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 Martine | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic safari booked by Pembury Tours!
This was my first time in South Africa and first safari. I was traveling alone, therefore needed good advice and planning. Laurette at Pembury Tours did a fabulous job providing me with a perfect itinerary. We communicated via emails several times and she patiently replied to all of my inquiries. She listened and respected my needs and most importantly respected my budget!!. The safari was an out of this world esperience; accomodations were fantastic, as were staff, rangers, trackers, food and locations. Transfers from airport and or lodges went smootly. Drivers super friendly and on time. I travel a lot and this trip is the most memorable one I got to do!! Thank you Laurette at Pembury Tours! I will most definitely contact you again for my next safari!
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Email Bill | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cape Town/Sabi Sands/Victoria Falls
We believe in using local travel agencies in the country we are visiting. We found Pembury Tours and worked with Laurette. We emailed frequently and occasionally Skyped when that was more efficient. She took our input, offered suggestions and options and we ultimately booked a two week vacation almost a year ago. Of course in that time things change. The hotel in Cape Town undertook renovations during our planned stay. Laurette notified us, suggested a different nearby hotel and we were very happy with our stay. The airline we had booked stopped flying our route on Friday's which was the day we were to leave so we had to leave the US on Thursday. We had two months notice and one email to Laurette got us into the hotel a day earlier. One other reason we book through an in country agent is that if we have any type of issue they are in the same time zone so issues can be addressed promptly. Happily we had no issues. Our itinerary went off without a hitch and we had a wonderful time in Africa. The internet, email and services like Skype have shrunk the world. Consider that Pembury tours offers excellent personal service and will be right near by if any issue arises while in South Africa. We are satisfied customers.
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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.
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Email Carolina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Another amazing experience!
After our great visit to South Africa last year assisted by Pembury Tours, we didn’t waste time to check on our calendars in order to ask them to plan our second trip.
And let me tell you something, Heidi surpassed herself! When she organized our tour last year, she tailored an amazing itinerary, making sure that all our requirements and wishes were met and the result was fantastic.
This year, and noting that the trip was to celebrate my birthday and that we wanted an especific Safari programme, she went out to find the best options possible, even if our favorite Lodge was full.
Not only she managed a seamlessly itinerary, including suitable flight and transportation connections, but she found the way to accomodate our expectations, giving us another wonderful time in South Africa - including some thoughtful surprises along the way!
We are, once more, grateful to Pembury Tours and Heidi for the dedication and level of attention to our innumerable questions and for tailoring another holiday to remember.
Hopefully we will be able to count with them in our next vacation!
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Email Doug Cecil | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
6 stars out of 5 stars to Pembury Tours
I would give 6 stars to Pembury Tours if I could.
Our agent, Tammy, was clearly working behind the scenes throughout our trip to ensure that we were safe and well. No matter how small the issue, one quick email and it was resolved in a matter of minutes/hours. We felt as if she worked solely for us! She organized perfect accommodations and safari properties for us. It was obvious that she took everything we told her during our planning stages and applied it to her trip framework, allowing us to get everything we were hoping for out of our trip to Africa, and MORE!
At every turn, we were met by thoughtful guides, prompt transportation, and the kind of first-class service that we've never experienced, and now can't seem to live without. In Cape Town and Johannesburg, we loved being linked up with private tour guides, both native to South Africa. The guides gave us extraordinary overviews of the history and culture of South Africa and personal accounts of the ongoing struggles present today (water crisis, political and racial issues, etc.) When an excursion issue arose on our trip to Victoria Falls, we seemingly exhausted all avenues dealing with the local groups and agents. All it took was one phone call to Tammy and we received a refund from the cancelled excursion and booked on another. That trip, swimming the Angel/Devil’s Pool in Zambia, was a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience.
But ultimately, the safaris were the pinnacle of our experience. The food, drinks and accommodations (oh, the accomodations!!!!) were all extraordinary. Our safari guides at both Sabi and Muchenji will be legends in our lives forever, as they both clearly took pleasure in showing every animal they could imagine, from the elusive leopards and cheetahs in Kruger, to herds and herds of zebras, elephants, and giraffes in Chobe. From surprise champagne night drives and walking safaris, to riverboat lunches on the hippo banks and a private romantic evening dinner (rose petals and private butler included!!!), we will genuinely remember forever as a highlight of our lives.
We have travelled to 6 continents and over 100 countries; this was the most spectacular service and experience we’ve ever had, period. Thank You Pembury!
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Email Ann Baldwin | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Six demanding customers (really) completely satisfied!
One couple had been to Africa several times and the other two were looking for the trip of a lifetime. Somehow, by what I referred to as "Melanie Magic", we all got what we wanted. An extensive knowledge of everything that is available, a high level of communication and a willingness to go that bit further, all while making it a collaborative effort, gave us that dreamed-of trip. The properties were wonderful with the small touches that make a trip seem so special. Not one arrangement went awry and the detailed documentation made it worry free. If you want to be spoiled while seeing all the animals and sights you cannot go wrong with Pembury Tours.
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Email Shawn | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Spectacular Cape Town, Safari, Vicotria Falls Trip
I researched a number of travel companies -- including several from this site -- and settled on Pembury for their price, reviews, and responsiveness. Laurette organized an exceptional trip for us: we loved all our accommodations -- had the luxury African feel we were hoping for. In Cape Town, we stayed at the Victoria & Alfred hotel: great location and wonderful restaurants close by. We had the same private guide from airport pick up, three days of tours, and airport drop off, which was perfect.
Our Safari was at Arathusa Safari Lodge in Sabi Sands. Such an amazing experience -- my friends who've been on safari were surprised by how close we were to all the animals (elephants drinking from our private splash pool at our room, lions and leopards literally walking around and underneath our jeep). And Elephant Camp in Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls) was a dream -- wish we'd spent more time there! After seeing all my pics and videos on Facebook, several friends have already asked me to send my itinerary and travel planner info to them.
I've travelled extensively, 45-50 countries, and generally make all my arrangements myself. But since I've never done a safari and wasn't familiar with these countries, I went through a travel agency and am very glad I did. I always felt safe and all the details were handled. But even now, I would not tackle this on my own; a travel agency is a must -- there's just too many details/transfers and such to safely tackle on your own.
This was an unforgettable experience, and our group was delighted with Pembury, and Laurette!
Email Steele Party | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Uncomplicated, professional and knowledgeable.
We contacted Pembury Tours initially to gather prices and ideas of what we could do for our first time in South Africa and organise this ourselves, but we were so impressed with Tammy and her passion and knowledge and grasp of what we wanted as a group and as individuals, we decided that to not use their service would be a mistake. There were originally 6 of us in the group unfortunately this changed to four just weeks before our departure date and without any complications our accommodations and various tours and excursions were amended accordingly with no fuss. From the moment we arrived in Cape Town and then our tours through the wine regions up in to Ostrich country and then on to the Garden Route, Cape L'Aghulas and back to Cape Town for a few days, our internal flights to the Kruger National Park for our Safaris the Lodges and Tours not a thing was missed out, we all quite simply had the bestest of times and this was soley due to Tammy at Pembury Tours.. THANK YOU!..the Steele party..
Email Anthony | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Could not have been better
Cannot thank Melanie at Pembury tours. Booked a 2 week trip to South Africa with very little knowledge of the country.. the hotels chosen were fabulous and the Safari at lalibella was exactly matched to our needs. We met the staff along the way and all delightful. Even after we were back minor issues were still being sorted. So I cannot recommend them highly enough and will reuse them for our next African adventure
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Email Elaine | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely Perfect!
Heidi Bedford helped plan and coordinate the perfect trip for our family. We had zero worries on our trip. We traveled through four countries and everything went smoothly. All our accommodations were A++. I am recommending Heidi and Pembury to all my friends.