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:
- $2,602 to $9,540 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Michael | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Stole our money
We were supposed to do a Safari in Tanzania for my birthday and our honeymoon with It Started In Africa. They disappeared the day before we got there. Never answered our emails and stole our money!
SE
Email Stephen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stay AWAY! Negative reviews Deleted!
ISIA contacted me after Safaribookings.com gave them my email address. This is not OK!
How can you trust the reviews on Safaribookings.com when you work like this?
A review website like this is to keep the customers safe. This is exactly the opposite.
Please know that when you read these reviews there probably is many who deleted their negative reviews hoping to get a refund from ISIA. In 6months... Sounds like a scam to be honest.
"Our request is if you and other clients accepts on our request to suspend the safaribookings reviews we can clear in installments your total refund in six months as we are getting many safari requests from the thousands of clients friends who are being recommended to us but the issue of the negative reviews is keeping them from booking with us, meaning if you can suspend your review and others as we are requesting from all those affected we can get business and pay all your refunds in the shortest time possible and we clear our name from the perspective the affected clients have on us."
"We are not only communicating with you alone but we have approached safaribookings for them to assist us in sorting out this issue once and for all as they know we were some of their best customers for the years we have used their services and they are the one who even sent us your email address and other clients and the review number you had posted and we are hoping for the best."
The rest of the emails is about how It Started In Africa is a victim and what ever...
This is YOUR fault! YOU have stolen money from a lot of people! People trusted YOU and YOUR company with their hard earned money or even life savings. It is your job to make sure they are safe!
Your customers are the Victims.
Not you!
I hope I can save someone.
Email Chris | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Cheated out of $3300
They took our money but never returned our phone calls or emails, and never picked us up or tried to contact us while we were in Tanzania.
We heard rumors of financial insolvency and bankruptcy, but were never able to verify that. Nonetheless, we know we never got to go on our tour...
That said, we ended up finding a great company and having a great time, so at least that worked out.
Email Sophia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fraudulent company!
I had a terrible Experience with this company in Tanzania in 2016.
Communication and booking was swift but the rest was a shambles!
Since then I noticed many were scammed thousands in booking deposits, even arrived to the country to find the company has ripped them off.
I wrote a review previously and I am writing again bc i have received emails from Bernard Kangoma pleading to suspend my review so they can operate and take more bookings and “rebuild”!!
Bernard was the Tanzania manager who inadequately dealt with my complaints when i was left stranded with 2 guides who tried to make up their own tour instead if a planned prepaud coffee plantation tour!
Email Greg Robinson | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This company stole $2,900 USD of my money! DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!
I am one of many people who trusted ISIA last year. I wired $2,900 USD to the company a year in advance. Four months before I was to leave, I received an email that my safari was being cancelled because the company was going bankrupt. The money was never returned. A group of us set up a page on Facebook. Some of the clients lost much more than I did to these dishonest operators. You can search for our stories on Facebook under 'It Started In Africa Client Group.'
Please contact me if you have any questions about what happened to me and others. I am happy to share my story with you. Please do not book with this company.
Email PD | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
This company stole our deposit, made zero bookings, and now will not respond to emails
We have been scammed by this company (It Started in Africa) and cheated out of USD 3,300.
We have been thinking about an African safari for a long time. In July 2017 we started looking into safari companies and selected It Started in Africa based on excellent previous reviews. We contacted then, they sent us an itinerary. After several exchange of emails, we decided to go ahead with them, and wired them a deposit of about USD 3,300.
After this, things started going south. They did not initially send us any confirmations of any bookings at the lodges which we had requested. After many emails, they sent us pictures of lodge invoices, which all showed that the amounts were still payable to the lodges. We contacted each individual lodge, and each one said that they did not have any bookings with this safari company. They had previous bookings, which got cancelled as this company did not send them the advance payment out of the deposit that we had paid.
We also read about several other reviews that indicated that this company had scammed many others out of their money recently, and they had gone bankrupt.
Now we are in a state of panic as we seem to have lost our money, and we do not have any safari reservations at any lodge. Our emails to them are now going un-answered.
If any one has been able to get their money back, please post on this review board on how they went about it.
CA
Email Sarah | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great guide, unorganized office
We had no problem booking and paying for the safari (4 days). There was a lot of lack of communication with when the guide was getting us but once we came (which was earlier then we were told) he was amazing! His name is Dixon, he was knowledgeable, fun, always on time and knew the ins and out of where to be!
The issue arised when we were waiting at a park gate and we were told they sent Dixon the wrong invoice number and it could be a couple hour wait until they sent him the right one (this apparently happens a lot with different companies). We payed with our own Visa and were told they would reimburse us when we got back into Arusha. Once back in Arusha it was a horrible experience trying to get our money back as they were out office. Needless to say, we got our money back but definitely had issues with communication with the office. Our guide MADE our safari!
KR
Email Jingu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, Transparent, Reliable
My dad and I went 3N4D tour with It Started in Africa.
Especially I would like to mention two persons ; Bernard, the reservation manager was very agile and flexible to my request and David, the driver/guide was very knowledgeable and experienced in the endless plain.
Even though there were some hassles in payment process, since their local bank had in problem to clear my Pesapal payment, Bernard transparently & frequently shared what's going on and my tour was well done without any discomfort or concern.
As many communities said, It Started in Africa had hard time due to their oversea agent problem in 2017, however, now they are doing best to rebuild their brand and reputation. I highly recommend to ask quotes to them and take a tour with them in Tanzania!
Email Melanie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stole our $4000 deposit and still waiting to hear back! DO NOT USE THEM!
We planned our honeymoon to Tanzania and after paying a $4000 deposit we were told corrupt people within the company stole money. Apparently they filed a lawsuit and Baraja has been telling us the money will be returned to us but now my emails have not been replied too. I cant believe they are still operating when they owe people SOOOOOO much money. Avoid this company at all costs as it could have ruined our honeymoon.
CA
Email Kim | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It is hard to believe this company is still in operation!!
This company stole thousands of dollars from my family. We prepaid for our safari vacation. Just before arriving we were tiled they were bankrupt. No one picked us up at the airport. Hotels were reserved but unpaid. And they were untraceable at their office in Arusha or by email. There is no way they should be allowed to operate. They are a criminal organization. Stay far away.