Reviews

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William and Kathleen Campenni   –  
United States US
Visited: February 2018 Reviewed: Feb 26, 2018

Email William and Kathleen Campenni  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Great company, outstanding client service and attention
5/5

When we were first planning our trip to South Africa from our home in the USA we did not know much about the attractions and accommodations, other than there were a lot of safari options and operators available. With our Internet searching we stumbled upon the highly rated Pembury Tours out of Port Elizabeth, and its representative, Laurette McKinnon.

Over numerous email exchanges from afar she was able to sort out our desires, budget, and concerns (e.g., Cape Town's drought) to arrange our itinerary to include 4 event-packed days in Cape Town and 5 days on safari at a game reserve in southeast South Africa, away from the crowds and commercialization in the northern Krueger areas most visited by tourists. Even with the 9 hour time zone differences, it seemed like her replies were immediate to our numerous queries.

They were wise choices on her part. We did almost everything we wanted to do in Cape Town and environs, given our short stay, and our safari out of the recommended Lalibela Game Reserve exceeded our expectations. The proximity to the game animals, the splendid accommodations at Lentaba Lodge, and the knowledgeable ranger guides made our visit all the more memorable. Every transportation option we needed was arranged by Laurette and there were no glitches - airport pickups, local area tours, internal SA flight connections, special requests, etc.

It is difficult to plan an extended trip like we had when you are doing it from 8,000 miles away with an agent you had never met. It takes a lot of trust and patience on both sides. We went through frequent changes and revisions to our travel plan. And it all had to fit in the budget constraints we had.

So we were very fortunate that our search took us to Pembury Tours and its representative, Laurette McKinnon. We highly recommend them to others, knowing they will make your trip as memorable as ours.

Andre B   –  
United States US
Visited: April 2018 Reviewed: May 11, 2018

Email Andre B

They are very knowledgeable and professional in their approach
5/5

They are very professional and design a great 2 weeks based on our requirements and budget. We covered South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Drivers/guides had great knowledge and communication skills. Hotels selected were comfortable and met our expectations as we asked for a 4 star package.

M&M   –  
United States US
Visited: May 2018 Reviewed: Jun 21, 2018

Email M&M  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Perfection could not be better than working with Laurette McKinnon at Pembury Tours
5/5

We began planning our trip to southern Africa more than a year in advance and Laurette was with us 100% in crafting the trip of a lifetime. It was excellent - and more affordable - not only to work with someone already in South Africa, but someone who has actually been to the properties and knows things first hand. She took great care to fully understand our interests and preferences and crafted a safari and a finale at Victoria Falls that was perfect in every way and exceeded our expectations on a regular basis. Due to our travels prior to the safari, it was not possible to get our formal travel documents prior to our departure from the States. Not a problem for Laurette. She most kindly had them couriered to our guest house in Hermanus and they were awaiting us upon our arrival. She even checked in with us on a regular basis while on safari just to ensure that everything was to our liking and going well. We loved the Sanctuary properties. Baines Camp and Chobe Chilwero could not have been more different and thus offered the full spectrum of a safari experience. I'd stay in any Sanctuary camp again in a heartbeat.

Along with the wonderful memories (and photos), we'll also always cherish our new friend Laurette. If I ever make it back to South Africa, Port Elizabeth will be on my list so I can take Laurette to lunch and give her a big hug. She is the very best of the best.

Heather   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2018 Reviewed: Jul 3, 2018

Email Heather  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

A trip of a lifetime!
5/5

We want to thank Gail, from Pembury Tours, from the bottom of our hearts for coordinating our incredible trip. Even with all the questions and requests we had, she made it all possible for us. Every detail was amazing. All of her suggestions and diligent work of coordinating plane flights (which she made it possible to travel early morning to maximize our time), transfers, etc. made our trip seamless and worthwhile.

Thank you, thank you for putting together an unforgettable trip for us. We have memories to last a lifetime and will pass these on to other travelers we know!

Stian & Kine Hasle   –  
Norway NO
Visited: April 2018 Reviewed: Jul 6, 2018

Email Stian & Kine Hasle  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Don’t think about it, book with Pembury tours, excellent service
5/5

We arrived at Johannesburg for 1 night, flight out to safari area. We now understand that the travel company have a deal with the best park to see and experience a high level of getting close to the animals!!!
There were no fences, you just lived in a house tent with the animals walking around, and that was insanely 
3 days feeling like you relived your life and we will defiantly go back!

Flight back to Johannesburg, then to Mauritius. The hotel, the service, the whole ‘thing’ was perfect! Transfer, punctuality, location of the hotel, service minded staff and you should take all inclusive, all this made our stay luxuries.
We just had a blast for our whole stay and can’t think of anything else then we will go back!

Thanks Susan from Pembury Tours.

Randy-Lynn Kroll   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2018 Reviewed: Jul 10, 2018

Email Randy-Lynn Kroll  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Easy, non-stressful, super helpful, amazing!!!!
5/5

Anya was wonderful! I had started off working with 3 different people and Anya far exceeded anything they could offer us. She is so patient and attentive to every detail. We must have changed the itinerary 8 times before settling on the final one. Without Anya we would not have had this once in a lifetime experience. She thought of everything! Her optional tour suggestions were wonderful. We were really able to do so much and have so many amazing experiences. All of us received a handmade bag with our itinerary and information about all the places we were visiting etc. What a nice keepsake! She always had time to answer any and all of my questions no matter how small. Her knowledge and experience was invaluable! We had an absolutely amazing trip!

Thank you thank you thank you!

Bonnie   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2018 Reviewed: Jul 12, 2018

Email Bonnie  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

A trip of a lifetime!
5/5

Words can’t describe the experiences we had on our South African vacation. Heidi, our tour consultant, was responsive and extremely helpful from the first point of contact. We emailed back and forth for months to ensure our itinerary was exactly the way we wanted it. Heidi also provided many itinerary options, made suggestions and took the time to get to know the kind of vacation we were expecting. She selected premium hotels, safari camps, tour guides and drivers. Careful attention was given to inter country flights, timing of activities and drivers between airports, hotels and longer drives within Kruger. The safari portion of the trip (six nights at two camps) was perfect! We saw the big five along with too many other amazing animals and birds to name. The camps were small and very comfortable with absolutely delicious food in an environment surrounded by watering holes and animal viewing via binoculars right in the middle of the bush. In summary, everything was absolutely perfect! We were amazed at Heidi’s attention to detail and selection of tours, hotels, drivers, guides and flights! You can’t go wrong with Pembury!


Kathy   –  
United States US
Visited: July 2018 Reviewed: Jul 17, 2018

Email Kathy  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

South Africa>Zambia>Zimbabwe>Botswana
5/5

Our safari, planned by Laurette at Pembury Tours, was beyond anything we could have imagined! First, the communication during planning was excellent. Our questions were always answered, in detail, by the next day and the places she choose for us were amazing. Every transfer and activity was in order and the voucher system she used told us where to be, at what time, and who would meet us. Everyone was all ways there on time or earlier. I have recommended Laurette at Pembury to friends and family and would suggest anyone planning a safari use her for their booking. She gave our family the trip of a lifetime! You rock Laurette!

Sally   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2018 Reviewed: Jul 18, 2018

Email Sally  |  65+ years of age

Pembury Tours and Kerry Ririe were wonderful - very organized and good communicators.
5/5

Through a friend in California - Pembury Tours was recommended to us. We also requested Mario Alexander, who is a tour guide for Pembury Tours. Kerry did all of the communicating and organizing for us and followed through with our request for Mario. We were only in Cape Town for two nights and then spent two nights in the Wine Country..............Pembury Tours and Kerry arranged for our pick-up at the airport, a day touring Cape Town surrounds, and a guided tour of the wine country. All the details were exactly as planned. Mario was excellent as he was very friendly, very knowledgeable, and very passionate about his South Africa. We had a wonderful time.

Goldy   –  
United States US
Visited: July 2018 Reviewed: Jul 18, 2018

Email Goldy  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Lot's to Experience. Lot's to See
5/5

First of all we want to thank Kerry from Pembury tours for planning an absolutely perfect holiday. During our two week visit to Africa we went to 3 different Safari lodges, Victoria Falls and Cape Town. Time was spent in South Africa, Zambia and Botswana.

We would highly recommend Kerry and Pembury Tours as the entire trip went very smoothly and she was easy to get in contact with via email while we were away in order to make some changes to the itinerary due to weather. We provided her with a general idea of what we wanted to see and see did the rest. Once we arrived we were met at the Airport and provided with a binded book of our itinerary and it was very detailed with the what, where and when of each day's activity.

We did get to the see the Big 5 and the ugly 5. Having done the 3 different Safari lodges they did all offer something different and they all were great. The Simbavati lodge we felt had the best accommodations and the best service from the staff. These were also the only drives we were able to see Rhino's. The Inyati lodge we felt had a large property which to explore. It did not feel at all repetitive each day because we were always going to a different part of the reserve. This was the only reserve that we were able to spot a Cheetah and the wild dogs. The Elephant Lodge and Choble were amazing by the size of the herds of Elephant and Buffalo that we came across. What we enjoyed about the Elephant Lodge was we did an all day drive. This allowed us to get deep into Chobe and felt as if we were out on our own and did not see many other vehicles during this time. Every lodge was fantastic.

Victoria Falls certainly was flowing. We did get soaking wet but our guide did provide us with rain jackets before walking up. Seeing the rainbow coming up for the falls was certainly a sight to see.

Shark Cage diving was an experience. When we were out there 5 sharks came up to the boat. The sharks were quick so you only had a few seconds to catch a glimpse of them before they swam off. The huge swells in the water added to the challenge of catching a glimpse.

Thank you for all your help planning out our holiday!

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