Reviews

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Werner and Ursula   –  
Switzerland CH
Visited: February 2016 Reviewed: Mar 12, 2016

Email Werner and Ursula  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Best travel agency in South Africa - Outstanding service
5/5

We got to know Pembury Tours in 2010 when we booked the Classic Cape Route. Since this was a great experience with the very high standard of its service (professional, reliable, competent as well as friendly, polite and checking thoroughly every detail) we have come back to this small travel agent again and again, every year since then. Tammy Harding as well as Gail Davis who was responsible for organizing and for all the bookings at several places (some a bit off the beaten track) for our last trip in February/March 2016 made every effort and it was a great pleasure to work with both of them.
We highly recommend Pembury Tours to anyone traveling in South Africa.

Albert Macchioni   –  
United States US
Visited: March 2016 Reviewed: Mar 29, 2016

Email Albert Macchioni  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Fantastic time in Sabi Sands and Timbavati with Pembury Tours
5/5

We just returned from South Africa. As we were planning the trip, friends from Cape Town recommended another travel agent. My wife,Laura, found them unresponsive and their answers to our questions on safari lodges in South Africa and Botswana didn't tell us much. Laura then found Pembury Tours and started corresponding with Tammy Harding. From the start she was knowledgeable, tireless and engaging. She pulled information on a number of destinations, describing the lodges and the ideal times to visit. Ultimately, the logistics to go to Botswana or Victoria Falls couldn't be accommodated for the number of days we had earmarked for a vacation.

The information she sent to us when we arrived on the two game lodges was accurate and informative. The several pages of birds and mammals was immensely helpful as we revisited each evening what we saw that day.

Before our arrival and while we were traveling in Cape Town, the Garden Route and the wine country on arrangements we had made on our own, Tammy was very responsive to texts and emails. When we were alarmed by reports of rain in Kruger the week before our stay there, she reassured us that the rain was welcome and beneficial and would not affect our visit. Her advice was echoed by the lodges and the guides when we arrived. Our viewing of game was improved significantly by the rain.

Most importantly, Tammy is honest. We had asked her to summarize the costs of the lodges per person and also the internal transfers. As she replied she discovered that we had overpaid by R 1,080 per person which she promptly refunded. We would never have known of this small sum had she not pointed it out.

We will definitely recommend Pembury Tours to friends vacationing in Southern Africa and will call upon them when we visit again.

Barbara & Larry   –  
United States US
Visited: March 2016 Reviewed: Mar 29, 2016

Email Barbara & Larry  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Pembury Made Our Trip Wonderful
5/5

We started with no real information about South Africa,, what to see, how to do it. Octogenarians, we were unclear and apprehensive about what we could do. Tammy Harding was patient and responsive in answering our endless questions (like would the local airlines allow our medical equipment as carry-ons?) The program we ended up with was just about perfect.
Seeing Cape Town with Terence as a guide was marvelous -- worth a trip in itself -- as he explained not only what we were seeing but his apartheid experience and its effect on his family.
The two Safari Camps were wonderful, all we'd been led to expect. Beyond the game-viewing, Kirkman's Camp itself was a real hoot.
We came in part to take photos and we did -- thousands of them that we'll continue to enjoy for a long time.
All arrangements and transfers went like clockwork. A first Class tour.
So, we started with a rough idea and Tammy turned it into a marvelous visit,

Frank   –  
Hong Kong HK
Visited: March 2016 Reviewed: Apr 4, 2016

Email Frank  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Perfect safari arrangement - just 6 weeks before start
5/5

Contacting Pembury Tours just 6 weeks before our planned safari, they quickly and professionally arranged a perfect 4-day safari in Kruger Park. Laurette McKinnon of Pembury immediately found 2 nice available lodges and handled the itinerary fitting my budget and schedule; having struggled with other tour organizers, that was a positive surprise !
Both lodges were great, with fantastic food, friendly staff and relaxing atmosphere - game drives excellent... there's nothing I could complain about !

Kimberly   –  
United States US
Visited: March 2016 Reviewed: Apr 5, 2016

Email Kimberly  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Fantastic trip to South Africa - Tammy handled all the details beautifully
5/5

Almost two years before our trip to Johannesburg and Madikwe, I contacted Tammy Harding at Pembury. I let her know the type of experience we were seeking for hotel and lodge, our preferences and our budget. She pulled together an itinerary with several lodges in our price range and offered advice that only someone who knows the area can. We'd been to East Africa on a tour, and wanted a more customized and less frantic itinerary. I'm an obsessive travel planner, so it's difficult for me to trust someone with a big trip that's really special. But while I can put together a US or European trip on my own, I wanted an expert for South Africa.

I'm so pleased we decided to work with Tammy. All the elements of our trip (airport pickup, hotel, lodge, road transfer to lodge) went exactly to plan. We rested in Johannesburg for a few days after the 15-hour flight, spent five days in Madikwe, and one more night in Jo'burg before heading home. It was a vacation that will always be with us.

On top of her expertise, Tammy was a pleasure to work with, and I didn't feel like I was bothering her by asking lots of questions. And when I had to cancel our originally-planned trip because of illness, she took care of the details. Once I was well again, she put the trip back in motion.

Highly recommend working with Tammy for your South Africa travels.

Judith   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: April 2016 Reviewed: Apr 16, 2016

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

Amazing service
5/5

Everything about the trip was superb. Gail put together lot of ideas for hotels lodges suggested trips to do. The safari we couldn't of asked for anything more, wow. Gail thank you so much.

Doug Rossbach   –  
United States US
Visited: April 2016 Reviewed: Apr 29, 2016

Email Doug Rossbach

Kerry Ririe designed to perfect safari tour covering S. Africa, Victoria Falls (Zambia) and Botswana
5/5

Kerrie created the perfect vacation for my wife and I. We are seasoned travelers and did not want a group tour but felt we needed help planning a trip in Africa. After listening to what we were looking for and the places we wanted to visit, Kerry put together the perfect vacation. We enjoyed every minute of our time in Africa and could never have planned such a complex trip on our own. Each hotel or lodge was sensational with comfortable lodging, fabulous food and impeccable service. We were able to see the Big Five plus innumerable other animals including rare ones such as wild dogs, jackals, honey badgers, and hyena. Our guides were knowledgeable, competent and delightful to be with. All of the transfers went off flawlessly.

Travel can be stressful but your detailed planning and execution allowed us to focus on absorbing the incredible culture, diversity and wildlife that one can only find in Africa.

Fatima   –  
United Arab Emirates AE
Visited: April 2016 Reviewed: Apr 30, 2016

Email Fatima  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

2nd Success in a Row with Kerry & Pembury
5/5

I first had the pleasure of working with Kerry in 2010 planning my honeymoon. The logistics were so smooth, and the staff we encountered at hotels and tour operators were so warm and welcoming that I contacted her again in February 2016 to plan a vacation for my family.

It was short notice, and required planning for a group of 6 people including a member with special needs for 9 days. All was planned efficiently, communication was always clear and fast, suggestions offered were on point.

The real curve-ball; we missed our flight to Cape Town and although I immediately emailed Kerry about it, I could not tell her when we'd be able to reschedule our flights. She cancelled our immediate bookings but managed to keep all bookings and schedules somehow on standby.

When I confirmed our re-booked flights to her (which was 4 days after original date), she rescheduled everything in a way where we still made the most of all of ours days and without missing any of our original plans. Hotels/lodges usually only have 1-2 special needs rooms so re-working those dates was particularly tricky.

The only additional fee we had to pay was for insisting on a specific date for one of our tours which was a personal preference. Had we been more flexible on that particular date, there wouldn't have been any additional charges at all.

I'd comfortably recommend Kerry to anyone planning a trip to SA, and would happily enlist her services again for myself and family.

Eric Steenbeke   –  
United States US
Visited: April 2016 Reviewed: May 2, 2016

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

Wonderful experience start to finish
5/5

Pembury tours was amazing, from the day I sent my inquiry I was contacted within 24 hrs by Tammy and we started going over options. She gave us great advice and helped us find exactly what we wanted, there is no way that I could have planned this trip without her. I would recommend Pembury tours and specifically Tammy, to anyone thinking that they would like to plan a trip to Africa.

Susan   –  
United States US
Visited: April 2016 Reviewed: May 11, 2016

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

Laurette McKinnon was responsive, thorough and very pleasant to work with for all aspects.
5/5

Our agent, Laurette McKinnon, did a marvelous job for our group's 12 day tour. She worked very closely with our group's organizer, Kim O'Grady, to make sure everything worked smoothly and up to top standards. The safari tour at Mala Mala Reserve was amazing on so many different levels!!! The gracious hospitality of our guides and staff, the tenacious and effective tracking, their knowledge and experience and the wonderful accomodations made for an incredible stay.

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