Frequently Asked Questions

We would love to have you as our future customer! We have a vision of starting food tours in every country in Africa. Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media to stay informed about our expansion plans. You can also drop us an email to get on the waitlist (jiranileo@gmail.com).

You can book and pay for all tours directly from our website. We accept major credit cards for payments. You will receive an immediate email confirmation of your booking and payment.

All website bookings close 24 hours before the tour start time. This gives us time to coordinate with our hosts and guides to ensure everyone is ready to welcome you. If you are trying to join a tour less than 24 hours before the start time, review our Last Minute Booking steps and reach out to us for assistance on WhatsApp.

To change your booking, contact us by email or WhatsApp. For fastest response, please include your booking confirmation number, which can be found in your confirmation email.

In general, if you cancel more than 24 hours before the tour start time, you will receive a full refund, minus any payment processing or bank transfer fees. If you cancel less than 24 hours before the tour, no refund will be issued, as we begin preparing your tour the day before, confirming meals, guides, and other arrangements. Read our Cancellation Policy for more details.

Contact us by email or WhatsApp. For fastest response, please include your booking confirmation number, which can be found in your confirmation email.

Read our Cancellation Policy for more detail on cancellations or rescheduling.

We ask for information on food allergies and diet requirements with every booking, and we communicate this to our host to ensure she can adjust meals to meet your needs. If you prefer to discuss your needs before confirming your booking, feel free to contact us ahead of time.

We take this information very seriously, and if we feel that we cannot accommodate your needs, we will let you know and provide a full refund should we need to cancel the tour.

Read our Health and Safety page for more information.

All our home-hosted meals are child-friendly. However, some other tours may be restricted for children aged 12 and under for safety reasons. We ask that you kindly follow this guidance. Please read the information on each tour for more information on children’s participation.

Please reach out to us before booking a tour to inquire about our ability to accommodate people with limited mobility. In general, most neighborhoods have unpaved roads and uneven sidewalks and lack access ramps for wheelchairs, which may hinder your ability to participate in a neighborhood tour. However, we may be able to accommodate you in a home-hosted meal or cooking class.

We provide detailed information on “how it works” and “what to expect” for home-hosted meals, neighborhood food tours, and cooking classes on our website. Check these pages to learn more, and make sure to scroll to the bottom for specific FAQs.

We believe that we offer the same high quality experience as other food tours around the world. We provide deep local information on the traditional cuisine and culture, with a personal connection to a trained guide. However, what makes us unique is that our tours are truly African in all ways, from tastes, sights, sounds, and smells. Check out our tour pages to get a feel of what to expect on a home-hosted meal, neighborhood tour, and cooking class in an African setting.

We ask that all you bring an appetite and a smile! We take care of the rest, including the cost of food and drink and the host and guide fee.

We recommend that you do not bring valuables on any neighborhood tours, which take place in a local community without many other tourists. We personally vet all the neighborhoods and experiences, and we make sure that community leaders and members know our guides. However, there is always a chance of petty theft (such as pickpocketing.) Read our Health and Safety page for more information on how to stay safe on our tours.

After your booking is confirmed, we will send you an email within 24 hours of the start time confirming the meeting place, with detailed directions and a Google Maps pin. We will also share the name and contact information for your guide or host and remind you of how to contact Jiranileo if you have questions or need assistance.

If you are lost and in a vehicle, we recommend you ask the driver to call the guide or host to discuss directions. If you feel our directions to the meeting point could be improved, let us know so that we can improve them for our future customers.

If you are at the meeting point and you cannot find the guide, or if you are running late, reach out to your guide or host directly by phone or WhatsApp. Their details will be in the email you receive within 24 hours of the start time of the tour. Otherwise, reach out to the Jiranileo team on WhatsApp and we can relay your message to the guide or host.

No, you do not need to pay your host or guide. We pay our hosts and guides upfront to lead the tours, and we pay them a fair amount per tour. (Read more on our Responsible Tourism page.)

No one (neither the guide nor our company) expects you to give a tip. Culturally, offering a tip in this setting would be equivalent to tipping a neighbor or friend (in other words, socially awkward.) If you personally decide to give a tip, do not be surprised if it makes the guide uncomfortable. However, if you are persistent, chances are they would accept the tip.

We always welcome feedback on our tours. Check your email for an anonymous feedback form sent out immediately after your tour. You have the option of providing your contact information in this form to enable us to follow up for more information.

We also encourage you to send any other feedback to us on email to jiranileo@gmail.com. We will respond within 48 hours.