Newsletter - December, 2011

Wednesday 7th December 2011 7:44am

December, 2011

Connect with us

Rickshaw Travels wishes you all a very Happy Holiday Season and a New Year filled with promise and good fortune. *"To all our associates and clients, we appreciate your business and at a time when we all think about how grateful we should be, we are grateful to all of you."* With the holiday season upon us, avoid the hassle of trying to book your trip on your own. Our tour consultants are there to guide you and work with you to arrange your travels to meet your budget. Give us a call. Some sample options are noted below.

What's New
East Africa's leading hotel chain Tourism Promotion Services (TPS), Serena Hotels, has acquired Movenpick Royal Palm Hotel. As of December 1, the hotel has been rebranded Dar es Salaam Serena. For many years now, Rickshaw Travels has had a branch at this location and we look forward to working with the new management. How ironic is it that one of our tour consultants, Ms. Fouzia Raja, who works at the Rickshaw branch at Dar es salaam Serena, recently won World Class Tickets from British Airways on an online contest held by them. Her brief, but descriptive sentence was just what BA wanted to know about Luxury. Smart move Fouzia, for connecting Luxury with flying BA! Congratulations. Question from BA was - WHAT DOES LUXURY MEAN TO YOU? "For me Luxury in flight means: comfortable seats where you can sleep if it is a night flight, tasty and healthy food, good service, polite, smiling and presentable crew." Written by Fouzia Raja, Tanzania

7 November, 2011
(Ngorongoro/Serengeti Safari)

A big 'thank you' to you Deepak and anyone else involved in preparing our safari trip! It was excellent!! All of us had a good time. We were a bit anxious coz of Aryeh's health but thankfully things fell at its place and to our favour. Many thanks to Deepak for getting me the medicine and the pillows. Really appreciate his kind gesture. I have given the money for the medicine to Bonaphace to be handed over to Deepak. Bonaphace was our superstar!! He was so good, we managed to see so much - all thanks to him. We are on our way home from znz. I will try and send you a few of the snaps we took. We loved the Sopa at Ngorongoro and we hope to do that once more ... Thanks again.

Cheers, Remya

Want to have your say? Send your feedback to info@rickshawtravels.com

Cultural Tourism Programs

So what is Cultural Tourism? To put it simply, Cultural Tourism is an exchange. It’s an opportunity for one culture to see another culture in its natural environment. By witnessing other people’s lifestyles and making comparisons with our own, we often find that there is a lot we can learn from each other and that no culture is better than another. However, as visitors, you also have to become hosts to truly “exchange” cultures. So unless this actually happens, Cultural Tourism will be a oneway street. Many organizations offer visitors an opportunity to view the cultures of the local inhabitants of the host countries. The visitor sees the environment, the food, art, music and dance. He or she can see first hand the lifestyle, the hurdles and challenges that creates the culture. With a good tour guide the visitor gets to know about the history, the religion, belief and values and how they have influenced culture. If fortunate, the visitors might witness some of the festivities and celebrations of the host community.

Rickshaw Travels would like to introduce you to one such visit to a village called Mulala, near Arusha.

Did you know?

AFRICA'S WESTERN BLACK RHINO DECLARED EXTINCT		PAVING THE WAY FOR TRAVELLERS WITH DISABILITIES

No wild black rhinos remain in West Africa, according to the latest global assessment of threatened species.The Red List, drawn up by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has declared the subspecies extinct. A subspecies of white rhino in central Africa is also listed as possibly extinct, the organisation says.		Travel by people with disabilities, also known as "disabled travel" or "accessible travel," is on the rise. The travel industry is waking up to disabled travelers' special needs by providing more services and greater accommodation. Meanwhile, the sheer abundance of information on accessible travel is astounding — much of it generated by disabled travelers themselves.


PLAY GOLF IN AFRICA		CANOPY WALK IN NYUNGWE FOREST, RWANDA

Africa is not all about the wild and exotic safaris. Did you know that Africa has some of the world's most beautiful golf courses? Surprised? If you're a golf junkie, like many of us are, then check out some of our African destinations for golf. Nairobi, Kenya – Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club For all golf enthusiasts, Windsor offers a challenging but pleasant 18 Hole championship golf course. This undoubtedly is one of the best golf courses in Kenya. It threads its way through coffee farms and indigenous forests with high and low terrain, giving it character and design quality.		The forest has 13 rare primate species, the world's largest ever recorded arboreal troop of black/white colobus monkeys, over 300 species of birds and 100 types of orchid. Nyungwe Forest and chimpanzee tracking is the ideal compliment to any gorilla safari. The Canopy Walkway is 40 meters above the ground level, and 90 meters long, above a steep, deep valley, offering clients an eye level view of the birds and monkeys found in the upper scales of the forest. If you would like to go on this adventure, contact us at rwanda@rickshawtravels.com

Holiday Specials

2 NIGHTS SERENGETI SAFARI – SERENA LODGE, TANZANIA
"Serengeti" means endless plain in the Maasai language and within its boundaries are more than Three Million large mammals from over more than 35 species and over 300 species of birds. The Serengeti is Africa's most famous park. Renowned for the two million strong wildebeest 'Great Migration' and incredible concentrations of predators, the Serengeti is a park that guarantees an exceptional safari.

From USD 1432 Per Person Sharing

Valid: 03 January 2012 – 28 February 2012

BLUEBAY BEACH RESORT & SPA, ZANZIBAR - TANZANIA

Stay 7 nights /Pay 6 Nights

The Bluebay Beach Resort & Spa is located on the east coast of the Zanzibar Island, in an area known as Kiwengwa. The Zanzibar Island lies 35 KM off the eastern coast of Africa and is one of the two main islands of an autonomous state within the larger republic of Tanzania.

From USD 959 Per Person Sharing	Valid 05 December 2011 – 21 December 2011
From USD 1039 Per Person Sharing	Valid 06 January 2012 – 31 March 2012

STAY 7 NIGHTS /PAY 5 NIGHTS – ESSQUE ZALU, ZANZIBAR
Essque Zalu Zanzibar is a brand new 5 star boutique resort, that opened its doors for business on 15th June 2011 and located on Zanzibar's spectacular north-eastern coastline, Nungwi.

From USD 1159 Per Person Sharing	Valid: 05 December 2011 – 21 December 2011
From USD 1449 Per Person Sharing	Valid: 06 January 2012 – 31 March 2012

AYURVEDA – KADAVU RESORT – KERALA, INDIA

KADAVU RESORTS, a luxurious Resort and business hotel is located in a sprawling 9 acre plot along the side of the backwaters, a charming location with groves of swaying, graceful coconut palms facing the lovely backwaters.

7 Nights Single USD 1909 / Twin USD 1213

14 Nights Single USD 3414 / Twin USD 2336

Valid: 01 December 2011 - 31 March 2012

ATUA-ENKOP TENTED CAMP SAFARIS- FLYING PACKAGES, KENYA

Best of both sites, the luxurious but intimate Tipilikwani camps overlook the vastness of the Masai Mara plains from the banks of River Talek, while the Mara Ngenche has a view of Mara and Talek rivers merging which is home to a huge population of hippo and crocodiles.

2 Nights in Luxury Tents
US 915 per adult sharing (Tipilikwani Mara Camp)
US 1145 per adult sharing (Mara Ngenche Safari Camp)

Valid 23 Decemeber 2011 – 02 January 2012

SELOUS, TANZANIA - AMARA LUXURY CAMP- STAY 4 NIGHTS /PAY 3 NIGHTS

Situated in the heart of Southern Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve, Amara brings a whole new meaning to luxury accommodation in the heart of the African bush. Great effort has been made to ensure that Amara reflects the colours and mood of the Selous, balancing it with its wild and unblemished environment.

From USD 2469 Per Person Sharing

Valid: 06 January 2012 – 31 March 2012

EXCITING 6-DAY TOUR OF CAPE TOWN & ADDO ELEPHANT NATIONAL PARK -
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Cape Town is one of the top holiday destinations in the world. Visits sites in and around Cape Town, including Table Mountain, the Winelands, drive around the Atlantic Coast – along to Cape of Good Hope. Fly to Port Elizabeth for Game Drive at Addo Elephant National Park and stay at Kuzuko Lodge.

USD 1245 per person sharing a double

THE BLUE TRAIN & IVORY TREE LODGE - PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA

This luxury train ride takes you along some of the most spectacular landscapes and visit interesting tourist attractions along the way. Also enjoy a stay at the Ivory Tree Game Lodge which includes a game drive.

2 nights/3 days
USD 1645 per person sharing
Valid: 29 December 2011 - 01 January 2012

CAMP KUZUMA – BOTSWANA, AFRICA
In Botswana, Camp Kuzuma is located overlooking a water hole and open plains of the Kazumu Pans with an area space of 35 000 hectares. The diversity of vegetation ranges from open savannah grasslands to thick Mopane Woodlands with Ilala Palms.

USD 360 per person per night sharing, USD 525 per single

Valid: 01 December 2011 – 31 May 2012