Nothing prepares you for the immensity of the Central Kalahari, nor its wild, mysterious beauty. There is the immediate impression of unending space. Waist-high golden grasses seem to stretch forever, punctuated by dwarfed trees and scrub bushes. Wide and empty pans appear as vast white saucers, meeting a soft, blue-white sky. There are few places on earth where the skies are clearer and at night, the stars utterly dominate the land.
The Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) is the largest, most remotely situated reserve in Southern Africa, and the second largest wildlife reserve in the world, encompassing 52 800 sq kms. During and shortly after good summer rains, the flat grasslands of the reserve’s northern reaches teem with wildlife, which gather at the best grazing areas. These include large herds of springbok and gemsbok, as well as blue wildebeest, kudu, impala, hartebeest, sable antelope, eland, zebra and giraffe. The Central Kalahari is home to the legendary Kalahari black-maned lions as well as desert-adapted elephants. It also offers some of the world’s best cheetah sightings. The park is also home to wildlife such as white rhino, Cape buffalo, spotted hyena, brown hyena, honey badger, meerkat, yellow mongoose, warthog, caracal, Cape wild dog, black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, cape fox, aardvark, Cape porcupine, chacma baboon and ostrich.
The landscape in the Central Kalahari is dominated by silver terminalia sandveldt, Kalahari sand acacias, and Kalahari appleleaf, interspersed with grasslands, and dotted with occasional sand dunes, pans and shallow fossil river valleys, such as Deception Valley. During the drier months, the grasses die back and the Central Kalahari reveals wide, desolate pans, which offer exceptional photographic opportunities. At this time of year, the arid desert plains form an exceptional contrast with the greenery and abundance found in the Okavango Delta.
CKGR is unique in that it was originally established with the intention of serving as a place of sanctuary for the San/Bushmen in the heart of the Kalahari, where they could live their traditional hunter/ gatherer way of life, without intrusion, or influence, from the outside world.
This was our first trip to South Africa and we were keen to utilise an experienced tour operator to guide us through the safari experience. After much research we ... Read more
We had a wonderful trip of a lifetime and appreciate the suggestions and itinerary you arranged for us. My younger daughter got engaged while we were at the Arathusa ... Read more
Thanks for the wishes! AndBeyond did a truly AMAZING job on the wedding and ceremony. Blair and I were sort of shocked and in awe the entire time – it ... Read more
Heidi from Pembury Tours was in constant contact with us from the beginning process of planning the tour, during our tour and then afterwards to see how we enjoyed ... Read more
From the moment that Anya (Visser) picked up our enquiry for a safari trip, everything was really well organized, and very smooth. She followed up on all my queries ... Read more
Meet the Team
+27 87 353 7872 heidi@pemburytours.com
My passion for travel began at a young age. I was fortunate enough to visit Mozambique when I was 10 years old and I fell in love with Africa and travelling. Not being sure what I wanted to study after leaving school, I decided to travel to Israel and work on a kibbutz. The travel bug bit and for the next 10 years I worked abroad in various countries.
Africa has always been in my heart and I returned home and began working in the travel industry. I have been in the travel industry since 2005. My career started as a travel consultant where I mostly focused on flight bookings and sending South Africans out into the world. After 10 years I was ready for a change and changed the direction of my clients travelling. I now have the privilege of bringing the world to Africa. I began my journey with Pembury Tours in 2015.
I am family-oriented and enjoy a good laugh. My passion is people and travel so putting together an African dream holiday tour is a joy and a blessing!
+27 87 353 7869 gail@pemburytours.com
I have been with Pembury Tours since we started in 1996. Over the years I have taken on various roles within the company – from tour consulting, guiding, website design & marketing and general marketing. Apart from giving me a good grounding in all the sections of the company, it has also given me the opportunity to travel all over the world – always returning to this amazing country I call home.
Safaris are my passion and I am also qualified as a safari guide. I know from experience what you as a guest are looking for and what is important to you when on safari. I understand that this is most often the main reason for your trip to our part of the world and it is my job to ensure that your safari experience not only meets, but exceeds your expectations.
Family trips and safaris are also something that lies close to my heart – as a mother with two young children, I know the importance of finding child-friendly accommodation for family holidays.
+27 87 353 7868 melanie@pemburytours.com
I first started with Pembury Tours as a Personal Assistant to the MD on a mornings-only basis way back in November 2004. This very quickly turned into a full time position and I gained extensive behind the scenes knowledge supporting the tour consultants in the office.
I took a short break in 2014, but realised that Pembury was so close to my heart and jumped at the chance of becoming a consultant in 2016. Until very recently I was based in the UK experiencing a little of the northern hemisphere way of life.
I simply love organising! Researching destinations, preparing itineraries, and taking care of clients’ arrangements are just some of the key aspects of my work. It’s also about getting to know my clients from the word ‘go’, to ensure that we create a holiday to meet their expectations.
Although I have a strong administrative background, I also studied tour guiding and this has given me a good understanding of local history and the sights. This has been really helpful when preparing tours for clients and I’m especially pleased to hear back from my clients after a tour with the highlights of their experiences.
+27 87 353 7871 kerry@pemburytours.com
I have been involved in the hotel and tourism industry since 1993 and with Pembury since 2001. Since qualifying as a hotel manager, I have been fortunate enough to have worked in many of the best hotels and lodges in different areas of South Africa. This has given me a great local knowledge of my country. I have a lifelong dedication to travelling in Africa and, after having lived in game reserves for more than 4 years, they are still a passion for our family getaways.
As a natural progression, I joined Pembury Tours as a consultant, after settling in Port Elizabeth. My responsibilities include tailor-making itineraries to suit the client’s requirements. From making the reservation, compiling the travel documents, including maps and directions, to ensuring a smooth and enjoyable holiday, I know that the perfect holiday is made up of many facets and the effective combining of these services ensures the clients their “great African vacation”.
I am currently running our Botswana office and I specialise in holidays to this area.
+27 87 353 7873 susan@pemburytours.com
I am one of the owners of Pembury Tours and set up the company in 1996 with my husband shortly after our return from a 6-year stay in the United Kingdom, during which time I worked in London and also did a Master’s Degree in Linguistics at Cambridge University.
My principal function at Pembury Tours is ensuring that we maintain a consistently high standard of work. This means I work very closely with my tour consultants as well as my administration staff. I manage to spend about half my time tour consulting, something that I really enjoy! I love the challenge of compiling an itinerary for clients that meets all the criteria they have given me. My love of wildlife means that I especially enjoy working on safari itineraries but I also like drawing up itineraries that include a “bit of everything” for first-time visitors – Cape Town, beaches, game viewing, African culture and historical insight. As a mother with teenage children, I know the importance of looking for more adventurous activities that will keep them entertained and ensure a great family holiday. I am extremely well-travelled and particularly enjoy using my knowledge of travel to put together complex itineraries for discerning travellers.
+27 82 511 3922 kerryn@pemburytours.com
I grew up on a farm in the Eastern Cape of South Africa where from a young age we hosted many international guests in our family run lodge and this is where I began my love for tourism, conservation and building interpersonal relationships with people who at the time felt like they came from worlds away. I was blessed to be raised in the beautiful South African bushveld where I cultivated an intense passion for photography which I still enjoy today.
I have been privileged to meet incredible people and see amazing areas of Southern Africa which I truly want others to experience for themselves, not just through photographs. I thrive on listening to stories that other people tell around the boma fire or dinner table while I am visiting these places and thoroughly enjoy sharing our experiences of living in Africa with them. I very quickly realised that there are two types of traveller: the “once in a lifetime” client who has saved for this and only this trip to Africa and the seasoned traveller who is blessed with the means to travel regularly to different destinations. Both types of client deserve and require the same amount of planning, assistance and attention to detail when organising their travels to Africa. I have seen how my fellow consultants always go the extra mile for every client and the joy that this brings all of us when clients send us feedback on their experiences – This makes our hearts happy!
+27 87 353 7875 anya@pemburytours.com
My love for wildlife, nature, travel and adventure began at a very young age. My parents used to take me to various game reserves within South Africa. I was immediately drawn to our country’s natural beauty and wildlife. I soon fell in love with the idea of travelling. I have been fortunate enough to travel through most of South Africa by road, go on a safari in Kruger, Madikwe, Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, relax on the beaches of Zanzibar and explore the United Kingdom.
I decided to take Tourism as a subject in school. This made me realise that Tourism is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life! I went on to study Tourism at college with the long term goal of becoming a Tour Consultant. I started at Pembury Tours straight out of college as an admin assistant. I assisted the tour consultants with documents, directions and basic admin. I was soon promoted to the position of Tour Consultant.
I may be young, but I am super-organised. The feeling I get when planning someone’s dream vacation, whether it is for a couple, a group of friends or for a family, cannot be put into words. Interacting with clients, catering for their needs and sharing my experience with the clients are all part of the joy this job brings me!
+27 87 353 7870 tammy@pemburytours.com
I joined Pembury Tours in 2002 as a trainee tour consultant after returning to South Africa from the United Kingdom. Whilst living in London I loved researching and planning holidays and sightseeing trips for myself, and I am now really enjoying planning memorable tours for clients. I did a degree in micro-biology, so I suppose, in tourism terms, I was a “blank canvass” when I started at Pembury!
I really enjoy the interaction with clients and I take particular delight in arranging itineraries for my repeat clients. One develops an intuition for someone’s likes and preferences and it is so rewarding getting feedback letters from clients once they have returned home.
I had great fun planning my own honeymoon in 2010 and have researched the numerous romantic getaways available in Southern Africa, so I especially enjoy assisting honeymoon clients who would like to plan their romantic holiday-of-a-lifetime.
