Part of the happy Pembury team having a laugh!
Pembury Tours
- Office In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 1996)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $2,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
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Email Jay Kumar | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Pembury Tours! Pride of the Industry
Pembury tours, what a great name in the industry. Well it was kind of a last minute decision to visit South Africa in Aug 2016. One fine morning in the month of June 2016 my son came to me and said, "let us go to Cape Town for our summer vacation Dad". Not knowing what I was about to face, I went to work on the web instantly. I picked places to visit and sent out requests to few agencies with dates in August. I kept getting rejections from several agencies due to non-availability because of the start of peak season as those game drive lodges get booked year in advance. Needless to say I was getting a little depressed and worried as to not be able to fulfill my son's request.
On a particular morning, sipping my cup of coffee, I opened my computer expecting more rejections. As I was sifting through my emails, I came across this particular email, signed Heidi Bedford, Travel Consultant, Pembury Tours with a PDF attachment. With certain amount of reluctance and anxiety, I double clicked on that PDF file. It immediately blossomed into a colorful itinerary with meticulous construction of our entire trip with exact dates, hotels, guided tours, local transfers with photos etc. I was in a pleasant shock and felt a mountain being lifted off my shoulder instantly. After certain minor adjustments, I confirmed my trip with payment.
When I informed my parents in India about our trip, they too got interested and expressed their wish to join us on the tour! Of course, I called Heidi to delegate this new challenge. Heidi didn't seem to be bothered, took my parents names, anticipated dates, etc., and told me that she would get back to me in a couple of days. As promised, I got another email with a whole new colorful itinerary for my parents coordinating theirs with ours. Every time I called them, Anya always answered the phone on the first ring. What a treat!
To make things more challenging, my Dad's luggage did not arrive at Johannesburg from India. We were at Victoria Falls and not knowing what to do, I informed Heidi regarding the situation. Of course she replied with her pleasant South African slang, "no worries and cheers". Next afternoon, we joined with our parents at Nelspruit as per our itinerary and proceeded to Bohm’s Zeederberg Country Lodge for the night stay. The owner and her son were extremely kind and helpful. The dining experience with a private butler was mind-blowing. That night, Pambury's team went out of their way to surprise my son of his 18th birthday with a great tasting chocolate birthday cake and a card signed by the entire team.
As promised my Dad’s luggage was delivered on the following day that put a smile on his face. Our entire trip was very well organized. Everyone was very kind and accommodative and everyplace we stayed provided us great hospitality. Transfers were very smooth and timely. We could see the passion and dedication on our tour guides and drivers. The most experienced safari drivers and the trackers made our game drive safe and unforgettable. Campfire dinner under the starts of southern hemisphere and the Milky Way was a special treat.
As we know, "People make the country and employees make the company". We experienced both at first hand. Our South Africa trip was made memorable not simply what the great land had offered, but most importantly people at Pembury Tours and their associates made our trip very special. I recommend Pembury tours to everyone in full confidence with great pleasure.
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Email A. Hussain | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the most memorable trips we have taken.
My wife and I had been planning a trip to South Africa for several months but scheduling the trips and tours and finding the right accomodation was taking too much time. While surfing the web I came across Safari Bookings and saw that Pembury Tours offered customized tour itineraries for South Africa. Once I submitted a request for help in arranging our trip, Heidi from Pembury Tours contacted me within 24 hours. I gave her the dates that we had in mind and the places we wanted to visit. She took care of all the details. We could set aside only 7 days for the trip but she was able to come up with the perfect itinerary. We spent 3 days on Safari and stayed at the Narina Lodge which was excellent. We loved the lodge and the attentive service there was excellent. They made the game drives extremely pleasant and comfortable. And we saw the Big Five.
From Kruger National Park we went to Capetown. We loved Capetown. We stayed at the Table Bay Hotel on the Victoria and Albert Waterfront. The waterfront area was great for shopping and dining and simply loitering around enjoying the nightlife. But the hotel was disappointing. Taking a shower was challenging. The water was either too cold or scalding hot. Though most of the staff was attentive, the staff at the main desk were not helpful and rather condescending. They were more worried about the minibar in the room being under lock and key than making our stay more enjoyable. Our room had been paid in full by Pembury Tours in advance but the hotel charged us again, though they did ultimately refund the charge after Heidi called to complain.
In Johannesburg we stayed at a very nice boutique hotel in an upscale area of town before catching our return flight to New York.
While in South Africa we did not have to worry about transportation or booking any tours because Heidi had arranged for private tours in and around Capetown and Johannesburg. She took care of all internal flights and hotel bookings well ahead of our arrival even though we gave her only 2-3 weeks notice. There was always someone waiting to pick us up at the airport to take us to our hotel or to drop us off at the airport in tine for our flights. and Heidi was always available on the phone. The guides who took us sight seeing were very knowledgeable and helpful, especially Graham who was extremely gracious, accompanying us in and around Capetown for 3 days.
All in all this was one of our best vacations and we will have pleasant memories for years to come.
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Email Amanda | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Trip!
Working with Tammy at Pembury to plan our trip to Africa was so easy and quick! Tammy was able to help us modify the 11 Day Cape Town, Kruger, Victoria Falls trip itinerary to meet our budget and include a day in the Winelands. We loved that when we arrived we did not have to worry about anything - all transfers, flights, hotels and activities were already booked and paid for. When we arrived a day late due to flight delay and our luggage was lost, Tammy stepped in and helped so we didnt have to worry about anything. We absolutely loved Cape Town, the Winelands and private safari lodge! Only thing we would change about this trip would be to spend more time in Botswana and do a day trip to Victoria Falls (we did a day trip to Botswana when staying in Victoria Falls). We would definitely recommend working with Pembury Tours to plan a trip to Africa!
Cape Town accommodation
Pembury Tours arranged a Waterfront apartment for our week in Cape Town. The accommodation was well situated, comfortable and well equipped. There were communication difficulties within the administration office of the complex, as we needed to make several complaints before action was taken to remedy our wi-fi and air-conditioning issues which were simple when attended to.
Email Keanyen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional dream maker...
We, group of 4 best friends had the most amazing trip to South Africa, Zambia and Botswana in August this year.
We started our planning quite late(April) considering we were greedily wanted to meet the best flooding season in Okavango Delta(May-Sept). At the time most packages on Safaribookings.com have been fully booked or the operators have closed the booking for the season. After a rather dismay discussion with the group we either postpone the trip to next year or try our luck to contact more operators…
I’m so glad we did the latter and found Pembury Tours. Kerry Ririe’s very professional responds with plentiful of positive energy has given us high optimistic hope again. Kerry drafted an amazing itinerary that took us to Victoria Fall, Chobe National Park, Okuti in Okavango Delta and Melrose Arch Johannesburg. She was tolerantly adjusting the itinerary with 4 of us who can be contrasting in availability with dates, budget and…expectation! ha! And even after a perfect itinerary has met our satisfactory. Kerry continues to provide suggestion and options to make sure we can have the fullest range of great experiences in Africa. Our trip went super smoothly and it was totally stressed free. We had the most memorable time at the spectacular waterfall, safari game drive, sunset cruise, Delta boat ride, cultural village tour etc.
We could not give enough credits to Pembury Tours especially Kerry for her professional integrity and initiative. Highly recommended.
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Email Shelly Foland | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional Trip Thanks to Gail at Pembury Tours
We went to Victoria Falls, Kruger, Cape Town and the Garden Route on this customized trip. Gail efficiently and enthusiastically helped us plan this trip to suit our needs. Sometimes we stayed at 4* resorts and other times we decided to splurge 5*. ( Can't say enough about Tanda Tula at Timbavati). This required a lot of back and forth planning and Gail was always on top of it and happy to help us create the trip of our lives as it pertained to our desires and tastes. All of the resorts we stayed at were incredible and the transfers were well organized and punctual.
One advantage to booking with Gail, that I did not anticipate, was her help when I broke my ankle at Victoria Falls! We were fortunately booked to fly to Nelspruit, ZA that day (surgery in Zamba - not an option!). Gail got us a personal transfer to the airport and found the best trauma hospital in Nelspruit and directions to get there when we arrived. We would have been lost without her! We ended up having to rearrange the trip a bit because I ended up needing surgery and was in the hospital for 3 nights. She was able to rearrange our stay at Tanda Tula for longer so I could go on safari drives where we got see the Big 5 and much more.
Afterwards, when we were in Cape Town and the Garden route she was able to find us hotels that had wheel chairs - which was necessary for us at that point because I couldn't put weight on the injured ankle. We had originally planned to just book B&B's on the Garden Route on our own as we went so it was above and beyond for Gail to help us out there. She also called the airlines when we had to fly ( some of the flights that I booked) to let them know we needed help getting on and off the plane ( small planes with steps). And to top it off - when we started the last leg of the trip at Port Elizabeth airport to head back home - Gail surprised us by bringing us a wheel chair in person when we drove in to return the car rental! That was awesome! It was so nice to meet her and she is as warm in person as she is in e-mails and over the phone.
The original trip that we planned with Gail was fantastic. On top of that, even though I'ms sure that no one plans to break an ankle on a trip, just know that you will get help from Pembury Tours if something unexpected does happen. Without Gail, we truly wouldn't have been able to salvage our trip.
Email John C | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfection from Pembury
I initially contacted 4 safari operators to discuss outline itinerary and estimated costs. Pembury were the most efficient and friendly in responding. Kerry was our travel advisor and we found her to be excellent. Kerry was professional with a good sense of humour. Kerry was able to provide a lot of suggestions and was a fountain of knowledge. We subsequently booked with Pembury and did not regret it for a single second. We were able to book our own flights and co-ordinate with Kerry on arrival times etc. The airport/hotel transfers were punctual with friendly drivers. Organised tours went off without a hitch and again the drivers/guides were excellent. Arathusa Lodge was the safari lodge we stayed at and it was superb. at Victoria Falls we stayed at the Avani Victoria Falls Resort which was excellent. This was our first visit to South Africa and Zambia, with the main reason being to do a safari. Given the excellent service and professionalism provided By Kerry and Pembury Tours we are already talking about a return visit to Afica for another safari. Pembury will be our first call. Highly recommended.
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Email Michelle | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime
Pembury did an amazing job with out itinerary! Everything was customized based on our desires and timeline, they even made some last minute adjustments due to layover issues. Our safari experience was above and beyond anything we had expected. All the businesses used by Pembury were very knowledgable, super friendly, everything went just as planned without any hiccups. Booking was easy and straightforward, we completed everything via email, so simple. I would highly recommend Pembury to take care of any or all of our plans.
Email Shona and Gerald Chaffey | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Anya Visser was brilliant making our holiday memorable.
Communications extremely efficient, working out of hours at last minute due to a flight change in London. Car waiting at JHB airport with documents. Everything was first class and the lodge suggested was out of this world. Certainly recommend Pembury to friends in the UK and will use Anya again when next visiting SA.
The trip was flawless. Great accomodation, terrific guides, and all transfers were on time
Kerry did an excellent job helping us set up our tour. She quoted us several prices based on the lodges available, and went out of her way to accomodate us when our planned dates changed. The itinerary packet we received at Joburg airport contained everything we needed to know. The time spent at the game reserves was incredible. Both Simbavati and Lion Sands were outstanding facilities, and the game drives and meals were terrific. We saw tons of animals and birds at both places. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime.