalo, wildebeests, and hippos on our first day was more than we could have ever imagined. Each day after, we were sure that it couldn't top the previous day, but with each day, our expectations were surpassed and our safari experience became a life changing experience for our family of four. Our driver, Elia, made it his mission for us to see the "Big 5" as well as many other animals, and he delivered! He was so patient with us and never rushed us needing to take one more picture of an elephant or lion. He would stop at the request of anyone in our family and was quick to point out interesting sights that we had not spotted. He was pleasant, engaging, knowledgeable and great with kids. He taught us so many things about African wildlife and had a knack of finding hiding animals. On our way to the Serengeti National Park, we stopped to explore a Maasai Village and were entertained by their mesmerizing dances and songs. We also had the opportunity to bring food and school supplies to the village and purchase items made by Maasai women. Our two days in the Serengeti National Park saw a cheetah searching for her babies, herds of elephants grazing the fields, millions of wildebeests flooding the savannah, a male lion killing a hyena, a newborn gazelle taking its first steps, hippos battling, and a leopard lazing in a tree. Staying in the luxury tents in the middle of the Serengeti is an experience I highly recommend. Waking to zebras outside your tent and falling asleep to the sound of animals in the distance was something I will never forget. Our final day in the Ngorongoro Crater offered the last of the "Big 5" as we spotted one of 14 rhinos left in the crater, in addition to warthogs, and baby hippos to name a few! That night we camped under the stars and were treated to a surprise visit from an elephant drinking from the camp reservoir just before sunset. Our children were awestruck by how close they were to an elephant in the wild. We watched a beautiful sunset before retiring to our tents for a wonderful sleep to end an experience of a lifetime. The next day we returned to Arusha for our final night in this city before heading to Zanzibar for a beach holiday.
The final part of our time in Tanzania was also organized by It Started in Africa. We were keen for our children to visit a school and to donate much needed supplies to students in Tanzania. It Started in Africa is affiliated with a school in Dar Es Salaam and arranged for the principal to meet us and take us to the school. Our children both raised funds prior to leaving Canada to purchase 40 soccer balls and $600 worth of school supplies to take to this school. It was fantastic to see the joy on the faces of the children when they received these gifts, and equally pleasing to see our children become global citizens helping those in need. We feel so fortunate to have been able to go on a safari in Tanzania with It Started in Africa and to have the opportunity to visit and volunteer at a school in Dar Es Salaam. I highly recommend It Started in Africa to anyone who wants an experience of a lifetime at an affordable price! Thank you It Started in Africa!
Many thanks for everything!
Karrie, Mark, Ben & Lily