Jiwe Adventures
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2015)
- Member Of:
- Kilimanjaro Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Matt | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience!
My family and I had a great experience with Jiwe Adventure, run by an amazing human named Edgar. Since Edgar is a local and the company is a one-man shop, it was far more affordable than Western options. It was great.
We climbed Kilimanjaro before, too. The Safari was a great reward.
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Email Anne | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything was superb and I cannot recommend JIWE adventures highly enough.
We hiked Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho Route and then spent 4 days on safari afterwards. Edgar was highly professional and the trio was superb. He communicated quickly anss attended to every detail. The value was excellent. The cost was very reasonable and the guides were amazing - knowledgeable, safe, fun, encouraging. The food was quite good and the porters were helpful, fun, and kind. I highly recommend hiking Kilimanjaro and taking a Safari and 100% doing both with JIWE adventures. It was truly an extraordinary experience from beginning to end.
NL
Email Emma | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Thank you Jiwe adventures for a well-organized safari
We booked a 7 day Tanzania Camping Safari with Jiwe Adventures and had an amazing time! We saw lots of animals very close, especially the lions have been fascinating! Besides the animals, the best part was our driver and guide Chris! He is such an awesome guy who was with us the whole time. It was like a little family for the 7 days and we where lucky to have him as a guide! Thanks for the great experience best days and especially a big thanks to Chris for being so motivated and interested in his job and in us in person! We would always book a such well organized safari with Jiwe Adventures again!
CH
Email Ingrid | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A wonderful Tanzania safari experience
We went on a five day safari organized by Edgar from Jiwe adventures. We visited three parks in the north of Tanzania which are Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater with two nights in Serengeti. It was truly a wonderful safari full of fun and surprises at every turn. We had a very good guide (Nick) who is professional and loves his job, he has often told us that you have come here to enjoy your time and be happy, so when I see you happy, I feel proud. The lodges that Edgar chose for us while on the safari were beautiful with different styles and very good service. We had a nice safari vehicle with a top opening so we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery. We were lucky twice to see a lion hunting and killing a zebra at serengeti and a buffalo at Ngorongoro, it was a very amazing experience and I will never forget it. When we got back to the hotel, Edgar came to meet us and we went for dinner together. In fact, he is a very good person who listens and cares.
I highly recommend Jiwe adventures for anyone looking for the best safari experience in Tanzania.
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Email David | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Responsive and personal
I went on a 2 week trip that included a trek up Mt Meru and a safari (Tarangire, Serengeti, Manyara, and Eyasi) through JIWE. We were interested in booking through a local Tanzanian tour operator rather than a foreign run one.
This ended up working great as Edgar was very responsive and helpful both in the planning stages and then while we were visiting. He showed in person to pick us up from the airport, get feedback at the transition from trek to safari, and at various points along the way (like helping us get COVID testing). He was also very professional in dealing with some last minute airline flight cancellations and made my trip much less stressful.
The guides he picked for us for the trek and safari were both knowledgeable and very friendly, important when you are spending so much time with them.
Our Meru team of guides and porters we're great. We had multi course meals and lots of food. We didn't have any gastrointestinal issues like of the other tour groups on mountain. We reached the successfully and saw the beautiful sunrise over Kilimanjaro.
We saw all the big 5 on our safari and had the privilege of seeing a lion pride hunt and catch prey in the Serengeti. We were also continually impressed by how nice the lodges we were staying in were .
The trip was very smooth and I can't recommend JIWE enough.
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Email Ozzy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari with great people from Jiwe adventures
We recently came from a 5 day safari and we are 100% happy to recommend Jiwe adventures to anyone. We had the most amazing safari experience and it exceeded our expectations from start to finish. Edgar was quick to respond and very helpful when our travel plans changed so we didn’t miss any safari time. Peter was the best guide, we saw the big 5 and then some. Peter is very knowledgeable and great at what he does. Our chef George was also the best we did not expect the food to be so great. Having a hot meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner was amazing and unlike any other tour company.
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Email Kelly Scherbenske | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professional, accommodating and local experts
Owner, Edgar was very responsive to all questions and concerns from the moment I inquired about booking Kilimanjaro trek to the moment I left Tanzania after the trek. His team of guides, porters and chef were all top notch, hard working, fun and very helpful. I highly recommend this local adventure company. Great value - less expensive than most of the other companies.
EC
Email Bruno Rafael | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice time with Ben from Jiwe Adventures
We were on Safari and had an excellent time with our guide Ben at Tanzania. They are very friendly and professional. They both worked hard and did their best to help us with this extraordinary safari. Jiwe adventure team replied to our emails and messages promptly, which saved us a lot of time. He is very knowledgeable and answered our questions patiently. He picked us up in the early morning from the airport when we could still see stars! I highly recommend booking your safari directly through wildlife experience Tanzania. You will be in good hands. It was a trip of a lifetime!
IN
Email Akhil Bakshi | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A LIAR AND CHEAT
Below is my letter of complaint to Mr Viktor Ketansi of Tanzania National Park Authority against the fraud, cheating and lies perpetrated by Mr Edgar Sirikwa of Jiwe Adventures:
"Dear Mr. Ketansi,
I am an established explorer and author, Fellow of Explorers Club USA Fellow of Royal Geographical Society, and Editor of Indian Mountaineer. In 2006, when I was leading the Gondwanaland Expedition - a scientific mission and a 25,000km motoring adventure from Indian Himalaya to Cape Agulhus, the southernmost point of Africa, we were provided excellent support in Tanzania National Parks Authority and all our vehicles carried their logo during the course of the three-month expedition.
This is to bring to your kind attention fraud and deceit perpetrated by Mr. Edgar Sirikwa, proprietor of Jiwe Adventures in Moshi.
The facts of the matter are as below:
1. In 2016, I had engaged the services of Jiwe Adventures for my Kilimanjaro climb. As he had provided a reasonable service, I engaged them for my forthcoming visit to Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara with my wife.
2. Edgar agreed to provide the following services:
- pick-up from Arusha airport and drop off at Serena Manyara
- hotel booking at Serena Manyara for two nights
- half-day safari at Lake Manyara on Day 1
- full day safari at Lake Manyara on Day 2
- transfer to Serena Ngorongoro on Day 3
- hotel booking at Serena Ngorongoro for two nights
- half-day carter safari on Day 3
- full day crater safari on Day 4
- transfer to Moshi on Day 5
- hotel booking at Moshi for one night
- transfer to Kilimanjaro airport on Day 6
3. Edgar wrote that he would send me the hotel booking confirmations as soon as he received an advance of US$335.
4. The deposit amount was sent to his account by bank transfer in January 2018.
5. After confirming receipt of advance on January 18, Edgar stopped replying to my emails and to my Whatsapp messages. I finally called him, and he assured me that he would send the hotel vouchers within a day. However, nothing came.
6. After checking directly with Serena Hotels, I was informed that a booking had been made - but for the wrong dates. Edgar apologised for the mistake.
7. Since February 13 I had been writing to Edgar to confirm if the dates had been changed and a fresh booking made. He did not reply for a month!
8. On March 13, I sent him the following email:
Dear Edgar,
I called you three days ago and you promised to send me the hotel confirmation vouchers by the evening.
Further, you had said that the bookings were made under "Edgar".
Serena Hotels has already confirmed that there are no bookings under that name.
I have forwarded you their email.
As I feel that I am being deceived by you for a long time, I am CANCELLING my visit.
I do not get a good feeling about this - and due to this sad and frustrating experience have no desire to visit Tanzania.
You are requested to kindly return the advance of US$ 335 that I transferred to your bank and acknowledged by you.
Incidentally, after receiving the advance you have not replied to a single mail of mine - I must have sent you over twenty of them. You answered the four phone calls I made to you and each time you promised to email the hotel confirmation vouchers. Sadly, you never kept your word. And, moreover, never made the hotel bookings.
In view of the above, please transfer the amount of $335 to my bank.
Look forward to your early action."
Threatened with cancellation, Edgar replied saying everything will be ok and I should not worry.
9. Meanwhile, Serena Ngorongoro was full on the days we wanted. Edgar suggested, on March 15, we revise our itinerary and first visit Ngorongoro and then Manyara. I agreed. However, he did not send any hotel vouchers - but assured on phone that everything was done.
10. Another couple - Mr and Mrs Ravinder Jain wanted to join us on the trip and transferred US$ 330 to Jiwe Adventures as advance deposit. The payslip conforming transfer of funds was emailed to Edgar on March 30.
11. On March 31, Edgar informs me that we can only do one full day crater drive!!! I sent him copies of his emails of January 15 and March 15 - in which he had confirmed one-half-day and one full day crater drive. That is how the tour was priced. Now he was not honouring his agreement.
12. On April 4, Edgar sends me a Whatsapp saying that since Serena Ngorongoro is full, he will book us at Sopa Lodge - to which I agreed. He said that Sopa had been booked. When I checked directly with Sopa, they said NO booking had been made.
13. On April 12, Edgar Whatsapps me saying Sopa is fully booked and he will now book us in Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge. I checked with Sopa again and Ms Innocent confirmed that they had rooms available for the days we wanted. Again and again, Edgar had been lying to me, misleading me.
14. The same day I wrote to Edgar saying that it seemed beyond him to make the hotel bookings for us - so I offered to make the hotel bookings myself directly with the hotels - and he should provide only the ground services - and we would adjust the deposit paid to him against that. Edgar agreed to this proposal.
15. Accordingly, I made the bookings directly with Serena Manyara and Sopa Ngorongoro.
16. Between April 13-26, Edgar again did not respond to my emails and text messages.
17. On April 27, he again texted that we would go down into the crater only once - again retracting on his agreement.
18. As he had been consistently lying, misleading me, not keeping his words or honouring the agreement - I felt uncomfortable dealing with him and informed him on April 28 that I did not wish to deal with him and he should return the deposit amount totalling US$665.
19. Edgar kept insisting through Whatsapp messages that he will provide the services and see us at the Arusha airport on May 26.
20. My last email to him was on May 4:
Dear Edgar,
As I have cancelled the arrangements with you, as you have not adhered to our agreement and have been consistently misleading me about the arrangements, you are requested to kindly refund the deposit amount of US$ 635 paid by Mr Ravinder Jain and me. This amount may kindly be handed over to Mr. Donald (Tel: 78*****81).
If this is not done in the next three days.ie. by Monday, May 7, 2018, I will be reporting the matter to Mr. Victor Ketansi at the Tanzania National Park Authority.
I look forward to your early and positive response.
Best wishes.
21. He has not responded after this. Meanwhile, I have arranged with Mr Donald of Friendship Adventures to provide the ground services.
In view of the above, Tanzania National Parks Authority may like to take appropriate action against Jiwe Adventures and assist me in getting the deposit amount back, so I can pay Friendship Adventures.
Mr Edgar Sirikwa's mobile number is: +255 75***1075
Many thanks and regards.
IR
Email Mehdi Garmipour | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most powerful and exciting experience- Marangu route Kili climb,Lake Manyara & Ngorongoro Crater
The climb team with God Luck and Jakson as a guide were very professional and his smart advises helped to all of us to climb to the top and make the dream come true.
during our climbing to the Kilimanjaro we enjoyed perfect service from Jiwe Adventures, our guide and his porters crew, all meals were served and the food was great. the porters support us through out all the difficulties of the climbing.
Kilimanjaro climbing and after that 2-days safari( Ngoronoro crater an Lake Manyara) were very well organized. Instructors and company managers were very friendly. Everything worked well. Thanks to Edgar(Managing of Jiwe Adventures), it was a great, unforgettable tour.
