Franco with happy clients In Mara :)
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
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.
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.
US
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.
AE
Email Majed | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
“Great tour of Tanzania”
We took safari tour for about 7 nights with this comapny and it was a journey to remember. Seeing the animals in wild is just breath taking. Our tour guide Anthony was very helpful and since I had just my phone camera I needed to be very close to animals to take pictures. Anthony was very helpful and understanding
We came back toniur country with memorable memories. Thank you!
CA
Email Ruth Thomson | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A memorable experience!
It was the experience of a life time! Everything about the safari was excellent and memorable. The staff were all very kind and helpful. The meals were simple but good. I loved the rustic cabins. The guide/driver was very knowledgeable and told us all about the wild life. Even the wild life co-operated and showed themselves to us unstintingly. Of course, that was also because the drivers talked to each other and if one driver saw a certain animal he informed the others, and that was very helpful. The visit to the Masai village was the icing on the cake.
The whole safari experience was something that I will treasure all my life, and I know my son felt the same.
Thank you one and all for making the whole experience so unforgettable, a memory I will treasure for the rest of my life.
PT
Email Jorge Mendes | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
perfect by all means
excellent communication during the sales process. Super fast and helpful. Transfers and safari experience were handled smoothly and professionally. Everyone was professional and very kind. Will come again
Email Sam | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Brilliant
It Started in Africa are second to none. I have done quite a few safaris all over Africa and my experience with ISIA was by far and away the best. Whilst I did not do my actual tour with them, they did all the bookings with hotels and agencies for me. The customer service is fantastic: they are really helpful, seek to understand what you need and are prompt and professional. The team are very responsive over email and are really focussed on the client having a great experience. We had a couple of issues to resolve before the trip and ISIA were really helpful and diligent in solving them for me. They booked some great places, organised every step flawlessly and the aftercare was great. Booking a safari can be a daunting experience, but ISIA offer a service unlike any other. Really happy with them – thanks guys!
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g297913-d4997591-r387999961-It_Started_in_Africa_Day_Tours-Arusha_Arusha_Region.html#
Email Nikhila | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
#JoelTheGenius
Right. On with the improvements so I can get to how perfect our experience was thanks to Joel. The company, It Started in Africa, was communicative and offered options at reasonable prices (we wrote to 15 companies and had two weeks to plan this). They helped us secure some great accommodation within our budget and were quick to respond. Overall, really easy doing business with them. That said, there are a few areas of improvement:
1. Although we confirmed our arrival time multiple times via email, there was some mix up with the operations teams and the person meant to pick us up didn't have our names or details. Getting into an unmarked car with an unknown driver who's identity we could not confirm at 10PM was nothing something my friend I were okay doing, which added an hour to our transit time. However, once we started our journey to our hotel in Arusha and got to know the driver, we shared some laughs with him and he shared lots of interesting snippets of what to expect from our first safari. We also received an email from the company apologizing and explaining the cause of the mix up.
2. The safari vehicle seemed like it needed to be serviced properly. Although Joel cleaned it everyday and did his best to maintain it, there were a number of mechanical issues we encountered during the course of our trip, including a couple of stops at mechanic shops for repairs. The company really ought to ensure that the vehicle tourists are being sent out in are road worthy and not in need of constant repairs.
3. The interiors could do with a face lift - the cold box needs repair and it would be great if the company could arrange for dry ice to keep the drinks cold. The dusty and sunny climes of the national parks meant we ended up with luke warm water every afternoon. Just some small suggestions to improve the overall quality of the experience.
On to Joel. He is an incredibly gifted guide and was truly invested in ensuring that we had the best safari, given our time constraints. Not only did he make every effort to show us the Big 5, which we managed (hurrah!), he was genuinely excited every time we saw a big cat or a herd of elephants or even zebras. He was patient with all our picture taking and just wanting to stand and stare endlessly at the animals; even took some great shots of his own with our camera. So we didn't miss a big sighting, he listened to the "ranger" radio station intently and passed all exciting discoveries we made on to other groups as well.
In three and a half days, we witnessed a cheetah hunt an antelope, several prides of lions, a pregnant lioness going off to give birth, several herds of tusked elephants (some raising their trunks to smell, to grab leaves off of trees, which is relatively uncommon), schools of hippos, a rhino, hyenas, two leopards in trees and a countless number of gazelles, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, hartebeest, dik-diks, mongoose and flamingos. He even knew birds' names just by our (rather inaccurate) descriptions and showed us the differences between them in his trusty book.
As this was our first safari, we had a number of questions (sometimes inane), all of which he answered enthusiastically. Honestly, this safari would not have been half as interesting without Joel. He made it a trip of a lifetime for us, going so far as to wake up at 3AM so he could collect a park entry card from a colleague (there was some mix up owing to the last minute increases the government made to park fees) to make sure we didn't miss our early morning drive in the crater. Joel went above and beyond all expectations and I recommend him unequivocally to anyone looking for a trusty guide with a fantastic sense of direction and humor.
Finally, thank you to all the people who recommended Joel in their reviews - we got really lucky and are trying to pay it forward!