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
DE
Email Basia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional experience
thank you it started in africa for the great time during our safari and mt meru hike. The company workers helped us in everything we required help (also finding out the whereabouts of my lost jacket and after 4 days of calling around, finally getting it back for me, this was very very helpful, for sure impossible on your own). The customer support in arusha, rafael made us feel at home, our safari guide anthony was chilled out and very experienced, the cook mendi definietely the best on the planet. The team on mt meru very great with szaban our guide who had patience for us and a lot of knowledge about the park nature. The cook, minister of food, did a great job too:). So pole pole, and hakuna matata, choose it started in africa for your tour operator, you won't regret it!
UA
Email Oleg | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Just excellent
I would like to say Thank You to It Started Africa for absolutely incredible NY safari they made for us. They do their job with excellence. They always ready to help you with any additional request you may have aside from safari itself. Totally recommended for everyone.
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Email Caito & Devin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Can't Say Enough Great Things!!!
Words cannot describe the amazing adventure we had on our 7-day safari! Everything from the immediate response to my first email inquiry to the sad farewell we had to bid our incredible guide, and the months of customized planning and friendly conversation in between, went far beyond our every expectation. The entire staff is top notch! We dreamed for years of a private safari for two but never imagined it could become a reality. We chose the camping to better fit within our budget and couldn't imagine doing it any other way. It was a fantastic experience and worth every dollar. Our guide Emma made each and every day extra special and we enjoyed his personality immensely! We were also blown away by the quality of food. Pascali kept good care of us and my vegetarian needs. I think I must have gained 5kg with all of that great cooking! Look no further than It Started in Africa! They take the time to listen to your needs and offer suggestions you may never think to consider or ask about. Every question is answered and nothing goes undone. You can simply relax and enjoy the trip of a lifetime knowing they have every detail covered. Once it starts in Africa, you will not want it to end. Guaranteed to be nothing short of the most wonderful experience all around, and one you will never forget. We can't thank them enough!
Email Toni, Paul, Wendy, Luciano and Mateo | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A dreamlike experience - still can't believe how good it was!!!
The five day safari to Lake Manyara, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and the Masai village was magical and a lot of the time I thought I must be dreaming. Being in the Serengeti was like being in Jurassic Park with big animals like giraffes and elephants walking alongside us at a leisurely pace as we drove along. Some animals even shared the campsite with us, in particular, a group of giraffes and a cheeky lot of mongooses in the first campsite and a buffalo which went seeking food during the night in the second campsite. We did one night in Lake Manyara Tented Lodge and three nights in public campsites. This was a good combination I think.
Our guide and driver, Baraka, and the cook, Samuel, were marvellous, managing to always be cheery and informative and look after us even in driving rain. On Day 4 Baraka had to put up all the tents while getting completely soaked and Chef managed a three course meal under the most trying of circumstances the same night. At one point the front open hatch in the car roof blew off on the way back and poor Baraka had to stop and deal with that too. The fact that Baraka was Masai was a great asset for the trip too as he was able to stop and chat to passing Masai cattle herders and tell us a lot about them. His knowledge of animals and birds was extensive and he knew how to find animals in the most unlikely terrain especially lions and hippos. He went out of his way to find a good shop to find cheap shukas for us as well.
The safari was also great because we were able to see people and not just animals. It was incredible to see lone Masai herders in their colourful shukas wandering through the first part of the Serengeti. The trip to the Masai village, although set up for tourists, was still very informative and Baraka number 2 (the village chief) gave us a very good historical backdrop to Kenya and the Masai , in particular.
Jackson and Simon also did a great job in getting us to the Tanzanian/Kenyan border, across the border and then on to Tsavo East and the Sheldrick Elephant Trust with a mini safari in between. The road on the Kenyan side was very difficult to drive and Simon managed it expertly, even stopping to change a tyre halfway there.
Overall, a great trip... once in a lifetime ...neither my husband, our two teenage boys, my sister or I will ever forget this experience. Thank you very much It Started in Africa and thank you too Joao, Silvia and team for organising it so well. I was first convinced to go with It Started in Africa because Joao’s responses to emails were lightning fast and he accommodated our every need as soon as the question was asked. The whole price of the trip was also considerably more affordable than other companies we researched. We would definitely book with them again.
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Email Ninfa Yap | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It is one of the most amazing experiences I've done in my life!
I contacted several safari tour companies, but It Started In Africa, exceeded my expectations. They were very quick in answering all my emails and patiently answered all my questions. Joao and Luis were the best! The price was also very reasonable considering the type of tour we had...private just for 2 people with mid range accommodations. They fed us well...so well that I gained all that weight I lost during my Kilimanjaro climb. Our tour guide, Nasari, was very knowledgeable. He really made an effort to see almost all the animals especially the big 5! Every night somebody from the company, Silvia, called us and checked on how our day went. The experience was great from beginning to end. I highly recommend this company. I'm hoping that the rest of my family and closest friends in the USA, will do this adventure one day with It Started In Aftica. They will never be sorry! Thank you! Asana Sante!
IN
Email Anant | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very prompt replies to all my queries and very good arrangements for our safari from the word GO
Communication by email with Helder was excellent from day one - more than 60 emails wee exchanged. We were received well by Patricia at Nairobi airport even disregarding the delayed and late arrival of our flight. Wajee mara camp was ideal - tented rooms in a jungle. Alex, our guide-cum-driver was excellent in his knowledge of the animals and the birds. He seemed to know where the animals were and within a few hours we had spotted the Big Five. A pride of lions taking positions for a kill, cheetahs at close quarters, rhino, hippos, giraffes and beautiful birds were the highlights. Within a day and half of safari we had completed our list of animals we wanted to see and saw many more too. A great safari - our childhood dreams were made to come true. All our needs were fulfilled in the package even including drinking water during the safari. I would recommend this operator to all my friends
CA
Email Your Global Family | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
“flawless from beginning to end”
I start off by thanking Joao, the Customer Service Happiness Manager, who is the reason that I chose this company. From the time I started my safari research, to our safari, Joao and I exchanged hundreds if not thousands of emails with every single detail that concerned us. Joao made us feel 100% comfortable and never tried to push anything on us, which made us choose this company, and we are 100% happy with our decision. This company certainly has the human factor that we needed and attention to details.
I cannot recommend it started in Africa enough, our every day pick up was on time, our drivers in both Kenya and Tanzania were very punctual and courteous. Jackson is absolutely lovely and helped us every step along the way. Our whole trip was exactly as planned, an out of this world 7 day safari with our 5 year old. The drivers are quite knowledgeable and calm with a good level of English. The safari vehicle, though it looked a bit old or rugged (no wonder with the roads), did not let us down. I did about a year of research for this trip, and I found It Started in Africa to have competitive prices for their packages. Here are a few pointers which we discovered along the way that our driver did not seem to know much about, which is understandable as most people do not look for the same things. If you are planning to purchase a tanzanite, the further you are from Arusha, the better the prices will be. Also, if you are going to Zanzibar after, most crafts are cheaper there than anywhere on safari. If you do the Masai village visit, keep in mind that the prices for their crafts are about 10 times higher than anywhere else, but if you wish to help the community, purchasing from them is a great option. Overall, I give this company 5 plus stars, we had an unforgettable experience and we owe it all to a fantastically run company, It Started in Africa.
best team ever to make the experience
I would like to start by saying the biggest thankyou to all of the team at it started in Africa. From the organisation from you all by emails to the actual trip. Joao was perfect in answering all questions asked and very quick reply's. Was so professional. Also to Silvia for organising an amazing team and helping with anything we asked when she picked us up. Your team couldn't be better especially to zippy and peter both guides. Nothing was two much for them and there information amazing about the mountain from names of plants to history of mountain to even names of stars. I watched other guides with guests on mountain with other companies and didn't pay half the attention like your guys did for us. These two make a great team and please use them alot more as they are super beneficial for you. They were well organised and get the team motivated. Also your chef amazing food very chatty very caring. Even the waiter whata Nic guy always happy and very very caring always checking we were alright and making us laugh. Your porters as well always polite and smiling to us. Was really a great team and made my trip completely. I have given Silvia a newspaper article of me for charity and also mentioned your company. When I return will do another article and mention you guys again how amazing your were. If you can please put my summit picture on your facebook and mention the charity will be a big help for us as well.
Thankyou for all your help and an amazing experience.
Best regards sam
They were very organized and well planned
We had a 5 day safari. Driving guide and all the plannings were good. I would recommend itstartedinafrica especially you intend to make a private and custom safari.
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Email Jill Burns | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Top experience of a lifetime!!!
I grew up as a child in Kenya. For a special, memorable trip, I wanted to take my 17 year old son on a mother/son to Kenya on a safari. After researching many safari companies online, I chose to use it Started in Africa. From the very beginning of the process, this company took every opportunity to answer my questions, suggest different options to fit our trip, and to respond in a short amount of time. The company felt more like a family!!
From the moment we arrived in Kenya to the very end, all details were perfectly carried out. We felt safe at all times. The Masai Mara safari was a dream! We loved the quick flight to Masi Mara and our camp!! We chose a private safari with our own guides. The guides were great and so educated on the animals and terrain. We felt like every person, every step of the way, went out of their way to make this the best trip. Thank you for allowing me, as a mom, to just sit back and connect with my son in such a wonderful place, while you took care of every detail. Can't wait to come back!!! I will definitely use It Statred In Africa again.