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
AE
Email Mario Smith | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Migration
It has been some years since we travelled to Tanzania with It Started in Africa. We still cherish the amazing memories and conversations with Dickson by the bonfire at the camp in Serengeti (can't remember the name).
My most vivid memory is the cross of the wildebeests on Mara River while having a glass of cooled white wine in the car.
Wish to come back soon.
FR
Email Muriel Dupont | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Merci pour tout - best tour ever
We are still in airports travelling after the time pour lives in Tanzanie. We want to say merci beaucoup to all our new friends Vanessa Helder baraja Silvia and of course Frank , thé best guide and friend during our ten days safari in selous and ruaha . We saw all thé animales We could have hoped for and much closer than what We imagined.
Amazing people and car, excellent organisation.
Muriel Dupont from reins france
CH
Email Federico | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful safari!
This was our first experience in a safari and we chose It Started in Africa based on the reviews that we read on safaribookings.com and tripadvisor. We had a 5 days safari in the North of Tanzania (Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater) + 1 day base climb to the Kilimanjaro and 1 day to the hotsprings. We think that the support that It Started in Africa gave us was excellent from the very first day when we ask a quote via email. All of them have always been very helpful. Since day 1, when we landed at Kilimanjaro Airport, we realised that our guide (Emmanuel) was a great person. During our 5 days safari Emmanuel was amazing: good driver, excellent (and very patient) in spotting animals, very knowledgeable about nature/animals, an incredibly nice person and always ready to help us in case we needed. Last but not least, we had a lot of fun together. Summarizing, we definitely recommend It Started in Africa for your safari in Tanzania.
US
Email Alex | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Truly Amazing Safari with It Started In Africa
My friend and I just finished sorting through the multitude of photos we took, but we both had an amazing time! On the first day, our driver, Joel, picked us up in Arusha at our hostel and drove us to Lake Manyara for a day and night game drive. Both game drives were great, and we even got lucky by seeing lions in the trees! On the second day, Joel took us past Ngorongoro Crater and into the Serengeti. The view from above the Crater was breathtaking, and Serengeti plains were awe-inspiring. We saw so many animals, including lions, elephants, zebras, and giraffes. On the third day, Joel took us through the Serengeti early in the morning, and he was eagerly listening to the game radio to ensure we had the best safari experience possible. And we sure did! On this very special day (and my friend's birthday), we saw a leopard in a tree, a male lion bedded down in the tall grass, a whole lion family with 3 cubs, 2 cheetahs, and a live cheetah hunt! Oh, and then we walked around Ngorongoro crater and came within yards of a zebra herd. Needless to say, Joel's ability to spot wildlife and eagerly listen to the game radio made the third day of our safari very, very special. And the cook we had with us even made my friend a birthday cake! On the last day of our safari, Joel drove us into Ngorongoro Crater, and we completed our goal of seeing the Big Five with both a buffalo and rhino in the Crater. At the end of the day, he dropped us back off at our hostel in Arusha. As you can see, It Started in Africa did a fantastic job with providing us the best possible safari experience. Our driver, Joel, and the cook were great! We even used them to drive us to JRO airport the next day, and Joel picked us up on time and we made our flight. Based on things we heard from other tourists who booked safaris last minute, I'm sure glad we did our research ahead of time and chose It Started in Africa to be our safari company. We would highly recommend a safari with It Started in Africa to any of our friends. Thanks It Started in Africa for making our safari a very memorable experience!
US
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
QA
Email Ken & Cathy Park | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It's A Jungle Out There! Don't Go With Anyone Else!!
This was to be the holiday of a lifetime and, thanks to the efforts and expertise of "It Started in Africa" and our guide, Barraka, it most certainly was!
We wanted to do a little voluntary work, so the company built in a 3-day visit to Buloma Orphanage, near Dar es Salaam, at the beginning. To meet these children and the wonderful people who look after them was both an honour and a delight. While the gifts we brought from our school in Doha (Sherborne Qatar) made a great impact on the kids, the impact they made upon my children (and their parents) will last a lifetime!
From Dar es Salaam, we then flew to Arusha to begin our safari. The flight, with Precision Air, was a pleasure and, about 10 minutes after touching down at Kilimanjaro Airport, we were in the Land Cruiser with Barraka and off on the most interesting and exciting trip of our lives.
While I can't credit the company on the wildlife, I must say that Barraka's knowledge and experience helped fill each day with amazing sights. To be up-close (really close!) with lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, hippos, rhinos, wildebeest, cheetahs, leopards, buffalo, gazelles and warthogs was truly amazing. Also, the birdlife and plants of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro were a joy to behold.
While the food was not exactly cordon bleu, it was wholesome, plentiful and much appreciated. We didn't go to Africa to eat out!
The company ensured that we were well-equipped and comfortable while also experiencing sufficient inconvenience to feel we were 'roughing it'! The campsites of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro were basic. Once again, if we wanted pools, bars and Wifi, we would have gone to France...
For a trip to Kilimanjaro, we were delivered into the hands of Lyimo, a friendly, wise and enthusiastic guide whose great-grandfather was a guide on the first recorded ascent in 1896! He guided us to 9000ft, where we spent the night in beautiful wooden cabins. Lyimo's knowledge and expertise made the whole trip memorable and enjoyable (despite the aches and pains that followed!)
One thing that delighted us was the choice of guest house at the start and end of our stay. 'Christina's House' is a quirky, beautiful two-storey guesthouse, with seperate restaurant near Arusha. The food is first class, cooked to order by Rosie and the rooms are a model of sophisticated simplicity.
By bringing guests to such places, "It Started in Africa" is working to stimulate and nurture local enterprise.
I could go on and on... This was an excellent trip which left us with many great memories and an abiding love for Tanzania. This could not have happened without the excellent work of "It Started in Africa" and I cannot recommend them highly enough.
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.
Email Cath | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Disappointing ! Even more after It Started in Africa offered to pay me to remove my reviews.
My husband and I selected It Started in Africa as our tour organizer for a 6 day Mount Kilimanjaro hike mainly because of their outstanding reviews and classification on Safaribookings and TripAdvisor. We also chose them because they were very reactive and had a nice website. But our main selection criteria was their ranking on Safaribookings (number 1) and on Trip Advisor (number 10).
The hike itself was satisfying: the guides, cooks and porters were friendly and helpful, BUT our overall experience turned out not to be as good as expected, and there were a lot of “small” details that added together gave us the overall unpleasant feeling that we had somehow been “cheated” by It Started in Africa.
The main issues were:
1. No one was there to meet us when we arrived at Kilimanjaro airport. Sylvia, our tour manager, arrived approximately one hour after our flight had landed and explained that she thought we were arriving on the KLM flight and that she had not been made aware that we were on the Kenya Airways flight. My husband had send Joao all of our flight details, which he had acknowledged receipt of. And even if what Sylvia was telling us was true, she was still 30 minutes late for the KLM flight.
2. The hotel in Arusha (Raha Leo) which was sold to us as part of the package, and included in our contract, was changed at the last minute without us being informed or forewarned. When I checked the rating on Trip Advisor, I realized that the hotel that It Started in Africa put us in (The Torch) had a much lower rating than the hotel that had been sold to us. When reading other traveler reviews posted after our trip (and since then disappeared from Trip Advisor), I realized that we were not the only customers surprised in this way…..
3. As part of the contract, It Started in Africa was supposed to supply us with duvet liners and pillows – we never saw them. The mess tent was tiny and could barely hold our party of 7.
4. My husband was victim of food poisoning and he was so sick that he had to turn back and be evacuated from the mountain. The doctor that we saw when we returned to Joburg confirmed that his disease had nothing to do with altitude sickness but was solely due to food poisoning (most likely the chicken we were served during 3 consecutive days by the It Started in Africa cook). The evacuation until the park gate was organized diligently and professionally by Tanzanian Parks. But once at the gate, the car that It Started in Africa car had sent from Arusha was not there. It was actually our piece of luck, because the It Started in Africa representative in Moshi came to pick us up in order not to keep us waiting and he agreed with us that my husband was in no condition to withstand the 3 hour drive to Arusha. The guides and I had told Sylvia, our tour manager, a number of times over the phone that it made no sense to drive back to Arusha that day, and had requested to stop in Moshi for the night, but she had refused to listen, saying that “she had already booked a room at The Torch in Arusha”. The hotel in Moshi was much nicer than the Torch and we were able to get a good night’s rest.
5. From the beginning of the trip, until the very last day, we were under constant pressure from the chief guides (and from the tour manager on the first day), to leave generous tips to the guides and porters. This gave us the unpleasant feeling that the porters, guides, cooks, etc are so poorly paid by It Started in Africa, that they rely on customers’ tips to keep their staff happy. The documents sent to us before the trip gave clear guidelines about the tipping amounts to be given out and we all know how to read – so why be so insistent during the entire trip? It really made us feel as if we were a bunch of dishonest people who would walk away from our responsibilities, and impacted our relationship with the guides and porters.
6. The number of porters/guides/cooks, etc accompanying us during the trip was never clearly stated to us before the trip. We found out on the first day of the hike that 31 people would be accompanying our group of 7 people. I’m not against employing a large number of people, but I believe that It Started in Africa should have been transparent about this before we signed the contract – as this has an impact on the total amount of the trip (tips are substantial).
7. When we were done with the trip, we were put under a lot of pressure by Sylvia, our tour manager to write good reviews on the spot for them, with them looking over our shoulders. I refused to do it and said I would do it later, as I don’t like being pressured in such a way.
8. Our last night in Arusha was part of the package, and had been paid for and booked through It Started in Africa. When Sylvia told us we would be staying at the Torch again, we refused. Not the rat hole again! Especially considering how weak my husband was. She then suggested Kia Lodge by the airport and warned us that it would be more expensive. We were prepared to pay whatever additional cost there was to pay, as long as the hotel was decent, with water and air conditioning in the rooms. And we also asked if it would be possible for the three guys in our party who were flying out later that day to use our rooms to take a shower. Sylvia promised it all, dropped us off at the hotel reception, and then vanished (very quietly for once). Once she was gone, the hotel manager told us that it would not be possible for our 3 friends to shower (but they were welcome to drink at the bar and eat at the restaurant), and we found that there was no water pressure in our room, making it impossible to shower. And at bedtime, when we turned the air-con on, we found out that it did not work either….. The next morning, there was literally no water at all in the shower! 183 USD for a room with no water and no air-con (supposedly the It Started In Africa special rate, but when I double checked on Trip Advisor, I found the rooms to be sold at 177 USD)….quite pricy, don’t you think?
But here comes the worst part!
When we returned home, I posted a review on Trip Advisor and rated It Started in Africa as "average", considering the problems that we had and the un-kept promises. The next day, Joao, the Happiness Manager, sent me an email with explanations about what happened and offered to pay me 700 USD if I removed my post or upgraded it to Very Good. When I refused, he offered me 1000 USD. After he had my review forcibly removed from Trip Advisor, I posted another review explaining how he tried to bribe me, and I received a 3rd email offering me 2500 USD if I removed my second review. I also noticed that the other average reviews which had been posted on Trip Advisor at around the same time as mine had disappeared. I managed to contact another reviewer who confirmed that he was offered money to remove or upgrade his review.
I then realized why It Started in Africa only had very good and excellent reviews on the internet. It seems that they bribe unhappy customers to remove or change their reviews if they are not 4 or 5 stars. And I cannot help but wonder....how many people were paid in the past? And how many people, like me, selected It Started In Africa mainly because of their track record of excellent and very good reviews and were hugely disappointed? How much money is Joao going to offer me this time, to remove my review from Safaribookings.com? I systematically read travelers' internet reviews before I choose a hotel or a tour organizer. I also believe that it is of utmost importance that travelers who post reviews on these websites do it honestly, as others rely on them to make decisions and chose their tour operator, hotels, restaurants, etc. I could have accepted Joao’s 1000 USD and left it at that, letting other travelers believe that It Started in Africa provides top class service and that they are the best. Maybe they are great for a large number of travelers. But not for me, and I believe that it is unfair to other travelers to keep quiet about what is going on. It Started in Africa’s business practices are unfair and detrimental to all of the tourism industry professionals who work hard and with integrity to please their customers. It Started in Africa need to understand that you cannot hide your flaws forever by bribing customers, and that there are still some people out there who cannot be bought, no matter how much money you offer them. It Started in Africa's cheating attempts turned out to be the most disturbing part of this trip for me. Knowing after hand that others before me may have had a disappointing experience with It Started in Africa, but were paid to remove their reviews, gives me the very unpleasant impression that we were cheated voluntarily by It Started in Africa from the very start.
For this very reason, I would definitely not recommend this Tour operator!
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