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
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Email Rob C | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Terrific 10-Day Safari
Overall
- The entire safari experience was terrific. This was my third safari and certainly no letdown from the others
- Dickson was friendly, knowledgeable and did a wonderful job. We loved having him as our guide
Camps
- African Tulip is gorgeous and a wonderful boutique hotel
- Maramboi and Simba Lodges were great
- Lake Manyara Wildlife was very nice
- Kati Kati and Ngati were good
- The camp in Lake Eyashi was poor although the staff was wonderful
- The staff at every camp was friendly, helpful and always made us feel welcome
Game Drives
- We saw the big five plus Cheetah and hippo so could not have asked for more
- I would recommend all of the parks- Tarangire, Manyara, Crater and Serengeti with no reservations
Tribes
- Loved the trip to the Hadzabe and to the Datoga
- Hated the stop at the Masai as they were pushy and it was a total tourist trap
All 6 of us heartily recommend It Started in Africa and would use them again in a minute
GT
Email Rodrigo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip, Tanzania really surprised us
This is one of a lifetime trip and we wanted to make sure we had the best advise on what to do and visit. We were really impressed with the organization (all done via email), and the quick response to all our pre-travel inquiries. The guide was very friendly, and took good care of us, and the lodges were all very good. And the recommendation to visit Zanzibar after the safari was great. Tanzania is a beautiful country with very nice people, and the good service from It Started in Africa just enhanced our experience. Thanks!
QA
Email Andres | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super Experience, fantastic
arrived to Kilimanjaro airport. guide picked us up. My wife and two kids (2 and 15) got into Arusha and stayed at the African tulip hotel, which was better than I thought, the buffet was good. picked up by the guide who took us to Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro on a four day safari. The guide was very knowledgeable from the areas and was patient enough to let us stay longer in different spots until we see anything we wanted. saw plenty of wildlife only missing on the cheetahs. was quite an experience, highly recommended. the lodges were quite scenic and of good standard, Serena lodges in general. we visited also one of the Masai tribes, which was quite interesting. No problems for my small daughter at all, as they provided a car seat that was perfect for her age and size. Maybe the only thing they need to improve is on the 4WD interior comfort, as guests will spend 90% of the time inside the vehicle. overall I give them a 10.
DE
Email Jaron Schilling | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
couldnt have hoped for better
From Berlin to Arusha for the trip of our lifetime. This honeymoon was executed with a level of perfection without making it dull or boring that Ive never seen before. Everyone was cheerful, funny but extremelly professional and elegant. The safari was amazing and the zanzibar hotel was oput of this world. Strongly recommended
The Trip of a Lifetime - On Safari with It Started in Africa
From the initial planning, through to the final adventure, our tour operators of “It Started in Africa” were extremely helpful and made sure that our ten day Safari was absolutely wonderful! I had to make some major last minute changes to our itinerary, but with the expert suggestions and prompt help we received from our Happiness Manager, Joao Oliveira, everything was quickly taken care of, to perfection!
We (4 adult family members) had booked a private tour and Sylvia, our tour coordinator, called us every day, to ensure all our needs and desires were taken care of. So the four of us were very comfortable in our vehicle, during the game drives and transportation from place to place and having a vehicle with a pop-up roof was perfect for watching the animals all around us, from every angle and made the warm temperatures much more pleasant!
Our tour started with just an overnight stay in Arusha, and early the next morning, the adventure truly started. We drove to Lake Burundi in Tarangire National Park, just a 2 hour drive from Arusha and were in a different world! It was just amazing to see all the animals that we have only seen in zoos or pictures, right besides our vehicle!
The Burunge Camp was our first tented camp and it was beautiful and had all the luxury and comfort we could wish for! We continued on to Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp, then on to Ang'ata Serengeti Camp in Central Seringeti, Ang'ata Migration Camp in Southern Seringeti and to Ngorongoro Crater. The last night we spent at Lake Eyasi and there, as part of our cultural program, we were able to have a snapshot of the life of the Hadze tribe and the Dacota people. We finished with the best cultural activity last, with a stop in a Maasai village before we had to return to Kilimanjaro International airport. The Maasai are among the best known local tribes due to living in and near the many game parks of the African great lakes and their distinctive customs and dress. They are the only tribe that can continue to live in the National Parks and Preserves because of their love and stewardship of their environment.
We stayed in a few lodges, but it was in the two Ang’ata camps that we could truly experience life in the bush and it came with the bonus of unexpected luxury and comfort, delicious food and the very attentive personnel that provided excellent care!
Nassari, our guide on Safari, was truly exceptional! He anticipated every request that we could make and made absolutely sure that all our wishes came true! If I had not seen the roads in the bush for myself, which were often quite rough, I would not have known that there were any bumps or deep potholes!
The game drives were fantastic - every day Nassari would ask us which animals, we really wanted to see that day and whether it was lions or cheetahs, leopards, hippos or rhinos he delivered them all! And once he found out that we were very enthusiastic birdwatchers he also made sure that we had plenty of time to see Africa’s wonderful birds in their spectacular colors, and helped us to identify many birds that were new to us.
On the game drives Nassari not only knew where the big 5 were “hanging out” but he also always drove to the best possible spot to see all the animals as close as possible - quite often right below our vehicle! He also made sure that at everyone of our lunch spots in the bush we were right next to the animals of choice.
I have traveled to some fabulous places, all over the world, but I cannot imagine that I will ever be in a better location to eat!
Tanzania is such a beautiful country and the office staff, Joao and Sylvia and our guide Nassari made sure that my trip was absolutely magical and a dream come true! I only wished that I could have spent a month on Safari, instead of the 10 days that we actually had!
I highly recommend a Safari with “It Started in Africa” especially with Nassari as your guide, to make it all possible!
I Visited in February 2016
Email Simon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great agency, memorable safari
I would recommend It Started in Africa to anyone. Really efficient in helping us book it - Joao in the office was knowledgeable and very prompt. A well-chosen route - 4 days/3 nights, visiting Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater. We stayed at Lake Manyara Wildlife Lodge, then Ang'ata tented camps in both the Serengeti and the Crater rim - all were excellent. Great food and service, plus very comfortable rooms (or tents)
Our guide (David) was a legend, really enjoyed our time with him. Patiently answered all of my wife's sometimes quite bizarre questions - very impressive!
Overall, It Started in Africa were excellent. Will never forget our first safari, thank you for the memories!
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Email Willa | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Breathtaking, organized, informational, and extremely fun!
I visited Tanzania with two good friends. We had a wonderful safari with It Started in Africa. From checking in to getting the safari started, everything ran smooth. Our guide was Damien and we were so happy to spend 3 days with this wonderful man! He was friendly, liked to chat, a good driver, calm, and extremely knowledgeable about Tanzania and specifically its wildlife. We had a wonderful time seeing elephants, impalas, monkeys, zebras, lions, ostrich, wildebeest, etc. Damien had a great eye for finding animals - even rhino very far away. He would stop and give us plenty of time to take photos and just take in the beauty. The food was delicious, provided by Roman the cook. I appreciated that providing vegetarian meals for me was no problem. The campsites were great - Haven Nature and Lake Eyasi - and every single person we met there was so nice and informative. It was a treat to meet people who lived in the villages we visited and gain their perspective on their country and the beauty surrounding it.
I wanted to visit a coffee farm in the area and ISIA had no problem taking us there even though they had never been there before. We had a wonderful visit. The only thing I suggest is contacting the places you go that are not usually on their itinerary. They were not expecting us at the coffee farm and while it worked out fine, I was nervous that no one had contacted them to let them know we were coming. I made the assumption that ISIA would contact them but I see now that I could have just contacted them to let them know.
I highly recommend ISIA for a thorough and fun safari. My friends and I had a wonderful time and we miss being in Ngorongoro Crater with Damien looking at all of those gorgeous zebras!
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!
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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.