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
Email Myles | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Amazing Safari Experience!
Everything was even better than we expected! The guides were fantastic and the accommodations were amazing (stayed in a mix of A & B level camping).
Tanzania is an incredible place and the safari we had was incredible. Saw all of the Big 5 plus lots of others. Truly an amazing experience that everyone should do once in their life (or more as we plan too).
GR
Email Eleni | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable 4-day experience!!!
We are a young couple and we have just come back form our trip to Tanzania, including a 4-day safari with It started in Africa. We can hardly find words to describe those 4 days! It was an amazing, unique experience and we are very happy that we did it with that company. We were convinced about their professionalism from the first day we contacted them, but when our trip came a reality they exceeded any expectation! Every employee we met was extremely helpful and friendly. Our guide Joel was fantastic and we really spent our best 4 days with him, driving in the endless plains of Serengeti and in the unparalleled Ngorongoro crater! He was always eager to answer our questions (and thy were many!), he was informative giving as interesting information, being at the same time very pleasant and enthousiastic although he has done the same trip hundreds of times. We managed to see every animal existing in the parks visited and to take advantage fo every moment spent during our safari.
We also had a great cooker who offered us extremely delicious meals everyday!
We could never imagine that a company would be so careful and helpful, finding a solution in any matter we had. We were really impressed when we forgot our battery charger at the hotel in Arusha after our safari and with just one phone call, they arranged to get there, take it and send it to our next station!
We highly recommend It started in Africa with no second thought!
Thank you for the unforgettable trip!
Eleni-Manos
CL
Email Eduardo Hardy | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everybody should see Tanzania
Ours was a complex trip. We spent a few days in Zanzibar, continued with a Safari and ended in Bukoba, on the western shores of the Victoria lake where we had to be by a given date. It Started in Africa, our company of choice, provided support all along the trip helping with logistics, making hotels, camps and flight reservations and making sure we got from one place to the other on time, especially to Mwanza at the end of the Safari where we boarded a small plane to Bukoba. But the highlight of this adventure was the Safari itself, including Manyara, Ngorongoro and south and central Serengeti. The accommodations were great, but I suspect that at the end of the day it is the choice of the guides that is the most important component in a Safari. And both Freddy Isangya and Jackson Mbise are great professionals, providing linguistic help and knowing where to go, how to spot surprising places and animals, and finding something exciting every day. Thanks also to Joao for constant communications and helping us plan and coordinate the entire trip. Marcia and I returned to Chile with an understanding of Tanzania and its remarkable natural beauties, and even some basic Swahili. And of course thousands of pictures and videos of places and abundant fauna from lions to elephants to gazelles . It was better than we imagined. Highly recommended.
IT
Email Emilio | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
At least once in your life
This was our first safari and will not be the last one. It started in Africa is a quite young safari company in Arusha and already one of the best. The owner, Joao is very kind and support you by email or by phone to organize and plan the trip, trying to match your requests as much as possible at very competitive prices. The rest of the staff is also great, such as Mathias, the office manager, great welcoming from him. There are no words to describe the experience, we visited Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. All of the them are worth a visit, but Serengeti is definitely the best one, it is exactly like in the movie, the Lion King. In the tented camp you really feel the savana. We have seen hundred of animals, all the Big 5, and very cool scenes thanks to our guide, Michael, what an amazing guy. He is very kind and he can see animals from the top of Ngorongoro crater while driving. You should definitely ask for him as guide. Go for It started in Africa, no doubts.
Email Terry H | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
3 days, 3 parks: an amazing adventure!
I chose It Started In Africa to organise my 3-day Tanzanian safari because of the excellent reviews I had read on Tripadvisor. We were not disappointed! Pre-visit communication was excellent and we were met on arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport where our adventure began. Zaire (our driver) was cautious and made us feel very safe on what is a very dangerous road - The Arusha Highway. Alfred was a font of knowledge and over the 3 days proved there was not an animal, bird, reptile, tree or plant he couldn't identify both in English and Swahili. They worked well as a team and never gave up trying to get my wife and I to engage them in the local language. The three parks we visited; Tarangire, Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater I can only describe as breathtaking, each with its own special memory. The herd of 100+ elephants (including so many babies) in Tarangire was incredible - it's hard to imagine how anybody can slaughter these majestic animals either for 'sport' or for their tusks. In Lake Manyara there are monkeys and baboons everywhere and an abundance of birdlife around the edges of the lake. It was also our first sight of hippos in the wild. But, we saved the best till last and nothing can prepare you for the view of the Ngorongoro Crater from the viewpoint just after entering the park. The vast area is simply teeming with wildlife all hemmed in by the steep walls rising to nearly 2,000'. The only one of the 'big 5' we didn't see was a leopard but that was more than made up for by the herds of wildebeest, 3 rhinos and a real up close and personal encounter with the hippos.
So thank you Alfred and Zaire and everybody at It Started in Africa for a magnificant 3 day trip!
AE
Email Shogo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything is more than Incredible!! For your best Safari
Everything happened in Tanzania was like a dream for us.
My wife and I had the best and most incredible experience ever in Tanzania.
It is all because of Charles Joseph, the driver and guide, and Pascali, the cook.
We spent 5 days together and I just can't have enough word to explain how thankful we are.
Every single minute is full of joy.
Our journey was fulfilled with happiness and pleasure.
Charles Joseph's characteristics are awesome.
He always tries to entertain us.
He is always punctual.
He always cares about us.
He never neglects maintenance of his vehicle.
everything is more than perfect.
Pascali is the best safari cook.
We were so surprised that he cooked so tasty and delicious food within such a limited facility in camps.
We sometimes felt cold at night, and in that time, his soup warmed us not in the meaning of physically but mentally as well.
Yes, we completed Big 5.
On last day, Charles Joseph made a great effort to find the last piece, Rhynos.
and we made it by finding a family of them with a baby in Ngorongoro.
To see many animals in wild life is one of our major purposes in our journey.
but, what remains in our memory the most after leaving the country is one that we sung Jumbo song altogether on the way.
After we departed from the safari car, my wife kept crying for more than one hour at the airport because she missed both of them so much.
We are really really happy and lucky to have a safari with Charles Joseph and Pascali.
Words cannot explain how much we feel in that way.
Honestly speaking, I sent emails to 4 companies to ask for quotation and their context of safaris.
"It Started in Africa" always reverted emails to me faster than any other companies with full of answers.
We exchanged our emails more than 50 times, which obviously displays their dedication to customers and aspiration to entertain people who go to Tanzania.
For sure, I recommend you to travel in Tanzania with "It Started in Africa"
EE
Email Carina & Peep | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Happy in Africa
We did choose It Started in Africa as our tour operator for a 4days safari ( Endless Plains) in Tanzania based on the reviews in internet solely and these were all 100% positive. And so is ours - 110% positive. By the moment the other operators we asked a quota did answer, we had our tour booked already with It Started in Africa. We loved it all - the speed they react to every question, their professionalism, their thorough explanations and very well thought through tours, their flexibility and the people ! We had Isaac as our tour guide for 4 days and we still miss him ! His ability to drive and spot the animals as well as his knowledge and experience were truly impressive and he has such a good sense of humour ((-: So we truly recommend this company if you are genuinely interested in having a good safari. The choice of hotels is totally up to one–s expectations - we did try different categories and they all were different, but good. If you–d like to experience the true feeling of nature- a night in a tented camp is a must. All the comfort is there and much more waiting for you at home ((-: But pampering yourself after a tent experiment in a lodge is nice too - so our recommendation, try different options.
SE
Email Merja Yli-Havunen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Tanzania tour!
I was amazed with the beautiful nature and the wild animals in Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Eyasi. I had the opportunity to meet the most happy people with the 3 tribes. With my skillfull, frendly and patient driver/guide Martin I had the best safari ever, he really knew where to find all the animals. I felt safe and secure all the way with him. I'm thanking the manager, Joao Oliver for arranging this fabulous once in a lifetime experience. Highly recommended!:D As a chef so I really appreciated the cooking class with the boys, simply amazing! It was totally funny and great with mountain bike tour as well, do it, yes!
DE
Email Carsten | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A once in lifetime experience - don't miss it!
Actually our safari did not start in Africa but it started in Berlin. We had a tight schedule so planning the trip carefully (including inland flights) was very important for us and Mr. Oliveira from "It started in Africa" did an excellent job in advising us on distances and accomodation and so on. Preparations can't be better than that!
And: In the end everything turned out as planned and even better. Our accomodations advised and booked by Mr. Oliveira were absolutely phantastic and Isaac, our guide during the safari (Tangarire, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater) was not only great in spotting animals but also in providing us with lots of interesting information on animals and people.
So: If you think of doing a safari in Tansania you won't regret it if you go with "It started in Africa"!
AE
Email Farah Al Amin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience!
Me and my husband did a 3-day Safari with It Started in Africa. Our safari experience was amazing! Communication with the company was very efficient and the whole process was very organized.
Solomon was a great guide, very warm, friendly and knowledgeable. We saw almost all the animals we were hoping to see.
We spent the first night at Heaven Nature Camp which was nice and clean. The second night we stayed at Serengeti Heritage which was one of the best parts of the trip. Extremely beautiful nature, great service and food. Simba camp, where we stayed the third night, was nice but it was really cold. Also the toilets were really below standards. But the location was amazing. Christina's house was a great ending to our trip. It's a place that I would definitely love to stay at again.
The food that was served by Serengeti Heritage and Christina's house was great. the food prepared by the chef in Heaven Nature and Simba Camps was good, but the lunch boxes were not. One of the days I couldn't eat anything from the lunch box and I just had some snacks that I brought with me. the car was good, but there were no seat belts.
We had a wonderful time in Tanzania, and I would definitely recommend It Started in Africa