13 Days: Rovos + Cape Town + Victoria Falls + Chobe

Welcome to African Selection Travel!

Our inspired travel specialists are ready to turn your Southern Africa vacation dreams and ideas into reality.

Our talented and enthusiastic experts will take time to plan and package a competitively priced and seamless vacation - from start to finish.

We can take care of all your accommodation reservations, transfer bookings, sight-seeing arrangements and regional flights. This will save you time and probably money too! Our personalised and informative digital travel documents are interactive and accessible on any web browser.

We Offer:

• Rovos Rail and Blue Train Ticket Reservations
• Pre- and Post-Train Travel Services
• Safari Packages
• Hotel and Safari Lodge Reservations
• Transfers and Chauffeur Services
• Tours and Excursions
• Self-Drive or Guided Packages
• Regional Flights

Your Benefits:

• ​One point of contact for all reservations
• Interactive digital travel documentation
• Expert advice
• Tailor-made safaris
• Saving you time, effort and money
• Seamless travel programmes
• Detailed Itineraries
• No hidden costs
• We use reputable lodges and operators

Contact us on 021 553 4949 or email: info@rcjm.co.za

AGREEMENT
Your contract is with African Selection Travel (Pty) Ltd. (‘AST’, ‘we’, ‘us’ ‘our’), including products and services offered under our associated brands ‘Train Safaris’ and ‘African Selection’, registered in South Africa under company number 2022/642628/07. In these booking conditions, 'you' and 'your' means all persons named on the booking, or any of them as applicable (including anyone who is added or substituted at a later date). References to “departure date” means the start date of the holiday arrangements you have booked with us.
 
The following conditions, together with our privacy policy, the relevant information as set out on our websites www.luxurytrains.co.za, www.trainsafaris.com and www.botswana-safaris.com and any other written information and correspondence which we brought to your attention before we confirmed your booking, will form the basis of your contract with AST. Please read all the communication and these conditions carefully before you book and commit. AST only acts as Agent between you and the principal service providers (i.e. Accommodation, Railways, Tour operators, Airlines etc.). By making a booking, you agree on behalf of all the persons detailed on the booking that you have read these Booking Conditions together with the correspondence between you and us, and that you have full authority to act on behalf of these persons and that you agree to be bound by them. Furthermore, you are giving your consent that we may use the information of all the participants’ personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy and that you are authorised on behalf of all persons named on the booking to disclose their personal details to us, including where applicable, the full names, passport information, special dietary requests, health information, next of kin contact details and any other personal information that we necessarily may request from you. As your Agent we take great care of keeping all your personal information secure and confidential. You further agree that you are over 18 years of age and where placing a booking for services with age restrictions you declare that you and all members of your party are of the appropriate age to participate in such services. You herewith accept financial responsibility for payment of the booking on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking.

BOOKING PROCESS
We are taking great care in planning, selecting and arranging your travel services. It is our aim to provide the right holiday to suit your requirements. In general we follow the following booking process:

1. Through correspondence we will analyse your needs and prepare a travel proposal with costing accordingly
2. Once you are satisfied with our proposal we will where possible book all your travel services on a provisional basis. Depending on the selected service providers, provisional reservations can only be held for a limited time and will have to be confirmed or released at the request of the service provider. No deposit is required at this stage.
3. Having finished the process of provisionally booking your travel services we will issue you with an invoice for a deposit payment, or the full payment if your travel services start within 9 weeks of making a booking. We will also invoice you for the full pre-payment of any flights included in your proposal. As we cannot hold any flight booking on a provisional basis, the cost of these flights remain subject to change and availability until the airline receives full payment. 
4. Upon receipt of your deposit / final payment we will secure all the proposed travel arrangements. At this point you will be liable for any cancellation fees or charges relating to changes made to your Booking.
5. A full range of travel documents will be issued once all the bookings have been secured. The travel documents will include your final itinerary, reservation details, airline confirmations, travel vouchers where necessary, service provider contact details and any other relevant information pertaining to your Booking. All documents will be sent via email or link to an online source.

 
PRICING AND QUOTES
We believe that the information given and prices quoted are correct. However errors and omissions can occur and errors and omissions which are beyond our reasonable control are herewith excluded. We reserve the right to alter the prices shown in our marketing material or on our website. All prices and quotes are subject to change and availability at the time of final booking. It is therefore important that you enquire the most recent prices from our offices when confirming a reservation. We reserve the right to increase prices in the case of increases in general and/or public tariffs, or in the case of unexpected price increases beyond our control which are forced on us by service providers and hotels used for your itinerary. You will be notified of such increase and/or fluctuation as soon as possible and AST will do its best to obtain your authorisation before commencing with the final booking of your travel services. AST reserves the right to notify you of any increase in the brochure or advertised prices before accepting your booking. While we do our utmost to avoid such a scenario, due to human or computer error there may on occasion be an incorrect price shown in a brochure, online website or as part of our correspondence with you. When we become aware of any such error, we will endeavour to notify you at the time of booking (if we are then aware of the mistake) or within 7 days of the time of booking, or as soon as reasonably possible.
 
Included in our pricing:
All individually specified and stated travel services, accommodation, tours, transfers, transport, entry fees and meals.
 
Excluded from our pricing:
Passport and Visa Fees, sightseeing tours except where specified, gratuities, personal expenditure, certain park entry fees, park gate fees, river usage fees, government levies or taxes introduced after your booking confirmation, travel insurance.
 
PAYMENTS
Payments have to reach us on or before the stipulated payment and deposit dates on your invoice. Bank account details are provided on our invoice. We also accept Master Card, Visa Card and American Express. A 2% administration surcharge is payable on all credit card transactions. All credit card payments are done via secure credit card payment links generated by our bank. We will not ask for, or see your credit card details at any stage.
 
Certain travel arrangements have to be settled in US$ in which case we reserve the right to invoice you in US$ for such services. US$ payments can be transferred to our US$ bank account or can be paid via a secure credit card payment link. Credit card payments for US$ invoiced services will be converted to South African Rand (ZAR) at a rate issued by our bank on the day the secure link is generated. If your bank account is based on US$ there may be a discrepancy in the actual amount charged and the amount shown on your statement. This is due to the fact that the currency conversion rates between the banks and the timing of your transaction may differ.
 
PAYMENT SCHEDULES
General Travel Services (Accommodation, Transfers and Tours):
The following non-refundable deposits / incremental payments are due when confirming a booking:
More than 9 weeks prior to departure: 25%
Less than 9 weeks prior to departure: 100%
We reserve the right to apply more stringent payment terms should the service providers require so, or if the booking is for a group. We will inform you at the time of Booking should more stringent payment terms apply.
 
Airline Tickets:
All airline tickets have to be pre-paid in full when making a booking.
 
Rovos Rail Individual Bookings:
 
Cape Town / Victoria Falls / Durban Journeys 
The following non-refundable deposits / incremental payments are due when confirming a booking:
More than 9 weeks prior to departure: 25%
Less than 9 weeks prior to departure: 100%
 
Golf Safari / African Collage / Namibia / Dar Es Salaam / Lobito journeys
The following non-refundable deposits / incremental payments are due when confirming a booking:
More than 13 weeks prior to departure: 10%
Between 13 and 9 weeks prior to departure: 25%
Between 9 weeks and 5 weeks prior to departure: 50%
Less than 5 weeks prior to departure: 100%
 
Rovos Rail Group Bookings of 10 or more guests:
 
Cape Town / Victoria Falls / Durban Journeys
The following non-refundable deposits / incremental payments are due when confirming a booking:
More than 26 weeks prior to departure: 10%
Between 26 weeks and 9 weeks prior to departure: 20%
Less than 9 weeks prior to departure: 100%
 
Golf Safari / African Collage / Namibia / Dar Es Salaam / Lobito journeys
The following non-refundable deposits / incremental payments are due when confirming a booking:
More than 52 weeks prior to departure: 10%
Between 52 weeks and 26 weeks prior to departure: 30%
Between 26 weeks and 9 weeks prior to departure: 50%
Less than 9 weeks prior to departure: 100%
 
Blue Train Individual Bookings
The following non-refundable deposits / incremental payments are due when confirming a booking:
More than 9 weeks prior to departure: 25%
Less than 9 weeks prior to departure: 100%
 
Blue Train Group Bookings of 5 ore more suites 
The following non-refundable deposits / incremental payments are due when confirming a booking:
More than 26 weeks prior to departure: 25%
Between 26 weeks and 9 weeks prior to departure: 50%
Less than 9 weeks prior to departure: 100%
 
CHANGES, AMENDMENTS AND CANCELLATION CHARGES / PENALTIES
 
AST will make every effort to assist you if you wish to alter or cancel your arrangements after you have confirmed your Booking with us.
 
Changes and Amendments to your Booking are subject to an amendment charge of R500 per Booking in addition to any cancellation or changing penalties levied by the respective service providers according to their terms and conditions.
 
Cancellations to confirmed bookings must be done in writing to AST, sent via email by the person who made the initial payment. Cancellations are effective on the day we confirm to you that we have received your cancellation request, especially where such a request is received outside of our normal business hours.
 
The following cancellation charges / penalties / changing fees indicated as a percentage of the total cost of all travel services we have booked on your behalf, will be payable to AST:
 

1. Cancellation of General Travel Services (Accommodation, Transfers and Tours):
   More than 9 weeks prior to departure: 25%
   Between 9 and 7 weeks prior to departure: 30%
   Between 7 weeks and 4 weeks to departure: 60%
   Less than 4 weeks’ notice: 100%
2. Cancellation of Rovos Rail and Blue Train Bookings
   The cancellation charges will calculated on the same percentages as set out under the above mentioned deposit / incremental Payment Schedules. 
3. Airline Ticket cancellation and changes may incur up to a 100% cancellation charge in respect of any changes or cancelations. Additional cost may be incurred on changes where the original fare or booking class quoted / booked is no longer available.
4. Partial Booking Cancellation Fees may apply when a person in your group cancels or leaves a journey and may result in additional costs to the remaining participants. 
5. Amendments and changes: Certain arrangements and travel services may not be amended or changed after they have been confirmed and any amendment or change to a confirmed travel service may incur a cancellation / change penalty of up to 100% in accordance to the terms and conditions underlying the provision or nature of such that specific travel service. AST will charge an administration fee of R500 per person per travel service that is to be changed on top of any fees or penalties imposed by the service providers whose services are affected by the amendment or change.
6. When you cancel your booking or make changes to your itinerary due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances like war, a life-threatening epidemic, acts of terrorism or any other natural disaster such as floods and earthquakes, making it impossible to travel safely to the destination, subject to the condition that your government advises you against travelling to the specific area, and that the situation in question has arisen after the booking was made; OR in the case of death or serious illness preventing you or your group from travelling; we will make every effort in order to negotiate with the service providers, with whom we have made bookings on your behalf to, where at all possible, have any contractual cancellation or amendment charges / penalties waived or reduced as much as possible. Due to the fact that our travel arrangements are tailor made, we do not have a one-fits-all solution in situations where extraordinary circumstances are the reason for a cancellation or amendment request, and most services providers will have their own policies concerning cancellations and postponements for extraordinary circumstances. Therefore, every cancellation, change or postponement request from our clients caused by the above mentioned Extraordinary Circumstances will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and are subject to the terms and conditions of each service provider forming part of your itinerary. 
7. When we cancel your booking or make changes to your itinerary due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances. We cannot be held liable for any delays or cancellation of services owing to airlines, vessels, accommodations, sight-seeing tours or any other service provider not running according to schedule, cancelling their services for whatever reason, instances of Force Majeure, natural disasters, civil unrest, any travel restrictions issued by authorities, suspension of services due to any other reason beyond our control, including declaration of bankruptcy or insolvency of a service provider with whom we may have booked a travel service on your behalf in good faith. Nor can we be held liable for the additional costs incurred as a result of any such delays or cancellations by any service providers that is part of your itinerary. Any claims due to delays or cancellations by Third Party Service Providers, will have to be addressed directly with them. Every effort will be made to operate itineraries as planned, but alterations may occur after the final itinerary has been issued. You will be notified of such changes as soon as possible. We also reserves the right to withdraw a program or any part of it, to make such alterations to the itinerary or the program inclusions as it deems necessary or desirable, and to pass on to our clients any expenditures or losses caused by delays or events beyond its control.
8. We reserve the right to charge an administration fee of 5% on any amount that is refunded to you in order to cover bank charges and administrative costs.

 
TRAVEL INSURANCE
All clients are strongly advised to take out comprehensive travel insurance covering them for personal effects, personal accident, medical and emergency travel expenses, evacuation/repatriation as well as the cancellation and curtailment of the value of your booking. For more details please consult your medical aid and insurance company/advisor. Cancellation insurance is compulsory for Rovos Rail bookings.
 
If you are undertaking any sports or adventurous activities on your trip, including trekking, you should also make sure that your policy covers these. Please also ensure you read the policy conditions and exclusions. The type of trips we create and the requirements of AST clients vary greatly and it is important that you make sure that your insurance policy covers all aspects of your upcoming trip. Kindly send us the details of your travel insurance policy so that we can offer our support should an emergency situation arise.
 
HEALTH, MALERIA & YELLOW FEVER
It is essential that you visit your Medical Practitioner or a travel clinic well in advance of travel, preferably at least six weeks ahead, to make sure that you have taken all the necessary health precautions. Concerning Malaria we recommend that you contact your pharmacist or health practitioner for advice as to find out which prophylactic is recommended for the regions you are visiting. A Yellow Fever or Medical Exemption Certificate is essential if travelling to/from Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. Although all countries travelled through don’t require this, countries guests return to after the trip often require them. Some vaccinations require more than one visit with a period of weeks between injections, and some may be incompatible with certain medicines or medical conditions. In many tropical countries, mosquitoes can spread diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, West Nile, malaria, yellow fever and Zika virus. It is essential that you seek medical advice prior to travel, and especially if you are pregnant or have an underlying medical condition. Whilst travelling there are several simple measures you can take to reduce your risk of infections spread by mosquitoes: wear suitable clothing and cover up at times of day when mosquitoes are active, use insect repellent on exposed skin, and use a mosquito net if sleeping in unscreened accommodation. It is important to seek prompt medical attention if you have a fever or display any other symptoms. If you become unwell on your return, make sure you tell your doctor about any trips abroad you have taken in the past year.
 
SPECIAL DIETARY REQUIREMENTS
Special diets should be noted on the booking form; however, it is not always possible to expect special diets to be catered for in some of the destinations we feature. We will advise the hotels and airlines of your request but we cannot guarantee their availability. If you have an airborne nut allergy you must make us aware at the time of booking as most airlines require this information in advance of travel. Please note that all special meals for flights must be requested at least 48 hours in advance.
 
REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILDREN TRAVELLING THROUGH THE PORTS OF SOUTH AFRICA
To give effect to the Children’s Act of 2005, the South African Government have issued a list of requirements and documents for Children under the age of 18 travelling through South African ports of entry. You are urged to obtain this information and the necessary supporting documents well in advance of your departure date. For further information follow this link or visit the website of the South African Government www.gov.za.
 
SECURITY
Opportunistic crime such as bag-snatching and pick-pocketing is unfortunately a fact of life in many destinations. Use your common sense when walking around, make use of hotel safes where available, and leave all but essential valuables at home. Always be aware of your surroundings. We suggest carrying a photocopy of your passport separately from the original document, purely as a back-up.
 
COMPLAINTS
If you are unhappy with any aspect of AST’s arrangements while you are on holiday, you must address your complaint immediately and directly to the company offering the unsatisfactory service, the local representative, the management of the hotel or other supplier whose services are involved. They will do their best to rectify the situation. In our opinion, it would be unreasonable if do not as a first step try to have your issue or problem resolved directly with the local service provider. If the problem cannot be resolved locally, and you wish to lodge a formal complaint, kindly send full details or your complaint, including your expectation of a possible restitution, in writing to arrive within 28 days of your return. We will do our best to investigate, negotiate and resolve your complaint. Failure to take any of the above mentioned steps will deny us the opportunity to resolve the problem immediately and/or investigate it properly, negatively affecting your rights against the service provider.
 
PROMPT ASSISTANCE
If, whilst you are on holiday, you find yourself in difficulty for any reason, we will offer you such prompt assistance as is appropriate in the circumstances. In particular, we will provide you with appropriate information on health services, local authorities and consular assistance, and assistance with distance communications and finding alternative travel arrangements. Where you require assistance which is not owing to any failure by us, our employees or sub-contractors, we will not be liable for the costs of any alternative travel arrangements or other such assistance you require. Any supplier, airline or other transport supplier may however pay for or provide refreshments and/or appropriate accommodation and you should make a claim directly to them. Subject to the other terms of these Booking Conditions, we will not be liable for any costs, fees or charges you incur in the above circumstances, if you fail to obtain our prior authorisation before making your own travel arrangements. Furthermore, we reserve the right to charge you a fee for our assistance in the event that the difficulty is caused intentionally by you or a member of your party, or otherwise through your or your party’s negligence.
 
GOVERNING LAW
This contract and any matters arising from it are governed by the laws of South Africa.
 
DESCRIPTIONS OF SERVICES AND EXPERIENCES
Every effort is made to ensure that the details, description and prices contained in AST’s literature are correct, based on inspections, and information passed to AST by its suppliers. However changes do occur, sometimes at short notice and therefore AST will advise you at the time of booking, or if after booking as soon as possible of any such changes to our published information. It is not always possible for AST to control all elements of the holiday whereby advertised facilities can sometimes become unavailable at short notice due to inclement weather conditions, lack of demand, emergency repair works etc.
 
LIMITS ON OUR RESPONSIBILITY
African Selection Travel (Pty) Ltd, South Africa, its employees, shareholders, officers, directors, successors, agents and assigns (collectively AST), does not own or operate any entity which is to or does provide goods or services for your trip. It purchases transportation (by aircraft, coach, train, vessel or otherwise), hotel and other lodging accommodations, restaurant, ground handling and other services from various independent suppliers as agents on your behalf. All such persons and entities are independent contractors. As a result AST is not liable for any negligent or wilful act of any such person or entity or of any third person. In addition and without limitation, AST is not responsible (where beyond its reasonable control) for any injury, financial or physical loss, death, inconvenience, delay or damage to personal property in connection with the provision of any goods or services whether resulting from but not limited to acts of force majeure, illness, disease, pandemics (COVID 19 or any other disease), acts of war, civil unrest, insurrection or revolt, animals, strikes or other labour activities, criminal or terrorist activities of any kind, overbooking or downgrading of services, food poisoning, mechanical or other failure of aircraft or other means of transportation or for failure of any transportation mechanism to arrive or depart on time. There are risks involved in travel (especially adventure travel), which can lead to illness, injury, or even death. Passenger assumes all such risks associated with participating in such travel arrangements.
 
ANY PAYMENT TO AFRICAN SELECTION TRAVEL (PTY) LTD CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN AS WELL AS ANY TERMS AND CONDITIONS THAT ARE PART OF OUR CORRESPONDENCE WITH YOU.
 
CONTACT DETAILS:
African Selection Travel (Pty) Ltd.
3 Partridge Place
Melkbosstrand
Cape Town, 7441
South Africa
Tel: +27 21 553 4949
Email: info@rcjm.co.za