Guide Ken with one of our 4x4 Land Cruisers
Spirit of Kenya
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2014)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
IN
Email Charit Menon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It Started and Ended Extremely Well!
Highlights:
- Very informative and helpful sales team
- Reasonable pricing, offering multiple lodging options to suit your budget
- Extremely informative website
- We had a wonderful extremely cooperative and driver/guide for our safari
- Very good with their adherence to timelines getting you to your destination promptly
- Have the option of pop up top minivans or 4x4s
- Their packages are all expenses included. We only paid for tips and alcohol at all the places and lodges we stayed.
The first thing that drew my attention to them is their very informative website that takes it a level further by giving you a brief of the many parks and national reserves across Kenya. While they do have off the counter packages to choose from based on the number of days you're in Kenya, they allow personalisation of your itinerary, as most operators do. You should leverage on their description of the places to plan your itinerary.
Planning:
I got in touch with them well before our trip via email and they were very prompt in the replies and very informative at the same time. Right from letting me the pros and cons of the options we had, the logistical feasibility, they were very frank about what could be managed and what couldn't. They even offer you multiple lodging packages based on your budget, and with multiple recommendations under each package. At the same time, they allow you to choose your own hotel and have them coordinate with the chosen place of stay. Well before we landed in Kenya, everything was already laid out.
Guide:
Our driver/guide, Charles, was a relatively quiet but was a gem of a person accommodating all our little requests here and there and helping us out any time we asked for it. He may not have been the more charismatic of guides, but he did his best to ensure we were comfortable at all times. We loved the football banter we had with him. He put his vehicle through hell to make sure we get to all our places. This included a mad rush to the Mara triangle on news breaking out of a herd of wildebeest making the river crossing and our final road trip back to the airport in Nairobi from Masai Mata at 5:00 am, planning for traffic contingencies along the way. I'm told they're very particular about their selection process with drivers and guides, and you can see they are.
Execution:
We were only 3 people yet were given an exclusive vehicle and guide to ourselves. Their on ground team deserves a lot of credit for their work. We kept them waiting, if anything, at the airport on landing. We reached every single location well on time and everything in the itinerary was well prepared and ready for us before we arrived at our different destinations. The hotels they had recommended in all but one location were fabulous.
There was just one minor problem we'd faces during the trip regarding the inclusion or exclusion of a safari organised by the lodge we were staying at. After a bit of a struggle to get in touch with their Nairobi team, the entire thing was resolved by them paying out of pocket for it within 30 minutes or so.
We were on a 5 day, 4 night package. The safaris for the first two days were handled by local guides but paid for by their team. The last two days at Masai Mara was a safari in their vehicle. The constant communication on their radios ensure you don't miss anything someone else spotted.
If I were to plan another trip to Africa, and had these guys as an option for a safari operator, would definitely go with them.
PT
Email Nury | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing journey in Kenya and Tanzania
It Started in Africa made us a special safari, we chose the places we wanted to go and they made our trip absolutely unforgetable. All the hotels they recommended us were increadible, namely the Enkerende Tented Camp in Kenya and the Neptune Ngorongoro. Our guide Evans was extremely profesional, always very atentious and careful with us as we were a group of five women. The tour was incredible, as we went through all the main parks from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro. Our stay ended up in Zanzibar, where we choose the hotel, but It Stared in Africa took care of all transfers, including air transfers. We highly recommend this operator. It Started in Africa exceeded our expectations!!! Incredible experience. Thank you so much.
US
Email Mary | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fulfilling safari experience
4 American senior citizens had a great 8-day safari, meeting or exceeding almost all our expectations. The best was our guide Martin, for his knowledge and dependability. Accommodations, balloon ride, itinerary were really good. Our desire to see wildebeest en masse crossing the Mara river, complete with predators, was realized thanks to Martin's efforts. We're glad we chose intra-Africa flight to return to Arusha. Disappointments: expected 4 pr binoculars, received only 3 by the third day of safari (we'd have brought our own from home); arrived JRO airport with no one to pick us up, until about 11/2 hours later; an arranged night game drive didn't happen. The safari company quickly reimbursed us for late pick-up, missed game drive. We'd choose this company all over again, based on our mostly very good experiences.
CN
Email Ran | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very amazing and unique experience !
I chose It Started In Africa among 20 agencies. Helder is super impressive to help us customize the trip. The Star Bed he recommended to us is super unique and cool experience! Thank you very much for the tour. We enjoyed it a lot! I've heard from friends who traveled with other agencies with many problems, like the cars were broken many times, or hotels were not as expected, and etc. But we didn't meet a single time of trouble during the tour. Our driver, Charles, is really awesome and has been extremely professional on driving, guiding and communicating, I learnt a lot from him! I definitely want to come to Kenya again and travel with It Started In Afica!
PT
Email Carlos Franco | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What a journey!
Me and my partner did a 12 days safari tour with it started in Africa covering both the north parks (serengeti, ngorongoro, manyara and tarangire) but also the south parks (Selous and ruaha). We did the north part overland with it started, with the best driver and guide in the world Patrick, and then they organized us flights from serengeti to ruaha, Selous and back to dar Es salaam, this time the game drives organized by the hotels.
I think the experience is more rewarding if you don't fly from park to park because you have the same guide every day, private game drives and all so you create a bound with your guide and he already knows your interests and everything. It was an amazing journey and we almost cried in the Serengeti when entering the Cessna aircraft out of the park when we had to say goodbye to Patrick. He did really make the experience extraordinary. The southern part of our tour was incredible too as we stayed in beautiful lodges from essential destinations.
Communication and logistics were top notch and I really have nothing to complain, on the contrary. We already made our decision to visit Kenya next year. A safari can really change your perception about the world.
PH
Email Alma Academia-Sotto | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A for Awesome, Amazing ,Astonishing!
What an Awesome experienced we had on our first Safari Adventure with the company -It started in Africa! The 2-day adventure at Massai Mara and Lake Nakuru were just too good to be true ! so Amazing! and seeing the wildebeests and zebras migration? it was like watching National Geo live in concert! Astonishing!Our driver, Charlie showed and made us feel how much he loves his job! very professional and smart- obviously, he does his homeworks! From the bottom of our hearts ~ Thank you very much... hope some day we can visit again with our families!
World Flower Council - Philippines❤️
AE
Email Kyle | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Trip in Massai Mara!
ISIA was the perfect tour operator! We only had 4 nights to spend in Kenya and found that very few tour operators would organize a tour for a single location. ISIA was completely flexible and willing to set up 4 nights in Massai Mara. They were extremely responsive (we had a LOT of questions), competitive on pricing and willing to go the extra mile.
The airport pickup and transfer was smooth. Our personal guide, Chedi, was informative and entertaining. He was completely invested in seeing that we had the best experience possible. My wife and I saw every animal on our list.
We plan on recommending ISIA to all of our friends who are SO jealous of our trip. They went above and beyond in making sure we had the trip of a lifetime.
US
Email Kelsey | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a lifetime trip
My husband and I went on a 5-day 4-night trip to Masai Mara. We stayed at Kilima Camp and had Chedi as our guide. We owe It Started In Africa a huge thank you for arranging this for us, we really felt lucky to have both a stunning place to stay and such an awesome guide. Chedi was wonderful -- kind, informative, quick with a laugh, and always on time or ready to help with whatever we needed. He spotted rhinos, lions, families of elephants, cheetahs, colorful birds, and I always felt safe with him at the wheel! One of my favorite memories is of Chedi hauling out his worn and well loved bird guide book to point out what we were seeing. Kilima Camp had warm and helpful staff, too, and I would recommend lodging there if you're headed to Masai Mara. From a logistical standpoint, It Started In Africa also gets our enthusiastic endorsement - prompt and clear communication and easy airport transfers were the norm. Just go!!
An unforgetable experience with total professionals
I would like to thank you for organising our trip to Mt Kenya/Lake Nakuru and the Masai Mara,
places I wanted to revisit and especially for our driver/guide Francis who was exceptional. His local knowledge, safe driving practices and happy disposition made our trip really memorable and nothing was too much trouble.
We were happy to adjust timings as Francis was well aware of the road conditions, driving on those roads
all the time. They were somewhat better than 25years ago when I first came there but were still bad in parts.
I do think it would be a good idea to discuss road conditions with the driver/guides as they are on the roads
all the time and they can suggest alternative routes. Of course if a client demands a certain route that is different.
The accommodation and service at both the Mt Kenya Safari club and Mara Serena (which had been vastly improved since I had been there previously) were excellent. I would also suggest Amboseli or Lake Bogoria at present rather than Lake Nakuru to see large numbers of flamingoes as the water levels were very high and even the main gate was flooded.
We will be back and will definately use 'It started in Africa'
PT
Email Cláudio sousa | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great trip
Excellent vacations in pemba island organised by this company. Transfers on time and great hotel recommendations