Armadillo Overland Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Member Of:
- Field Guides Association of Southern Africa
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $140 to $373 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Fred | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Highlight Of Our South Africa Trip
We spent five days in Kruger with Chris and Nicky of Armadillo-Overland-Tours, and it was a once in a lifetime experience. I am NOT a camper, but I've never eaten or slept so well in my life. Coffee, rusks, and granola at dawn, then out for a game drive, followed by an exceptional brunch and more animal spotting. My partner claims we saw 100 species in five days -- I know I counted 76!
After setting up camp, evenings were spent eating (and I like to eat), drinking, and making new friends. Every camp site had showers and toilets, so it never felt like "roughing it." The tour vehicle, designed and built by the owner, put us head and shoulders above those in cars and jeeps -- a definite advantage for photographers!
If you ever wind up in South Africa, you owe it to yourself to visit Kruger for at least a few days. Chris and Nicky (the owner-operators) do some posh tours, but if you're on a budget or just want something different, camping with the pros is the way to go.
US
Email Darren | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A perfect safari with wonderful hosts
Do you have an aunt and uncle that will take you on a perfect Safari, cook for you every day and night and dote on your kids while you relax on vacation? No? Well call Chris and Nikki at Armadillo Overland Safari and Adventure tours- they'll do all this and more. My wife and three daughters (4, 6 and 8 yrs old) spent 5 nights and 6 days with Chris and Nikki and their "armadillo" truck and we wanted to stay longer. Another month or maybe a year would be about right.
Communication with Chris was easy and his e-mail responses were quick while we were planning our safari before we left the US. He sent us a planned itinerary of a safari in Kruger National Park and then added a requested side trip to Elephant Whispers which he arranged and included in the price of the Safari to make it even easier for us. And when traffic snarled our original itinerary he made a few calls and re-arranged the visit to ensure we had plenty of time with the Elephants and plenty of time in the park. He also added the requested panaroma route during our return trip to Johannesburg and was flexible with our schedule as our flight got moved up a couple hours the week before we left.
The 'armadillo' vehicle is a elevated box on the back of an Isuzu 4x4 that ensures you can go virtually anywhere in the park and see everything when you're there. The sitting height is even higher than the game viewing vehicles that we saw allowing us to see animals far into the bush. The elevated box has multiple windows perfect for wildlife viewing and picture taking and for keeping cool riding around in the park. The box also has tables set between chairs to allow kiddos to play some card games when the game drives got longer than their attention spans or on the way to and from the airport. It also has an honor drink bar (beer, cider, water and chocolate milk for us) that Chris and Nikki will stock with whatever you'd like prior to departure. Binoculars? Check. An extensive library on all things safari? check. A heater for chilly mornings? check. An electrical strip for charging devices, camera batteries, etc? and with adapters? check and check. I'm not sure what they could add to make it better but give it a couple months and I'm sure they'll come up with something.
Chris cooked up something delicious for us every night - it was so good that even our 8 year old that here to forth we thought survived on photosynthesis asked for second helpings a couple nights. And the brunches were just as good.
We camped in the park for four nights and just outside the park the last night. The tents and sleeping mats were comfortable and kept us dry during a couple unseasonable rain showers. Chris and Nikki provided pillows and extra blankets which reassured my cold-phobic wife.
This was the best family vacation we've had so far. If I could give them 10 stars I would- and it still wouldn't be enough.
US
Email John | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unique tour, great animal viewing, led by husband & wife team, comfortable camping, good food.
Custom built passenger box on Isuzu 4X4 truck chassis provides excellent animal viewing from high position through large easily opened windows. There is plenty of room to move around and stretch ones legs or congregate to one side to see the excitement outside. It is a little noisy when traveling at highway speeds and could use a window in the front. Food was good. I am a vegetarian and they were able to accommodate my needs. They would have done better if we had given them a little notice. Service was excellent. Guides were friendly and knowledgeable. Camping was comfortable. We had 5 days of care free travel for a very good price.
A wonderful trip
Communication prior to the tour was quite punctual and very helpful. Everything about the tour was just as I was told, if not better. The service before and throughout the tour was exceptional. I forgot to mention until the day before the tour began that I had a special diet, and Chris and Becky (the tour operators) made some wonderful adaptations to the menu to accommodate me and my friends. Also, the food was delicious. Chris and Becky were full of information about everything that we saw and were very accommodating as to what we were interested in seeing in the park. They allowed ample time to see and photography wildlife and gave us some exceptionally great positions within our vehicle to view the wildlife. The company was great and I was very comfortable the entire time. I would recommend this tour operator to anybody and everybody looking for a great safari! I would book another safari with them in a heartbeat!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible safari experience at bargain price
My friend and I were able to book Chris and Armadillo Adventures fairly last minute. We were looking for an adventure and animal viewing at a low cost (we are both graduate students). We were overwhelmed with what we found. Chris was an excellent host, chef, tour guide, and all around good guy. We got to enjoy his custom built 4x4 vehicle on our three day safari. It is fully equipped with toilet, coolers for drinks and snacks, heater, binoculars, library of nature books. The height alone was enough of an advantage to consider his outfit; we were able to see things no one else in the park was able to see.
The accommodations were perfect. He provided tents, sleeping bags, camping mattresses, etc. The meals were amazing; traditional brai, chicken curries, potato and green salads. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. The tour around the park (pilanesburg) was amazing. Chris led us to great spots, stopped when we wanted and where we wanted. He showed us great spots, but didn’t rush us when we wanted to stay for a while taking pictures. We say 4 of the big 5; the illusive buffalo eluded us. Above that, he told us about any new species we came upon. I would highly recommend Chris and his company to friends and family.
CZ
Email Kristy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent safari
I was with Armadillo in 5 days safari in Kruger and it was an amazing experience. The food was delicious and always enough, sleeping in tent was very comfortable and we saw a lot of animals: Hyenas, lions three times, rhinos three times (one time with calf), huge herd of elephants by watering place...Our truck was excellent for game wieving and Chris knows much about nature in Kruger. If you want to wisit safari, Armadillo is the best choice. I believe, that it wasn´t my last safari with Armadillo.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari!
We had a superb experience with Chris. Since some people cancelled on short notice we (just 2) had the whole truck to ourselves and fortunately they still went trough with the trip. The truck, built by Chris himself, is spacious, comfortable and provides a great vantage point for game viewing. Also comes with a bar (Cold Beer!). Chris is very knowledgable about the wildlife and his campside cooking is a revelation. Honestly can't think of a single thing that could have been better and would definitely like to do another Safari with Armadillo Overland Tours.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Brilliant tour and guide
Would thoroughly recommend the Armadillo Safari tours. It is a great experience, made all the better by Chris’ enthusiasm and eagle eyed sight (and ability to sight eagles) while out on the trail.
The custom built ‘Truck Norris’ is a great vehicle to go on safari in – high off the ground it’s perfect to see over the scrub and other vehicles and take some great photos, and with space for enough beer to make sure one’s camera is never perfectly focused. I spent the first day marveling at the Truck rather than what was out of the window. Really enjoyed our trip, and great to have such a knowledgeable and friendly guide (who also makes one mean Thai curry). Thanks Chris.
QA
Email Rebecca Wyatt | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best way to see Kruger National Park
Cannot say enough good things about our camping trip with Chris and Nicky! The vehicle is one of a kind and affords a great view for wildlife spotting as well as making friends with your fellow campers. A little bumpy at times, but that's to be expected. We saw an amazing amount of wildlife and learned so much about the park. Great food, great company and memories we will cherish. Booking was very easy and everything we were promised was delivered. This is not a tour for people who want to be pampered, but if you have a sense of adventure and really want to see the park up close, this is the tour to book!
US
Email Alok | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Game Drive on one of a kind Truck, Hospitality was second to none
We have done the 5 day catered safari trip with Chris and Nicky, the owners of the Armadillo Overland Safari and Adventure Tours. It was our 1st safari trip. The accommodation was top notch and every meal was hand prepared. Chris and Nicky are very knowledgeable about various animals, birds, wildlife that we have encountered in our game drives. They had a genuine passion for nature and its occupants. For the 5 days we were a family of 8, never felt anything less. We have seen 4 of the big five except Leopard, though Chris had tried very hard to locate one for us. The panorama route was a memorable last piece to our adventure. They have also dropped us to our hotel in Santon, 20+ km from the airport at 8:30PM at night. I have to mention the one of a kind truck that was used for the game drive every morning, afternoon and overall transportation. That is one of a kind and there is no other like it in South Africa Period. They had everything you will ever need (pillows, blankets, binos, glasses, books, water, beer, wine..) + the loo(bathroom) in that truck. If you are looking for a safari, i promise, they will show you a good time with awesome food, a passion for wildlife and a lasting friendship. Now ask yourself when was the last time you thought like this about a service provider. In the sea of safari providers they are truly exceptional.