Low Fare Africa

Karell Travel is constantly searching for ways to improve our clients’ booking experience. To that end we adopted a new online payment authorization system for clients purchasing travel arrangements.

No more printing tedious forms and searching high and low for a fax machine. With our new technology partner Docusign, paying for your ticket is now a fast, convenient, and most importantly,  secure online process. Give us a call and ask your agent for more information.

1 800 327 0373

air@karell.com

By now we have all seen the tragic images coming out of Haiti as a result of the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake that struck on Tuesday. Haiti and its people need the world’s support now more than ever as they begin the process of recovery.

If you want to make a quick and easy donation to the relief effort in Haiti, you can do the following:

To donate $10 through the Red Cross, text the word HAITI to 90999. The charge will be added to your phone bill.

To donate $5 through Wycleaf Jean’s Yele Haiti non-profit, text the world  YELE to 501501. The charge will be added to your phone bill.

http://www.redcross.org/

http://www.yele.org/

Don’t miss out on some great fares expiring Jan 25th, valid for large chunks of 2010. Call 800 327 0373 or email air@karell.com today

Click to Enlarge

Don’t miss out on some great fares expiring tomorrow Jan 6, valid for large chunks of 2010. Call 800 327 0373 or email air@karell.com today

Click to Enlarge

On Thursday, September 17th Karell owner and chairman Norman Pieters appeared on NBC’s South Florida Today alongside Dave van Smeerdijk of Wilderness Safaris to discuss Africa as as a travel destination, the effect of the economy on travel prices, and more. Check out the footage below.

Karell Travel chairman and owner Norman Pieters has once again been named to Travel and Leisure Magazine’s prestigious  A List 2009. After evaluating thousands of travel agents, the T + L staff whittled down their list to the 129 best of the best.

From travelandleisure.com:

We know what you’re thinking: with flights and hotels just a click away, it’s never been easier to plan your own trip. But at a moment when your time and money matter more than ever, a trusted expert can take all the hassle out of travel planning—whether you’re looking to snag that seat on a sold-out flight, book that elusive corner room with a view, map out a complicated itinerary, or secure the best guides, upgrades, and (yes!) deals. T+L has evaluated thousands of agents to come up with this highly selective list of the best in the business.

For information on how you can consult with Norman on an African Safari, call 1 800 327 0373 or email info@karell.com

Karell Travel has partnered with Florida International University’s Department of Africa and African Diaspora Studies to create an annual travel grant that will allow a deserving graduate student the opportunity to travel to Africa in furtherance of their studies.

 
 
 
 
 
 
From the official press release:

FIU’s African & African Diaspora Studies Program (AADS) has just received a generous gift from Norman and Craig Pieters of Karell’s African Dream Vacations to fund academic travel to Africa. The Pieters, South African expatriates, operate a family-owned travel agency that specializes in travel to the African continent.

AADS offers a graduate certificate, and a graduate program, including an M.A. in AADS along with a combined M.A. in AADS/Ph.D in Global & Sociocultural Studies (Anthropology, Geography, and Sociology), and a combined M.A. in AADS/Ph.D in International Relations. Both AADS graduate students and faculty frequently travel to Africa for research, fieldwork, teaching, or academic conferences. Such travel is expensive, and African academic institutions have limited resources.

The Karell Grant will help make Africa-bound academic travel possible for AADS M.A. students and faculty.  As Craig Pieters notes, “the mission of the African and Africa Diaspora Studies Program is one with which we identified immediately. Through this grant we hope to, in our small way, contribute to that mission by assisting a worthy student or scholar in traveling to Africa in furtherance of their studies.”

The three-year gift provides one round-trip ticket from Miami to any point in Africa per year.  Each year, an AADS committee will select the winner from a pool of competitive proposals. A call for such proposals will go out shortly.

SabiSabi Private Game Reserve has just been named the 7th best hotel in the world by Travel + Leisure Magazine. Check out their official press release:

Travel + Leisure Magazine has just completed its 2009 Worlds Best Service Awards, asking its readers to nominate destinations around the globe that “really deliver”. The results were published in the magazine’s June edition, and Sabi Sabi is honoured to have been voted as 7th best hotel overall in the world, the only South African establishment in the World’s Top Ten category. In the regional category Sabi Sabi was voted 2nd best on the African continent.

A measure of any hotel’s success is the number of repeat visitors that come through its doors. Ask Sabi Sabi’s returning guests why they come back again and again, and the answer will be, “for the unforgettable experience made all the more memorable by the warmth and hospitality of the staff.”
In its 30 years of existence, Sabi Sabi has become renowned for succesfully balancing luxury and world class safaris, with genuine African warmth and hospitality – inviting guests to enjoy a personalised home in the bush experience. The caring management and staff play an integral part in the overall Sabi Sabi experience, offering superb service that complements the 5-Star accommodation, exciting Big 5 open Land Rover safaris and superb cuisine.

Marketing director, Jacques Smit attributes this international recognition to several factors: “People form the heart of our business. The majority of our team hail from nearby villages and they have an inherent connection with the reserve. They bring a special brand of African hospitality to our lodges that makes guests feel instantly at home.

We have also made significant investments in recent years to ensure that our lodges are on a par with the best in the world. We are especially proud that this accolade is being awarded on our 30th anniversary and thank the readers of Travel + Leisure for their stamp of approval.”

Congratulations to SabiSabi on this momentous achievement.

Cape Town’s beautiful Twelve Apostles has announced a series of refurbishments aimed at enhancing the facilities and aesthetics of the property as well as the overall guest experience.

Rooms

A number of rooms of the hotel will undergo soft decor refurbishments, offering guests even more comfort and luxury. All rooms will be completed per floor or block, thus ensuring guests are allocated accommodations well away from the work in progress. In addition, all guest bathrooms will also be upgraded complimenting the newly refurbished rooms.

The Cafe

The Cafe will be undergoing extensive refurbishments in June and July. As a result of this work the Cafe will be closed for the months of June and July. Guests will be accommodated for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the fine-dining Azure Restaurant, which boasts panoramic Atlantic views, faultless service and elegant style. Alternatively, guests can unwind at the stunningly refurbished Leopard Room Bar and Lounge and enjoy light snacks, salads and sandwiches.

Sanctuary Spa Refurbishment and Closure

The award winning Sanctuary Spa will be closed for a week from the 29th of June 2009 to the 5th of July 2009 inclusive for a soft refurbishment and annual maintenance. Hotel guests can still have treatments in their room and in the outdoor gazebos during the scheduled closure and the list of treatments is available on request. We apologise for the inconvenience however the closure is required to maintain the pristine condition and service standards for which the Sanctuary Spa is known.