Rickshaw Travels American Express® Travel Services

The Power of Partnership - American Express® operates one of the world’s largest travel agency networks with locations in over 140 countries worldwide. With Business Travel clients globally, American Express® Global Business Travel is dedicated to powering global commerce as the world’s most trusted travel partner, helping customers realize the greatest value from their investments in travel through its comprehensive network, absolute dependability and deepest insight.

Rickshaw Travels has been a proud Partner with American Express® for over 22 years and is a key Partner within the American Express Travel Partner Africa Network. 

This partnership combines the global strength of American Express Business Travel with the local knowledge of this region’s Travel Network Partners to deliver premium value and provide a globally consistent high quality of service and advice to our clients.

Through our relationship we can optimize our unique brand of service including association with an established brand, industry expertise, and global experience and scale. Working together as one Network, we deepen our relationship by differentiating our businesses from our competitors, attract new customers to our unique offering and deliver consistent servicing worldwide.

September is the beginning of Spring in South Africa. There’s excitement in the air as nature comes alive and days get warmer. The Cape Floral Region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising 8 protected areas, has 8,500 plant species, 70% of which occur nowhere else in the world. 

During spring, from September to mid-October, the dry semi-arid regions of the Northern Cape come alive with millions of flowers that carpet the landscape. Many South Africans flock to Namaqualand at this time of year to see the Namaqualand daisies. There are popular flower shows in the Cape and shoes in Caldeon, Darling and Clanwilliam.

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Routes Africa officially handed over to Uganda - After a successful Routes Africa, the joint hosts of the 2012 event, the Seychelles Tourism Board and the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), have officially handed over the event to the Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda, and their main airport, Entebbe International, who will be the host destination and main airport of Routes Africa 2013.

The 8th Routes Africa will take place in July 2013 and Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, as it is commonly positioned, has a fast-growing tourism sector with an annual growth rate of 21 percent on average, contributing 24 percent of the total foreign exchange earnings. Domestic tourism has grown by 50 percent over the past 10 years.

The region has 6.8 percent of the world’s butterfly species, 10.2 percent of bird species, 7.8 percent of world mammals, and 53 percent of the mountain gorilla population, the animal that is closest to man. Uganda is also the source of the longest river on the continent and the world - the River Nile, with the most electrifying rafting opportunity on Earth. Uganda is an investment destination especially after the discovery of oil in Uganda. This has greatly boosted passenger volumes through Entebbe International Airport.

Ikea has cornered the market for stylish yet affordable furniture, and sells a killer meatball.  Now the Swedish home furnishing giant is getting into the hotel business.

According to the Financial Times, Ikea is planning to open 100 "budget design" hotels in Europe.

"We will announce within weeks the first location for our budget hotel in Germany and are in talks with hotel operators to rapidly implement our concept," Harald Múller, a project manager at Inter Ikea-- the company that owns the IKEA brand and concept.

In case you're wondering if guests will be sleeping on its popular Edland bed, according to reports, the 100 hotels will not feature IKEA's do-it-yourself furniture or its brand name, and is simply an investment for the company.

Austerity-hit business and leisure travelers are demanding stylish yet affordable rooms, according to Muller, a need the company will try to fill.

Reuters reports that the company is buying sites for future hotels in Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Britain and Eastern European countries like Poland.

British Airways is launching a new route to Sri Lanka from Gatwick next year. The three-times-a-week service to the capital city Colombo will start on March 31, 2013 and will be operated by a Boeing 777 with three cabins including Club World with fully flat beds. Flights go on sale today and will operate via Male in the Maldives. Silla Maizey, British Airways managing director Gatwick, said: “This is such an exciting new route for us. The UK has the second largest number of tourists visiting the island after India so it’s a fantastic opportunity for them to fly there with British Airways from Gatwick.

“Sri Lanka has so much to offer visitors from beach, spa or adventure holidays, to cultural, wildlife and nature breaks.” Customers flying to Colombo will travel through British Airways’ dedicated check-in area at Gatwick North Terminal, where new technology allows them to check-in faster and enjoy more time relaxing before their flight.

UGANDA - 17 - 19 September - The Annual Bayimba International Festival of Music and Arts is a vibrant platform to celebrate the power of Music and Arts in Uganda. It takes place annually and invites international musicians and artists to participate in the events of the festival, which began in 2008 at the behest of the Bayimba Cultural Foundation. The Foundation intends to create and promote an indigenous art and music industry in Uganda. The festival helps cultivate this effort. The festival lasts three days in September and features live. Photo courtesy bayimba.org

ETHIOPIA - September - Meskel is an old Christian festival that has been celebrated in Ethiopia for over 1600 years. It commemorates the discovery of the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. Some pieces of the cross are thought to have been brought to Ethiopia, hence the celebrations. In Maskal square, in Addis Ababa, a colorful procession of priests, deacons and choir singers walk around a huge pyre, bearing ceremonial crosses and wooden torches decorated with olive leaves. The torch-bearers move forward in unison to set alight the slender pyramid-shaped structure, topped with a cross made from daisies. The next day people go to the bonfire and use the ash make the sign of the cross on their foreheads. Photo courtesy johnadowney2.

SOUTH AFRICA is blooming with spring and the southern right whales are cruising the coastline. If you head out to Hermanus, you can enjoy their annual whale festival (September 26 - October 2). Further north, the fourth Jo'burg Art Fair will take place on September 7 - 9  (2012). This wonderful art fair showcases some of the best contemporary art being created in Africa, and you can buy it! Photo courtesy whalefestival.co.za

INDIA HAS MORE THAN THE TAJ MAHAL

We’ve all heard the saying “Incredible India” and we all know India is famous for the Taj Mahal, which monument brings in millions of visitors, more local than overseas, but it does attract a fair amount of overseas tourists, around 200,000 a year according to the official website of the Taj Mahal.

So if you’ve already done the Taj visit, what else can India offer a traveler who wants to sidestep a visit to Agra.

Reed Travel Exhibitions is launching the first luxury travel event to focus exclusively on Africa - ILTM Africa. Taking place in Cape Town, April 2013, the event will follow ILTM’s successful format of selecting the most discerning luxury travel agents and specialists to meet directly with Africa’s diverse range of luxury travel suppliers.

Whilst the product will be totally devoted to Africa, buyers will come from it’s biggest markets around the world including USA, Brazil and Europe.

Spring Time in Capetown - 4 Days

From USD 185* - per person sharing Valid 30 September, 2012

Cosmopolitan hub of Africa with multitude of activities Flowers Galore, Whale Watching, Garden Route, Wine Tours. Choice of hotels from Bronze to Platinum Standard Includes: Return transfers from Airport to Hotel Accommodation at your choice of hotel Daily Breakfast book online

Safari + Beach Holiday, Kenya - 3 Nights

Enjoy Shimba Lodge Hospitality, game viewing and a walk to Shedrick Falls. Relax at Mombasa Continental Resort at Shanzu Beach Includes: 1 night at Shimba Lodge on Full Board 2 nights at Mombasa Continental Resort on Half Board Shedrick Falls Walk Morning Game Drive Park Fees at Shimba book online

USD 856 * per double (non residents) KES 53,000 * per double (residents) Valid 20 December 2012

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe - 2 Nights

From USD 235* pp sharing at The Kingdom Hotel From USD 320* pp sharing at A’Zambezi River Lodge Valid till end of 2012

Experience the Thunder of Victoria Falls Includes: Return scheduled transfers between hotel & airport Standard Room- Bed & Breakfast Additional Tours: Falls Tour USD 55, Sunset Cruise USD 55 book online | read more

Fundu Lagoon - Pemba Island, Tanzania

Situated on Pemba Island, lapped by the waters of the Indian Ocean and bathed in African sunlight, Fundu Lagoon is a remote and peaceful resort only accessible by boat. Includes: Selection of wines, spirits, beer, etc. Full English breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner Unguided mangrove canoe safaris, dhow sunset cruise, shore based snorkeling, Windsurfing, kayaking and more. Laundry service. book online

USD 435* per person per night* Valid 31 October, 2012

Kuala Lumpur & Genting Theme Park, Malaysia - 7 Days

From USD 350* per person sharing Valid 31 October 2012

Kuala Lumpur is a mix of old and new with historic mosques and temples blending in with space-age towers and shopping malls.  The Genting Highlands is a resort comprising hotels, casinos and a theme park in Pahang, perched on the peak of Gunung Ulu Kali Mountain. Includes: 2 Nights at Genting Highland 4 Nights at Grand Continental, Kuala Lumpur Half day Kuala Lumpur City Tour Full day Genting outdoor theme park & rides Transfers from/to Hotels & Airport All local taxes & service charges book online

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